ISKCON’s 20th Ratha Yatra: “A festival of consciousness” – Pres Ali calls for unity, tolerance, spiritual upliftment

President Dr Irfaan Ali, speaking at the 2025 ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) Festival of Chariots, described the annual celebration as a “festival of consciousness” and called for a deeper level of awareness among participants. He encouraged supporters and attendees to embrace a broader perspective, one that goes beyond religious observance and reflects shared values of unity and reflection.
Ratha Yatra is a significant religious and cultural festival honouring Lord Jagannath (Krishna), traditionally held in Puri, in the state of Odisha, India, where the oldest and most revered Jagannath Deity resides. Millions of devotees attend this festival each year.
In Guyana, ISKCON devotees from the Georgetown Centre dedicate months of planning and hard work to ensure the success of their annual Ratha Yatra. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the festival in Georgetown and features four days of celebration, from July 10 to 13.
Addressing the gathering, President Ali reiterated the theme of consciousness, “so today at ISKCON, we celebrate once again a festival—a festival of consciousness. But consciousness about what? It’s not only consciousness about what happens in this building. It’s not only consciousness about the spirituality that is needed. It’s not only consciousness about what is needed to keep the work of ISKCON alive. It is consciousness that is built on many different platforms.”
He stressed that consciousness involves awareness of critical values necessary for human coexistence. “It’s consciousness about how important tolerance is for the world to survive. The consciousness of what humanness is all about. What being a member of humanity is all about. The consciousness about love and peace. The consciousness about our environment, our social conditions, the consciousness about living together as neighbors.”
He also spoke candidly about the importance of maintaining emotional and spiritual well-being by resisting negativity. He said he actively works to master the art of removing negativity from his life, as it can weigh the soul down and rob individuals of positive energy.
According to Ali, “and I said, because I try to master the art of removing negativity. Not allowing negativity to weigh the soul down. Because when negativity weighs the soul down, it removes positive energy. It removes our ability to uplift ourselves. And if we can’t uplift ourselves, we can’t uplift the persons around us. We can’t uplift the members of the Mandirs, members of ISKCON, members of society, members of the community.”
This, the Head of State posited, is why community is so important. He said spiritual and cultural gatherings play a vital role in fostering connection, support and collective growth. President Ali highlighted the importance of community, emphasising that it is through unity that people uplift, protect, share and live together. He noted that while individuals may act alone, it is within a community that true societal living takes place. He explained that spaces like these are created to bring people together, to strengthen connections, and to foster a shared sense of consciousness.
The Ratha Yatra festival has become a common sight in most major cities worldwide since 1967, through the Hare Krishna movement. Its founder-acharya, His Divine Grace A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, successfully transplanted this ancient celebration, which now occurs annually in London, Paris, New York, and other major cities around the globe.