By Kishore Dwibedi – Anil Dhir
BHUBANESWAR: Exactly forty eight years ago, Donald Trump saved the Lord Jagannath’s Rathayatra Festival. Today, as the World celebrates Lord Jagannath’s Annual Rathayatra, Trump was attacked and Lord Jagannath returned the favour by saving his life from the fatal assassination attempt.
In July 1976, Donald Trump helped ISKCON devotees to organise first ever Rathayatra in New York by providing his train yard for the construction of the chariots free of cost. Today, as the world celebrates the Nine Days long Lord Jagannath’s Rathayatra Festival, this terrible attack on him and his narrow escape speak volumes about Lord Of the Universe’s divine intervention. Truly Mahaprabhu has blessings on Donald Trump.
The Maiden Car Festival of Lord Jagannath kicked off on the streets of USA’s Mega City New York in 1976, with assistance from the then 30-year-old emerging real-estate Moghul in America ; Donald Trump. Nearly forty eight years ago, when the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) was planning to organize the first Chariot Procession in New York City, challenges were in plenty .
While the grant of parade permit at the Fifth Avenue was nothing short of a miracle, finding a huge empty site where chariots could be built was also never going to be an easy task. The organisers knocked at the doors of every person possible for Favour, but had to return in empty hands. It was then that the former US President Donald Trump emerged as a ray of hope for the Krishna devotees.
Coinciding ISKCON’s 10th Birth Anniversary in 1976, devotees in New York were planning a Grand Celebration of Rath Yatra there. The permission to use the Fifth Avenue was in fact a big deal. They needed an empty site close to the starting point of the parade route, to build the massive wooden carts. To their bad luck they received big NO as answer from everyone they appealed for help. They were concerned about insurance risks etc also, which is understandable.
Desperation of devotees reached at its peak.Hopes were nearly shattered. Almost all the firm owners ,who were approached reportedly said they were in the process of selling their properties at the Pennsylvania rail yard, which was marked as the perfect location for cart making. A few days later, someone told them that Donald Trump had purchased the old railway yard. But still there were anxiety moments as a dozen other landlords had already refused to oblige and why would Trump be any different ?
Nevertheless, the devotees went to Mr Trump’s office with a big basket of Maha Prasadam and a presentation package. His secretary took these but cautioned the devotees that Mr Trump , “Never agrees for this kind of thing. You can request him but he is going to say big NO.” We have faith in Mahaprabhu,the Organisers responded. The miracle was bound to happen !!!!!! Three days later, Trump’s secretary called up the devotees saying, “I don’t know what happened but he read your letter, took a bit of the food you left and immediately said Sure, why not ????? The secretary then said, “Please come down and get his signed letter of permission.” Yes, Trump had signed the papers approving necessary permission to use the open rail yards for construction of Rath Yatra’s carts.
Receiving consent for parade permit was another daunting task that the devotees faced. On behalf of the Hare Krishna Movement, Tosan Krishna Das who was in charge of getting the permit, had submitted a written proposal to the authorities. The Police department had initially said yes but later on said no as there was mayor’s edict since 1962 against allowing new parades on the Fifth Avenue.
With no option left, Tosan finally approached the chief of Police in Manhattan. Nobody had any clue about how the chief would respond to the application. But after a careful review, the police chief signed the papers with a smile. “I don’t know why I am doing this, the chief said and then he signed it”, reveals Tosan. Like other corporate company owners, Trump also could have easily rejected the proposal. Devotees thought the Police chief was no exception either. Why the duo didn’t say no, still remains mystery to be unravelled. The organisers cite it as a ”MIRACLE OF MAHAPRABHU”Jai Jagannath !!!!!!
(The Writers Kishore Dwibedi is an Eminent Journalist based in New Delhi and President World Odisha Society – Anil Dhir is a Eminent Historian, Convenor of INTACH, Odisha based in Bhubaneswar).
