Rath Yatra blends devotion and duty, as corporates like Reckitt redefine public service through innovative, inclusive, and sustainable festival sanitation solutions
Sujitav Dash
Each year, the divine chariots of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra roll majestically through the Grand Road (Bada Danda) of Puri, drawing millions of devotees from around the world. The Rath Yatra is more than a spiritual procession—it’s a civic spectacle that demands meticulous planning, immense manpower, and robust public health infrastructure.
In recent years, a growing number of corporates have stepped into this sacred space—not for profit, but for purpose, driven by the profound belief that Public Service is True Worship.
Traditionally organized with the support of the Gajapati Maharaj of Puri, servitors, saints, and the state, the Rath Yatra has seen increasing corporate involvement since the early 2000s.
Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) like NALCO, Indian Oil, MCL, and NTPC began with basic services like water kiosks and shelters.
Soon, private agencies such as Tata Trusts, Aditya Birla Group, Jindal Steel, Reliance Foundation and Reckitt followed, bringing innovation, scale, and systems thinking into the fold.
But among them, Reckitt has emerged as one among the trailblazers.
Since 2022, Reckitt—under its Dettol Banega Swasth India (DBSI) campaign and through its flagship Harpic World Toilet College (WTC) program—has transformed the sanitation landscape during Rath Yatra and the historic Kumbhamela. Their contributions have been holistic, culturally respectful, and deeply strategic.
Mobile toilets, handwashing stations, and disinfection tunnels were deployed along the Grand Road and maintained by trained sanitation workers—many of whom were WTC graduates.
Reckitt launched large-scale behaviour change campaigns with IEC materials, street plays, and audio-visual messaging, distributing hygiene kits to thousands of pilgrims and servitors.
Training for sanitation workers, civic volunteers, and officials ensured not just service, but sustainability—embedding WASH practices in festival management.
With real-time digital monitoring systems, sanitation and waste management were tracked efficiently, reinforcing transparency and accountability.
This CSR intervention earned Reckitt praise from the Odisha Government, Puri Municipality, and Jagannath Temple Administration, becoming a model for public-private partnership in religious events.
For Reckitt, this wasn’t just about hygiene—it was about building trust, connecting emotionally with communities, and reinforcing its leadership in public health. The scalable WTC model has already found replication potential in other mass gatherings like Kumbh Mela and Chhath Puja.
Rath Yatra 2.0 is now a convergence of faith, festivity, and future-thinking corporates. As more organizations follow Reckitt’s lead, the path forward could include:
• Climate-resilient WASH services
• Inclusive access for persons with disabilities
• Waste-to-wealth innovations
• Conservation of Puri’s sacred ecology
When devotion meets duty, and strategy blends with service, Rath Yatra becomes more than a ritual—it becomes a revolution in compassionate corporate citizenship.
(The writer was with NIBM , Pune and an economist. Views are personal.)