San Francisco’s Rath Yatra
By Kamla Bhatt • Aug 1st, 2009Category: Americas, Diaspora, India, Life, Living In America, San Francisco, Video, YouTube Videos
On July 25th 2009, the 43rd Annual Rath Yatra was held in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. Over 40 years ago San Francisco became the first American city to hold this annual Rath Yatra by ISKON.I wrote an article about the Rath Yatra for Open, where I tried to capture the transformation of the phrase “Rath Yatra” (a procession of chariots) and what the term has come to signify for young Indians. Today, the term Rath Yatra is automatically associated with politics. Today, the term ‘Rath Yatra” brings to mind LK Advani, BJP and the Hindutva movement.This in in stark contrast to the Rath Yatra I saw in San Francisco, which had no political underpinnings. As one wise onlooker during the Rath Yatra put it: “This one was found on loving and not hating. This one was found on giving and not taking. Maybe the India that we knew has found refuge in San Francisco?” Perhaps, it has.
Kamla Bhatt is the host and producer of an Internet Radio show where listeners can find stories about the new and emerging India and the global Indian community. As a pioneer of 'internet radio' format in India Kamla started her first show News about India, followed by TalkNewsIndia in 2005. In 2006 she premiered her new show: The Kamla Bhatt Show: Life, People and Ideas. 
[…] more recent show captured the flavor of a Hare Krishna Rath Yathra in San […]