News India Times

www.newsindiatimes.com – that’s all you need to know News India Times (July 25, 2026 - July 31, 2026) July 31, 2026 12 Community PHOTOS: INDIA CULTURAL SOCIETY OF NJ (WAYNE HINDUTEMPLE) Indian American Community Leader Jagdish Sewhani Meets President Trump @FIFA Event Wayne Hindu Temple, Wayne NJ, Celebrated Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra-2026 T he India Cultural Society of NJ (Wayne Hindu Temple), in collabora- tion with Odisha Society from NJ held the Sri Jagannath Ratha Yatra recently. emple priest Anil Sastri and Odiya priest Pit- amber Sarangi performed all the puja rituals. Around 700 people from various Indian communities joined the Rathyatra in spite of the inclement weather, organizers said in a press release. Devotees offered chhapan bhog and sang Sri Jagannath Bhajan to express their devo- tion. The community has been doing this festival for the past 21 years, organizers said. The Chhera pahanra ritual, which is a cen- turies old tradition of sweeping the platform of deities before pulling the chariots, was performed by Consul General of India in New York Binaya Srikanta Pradhan, as well as Dr Uma Mishra and Dr Dhiren Das. The deities of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra were carried from the temple to the chariot with the ritual of Pahandi. The procession resounded with the sounds of Ghanta, Ghanti and Mridangam, accompa- nied by the chanting of “Jai Jagannath,” which according to organizers created an “ecstatic, spiritually charged environment” during the festival. The Temple had celebrated Snan Yatra, Netrotsava during the two weeks prior to the Rath Yatra. After the stay in Sri Gundicha temple, the Bahuda Ratha Yatra and Suna Vesa will be celebrated on July 25th along with cultural programs. By a StaffWriter PHOTOS:COURTESY JAGDISH SEWHANI Above, Jagdish Sewhani, President The American India Public Affairs Committee, shaking hands with President Donald Trump at a FIFA-related event. Below, Sewhani with President Trump and FIFA President Giovanni Infantino in New York. A section of the large number of attendees at the Rath Yatra. India’s Consul General in New York Binaya Srikanta Pradhan, conducting some of the rituals during the Rath Yatra. Organizers and guests pose for a photo at the Rath Yatra celebration. Some of the women participants at the Rath Yatra pose for a photo with the deities, during the Rath Yatra.