“He Goes Where Needed”
Durban, South Africa
From the windows of the Addington Beach area of Durban, residents looked down to the street level to watch the spectacle. Three flashy, massive, Orissa-style chariots, hand-pulled through this downtown neighbourhood, caught their eyes while drums, cymbals and songs captured the ears. I would occasionally look up from the street level hoping that my glance and theirs would meet.
Since distance would restrict perfect eye contact, a wave of the hand or a head nod did make the difference. Much of the area struck me as living inner-city dynamic of a near poverty level. The down- and- out mode was dominant in this chosen neighbourhood for the chariot procession. One might question why this location? I don’t know the answer. I am not part of the management here. I do know that those folks from above were responsive. I do know that the sound of the festival woke up some people as you witness the dishevelled hair, the shirtless guy or the woman in the nightie. Some people lit up and some not at all. It takes a lot to electrify some people as narcotics, TV, computers and glum magazines occupy their lives.
Perhaps these are the souls that deep down are needing more than others and all the more reason for this area to be the hand-picked zone for the procession. It may be that Jagannatha (Lord of the universe) the prominent Deity calls the shots as He traditionally has done in this 2000 year old festival. We say that He is very merciful and that His wide expansive eyes can see with a magnitude that we cannot.
10 KM
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