Silchar celebrates Janamasthi with high enthusiasm and Covid-19 norms

Janmasthami, the birthday of Lord Krish, a central figure of Hindu mythology, has been celebrated with great enthusiasm and devotion in Silchar. Last year the celebrations were restricted because of the stricter covid regulations, but this year as India unlocks itself and vaccinates its population, the gates of the major Akharas and Temples in the city were open for celebration but by keeping covid appropriate behaviour. Though the day started with a heavy shower in the morning, it got sunny and dry as the day passed in making it comfortable for the people who took part in the celebrations. Every year the tradition of celebrating the Lord’s birthday, also known as ‘Gokulashtami’ and ‘Krish Jayanti’, is being followed by Shyam Sundar Akhara for over 150 years and we got a first-hand experience about the serenity of the place and the environment on this auspicious day.

The birthday of Lord Krish is celebrated on the eighth day (Ashtami) of the Krish Paksha (dark fortnight) of the month of Shraava according to the Hindu calendar. The road and the area around Shyam Sundar Akhara were pretty jammed up, with people sinking themselves into the mood of celebrations and devotion. There is a brand new gate to the Akhara which is coming up in the next 2 months, we were told. The entire area leading up to the main Mandir area was filled with people and decorations, though we won’t say it was packed. There was loud devotional music being played and the beautiful smell of incandescent made the area very prayerful. The inside of the Mandir was not very crowded but had a good number of people who were there to offer their prayers and most of them had their masks on.

We had a chance to speak with one of the Sevaks there by the name Jogeshwar Das who informs us that, “Janmasthi celebrations are happening here since 167 years and from the establishment of this Akhara in 1853 by three Vishnavs by the name Satyaram Das, Kishore Das and Charan Das, this divine day has been celebrated here every year with full enthusiasm and dedication. Last year the covid norms were stricter and we couldn’t allow devotees to come to be a part of the celebrations, but this year with the govt. giving some more relaxations, we are expecting some amount of devotees though covid protocols are being maintained throughout and as a precautionary measure, no cooked prasad is being distributed.”

He expresses great confidence when he says, “Though covid may have scaled down the glam of the celebrations, but all the necessary rituals and traditions are being performed with the same amount of liveliness.” We later also visited another very old Temple in Silchar, the Radha Madhab Akhara, where too the day of Janmasthami has been celebrated for over 180 years but this year, the scale was definitely affected by the ongoing pandemic situation.

There was some amount of crowding noticed at the akharas and most of them had their masks on while some bunked the covid regulations. As the govt. slowly rolls out more relaxations, it’s also important to remember that Covid is still a major reality and the graph has again started to shoot high. As we get back to living a more normal life, our customization with covid behavior and wearing masks only become more important which will slowly help us to observe these occasions of celebration in its true sense and scale.