Barefoot with the faithful: Gautam Adani's journey from industry captain to inner calling at Puri Rath Yatra

FROM orchestrating sanitation drives during the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj to joining the chariot pulling in Puri, Gautam Adani's expression of seva goes beyond philanthropy - it becomes a spiritual commitment.

- PBD BUREAU/IANS

In the ancient coastal town of Puri, Odisha, where chants of "Jai Jagannath" echo through narrow lanes and the air smells of incense and salt, the annual Rath Yatra is not just a festival it's a living embodiment of faith.

This spiritual grandeur took on an added dimension this year when Gautam Adani, Chairman of the Adani Group, humbly participated in the chariot procession of Lord Jagannath, embracing the essence of "Seva hi Sadhana hai" (service is worship), a philosophy that underpins both his personal and professional life, on June 28, the second day of the nine-day festival.

Dressed in traditional attire, barefoot and unassuming, Gautam Adani joined the lakhs of devotees who thronged the Grand Road (Bada Danda), pulling the chariots of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Devi Subhadra during the sacred festival that ends on July 5. He did not come as a business leader but as a humble sevak - one among many believers swept in the tide of devotion.

With folded hands and bowed head, his actions resonated with silent reverence, capturing the true spirit of selfless service.