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India.com

From Runways To Rath Yatra: This Is How Sukhoi Fighter Jet Tyres To Support Lord Jagannaths Chariot

In a harmonious fusion of tradition and contemporary technology, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) Kolkata has installed tyres utilized in Sukhoi 4th generation fighter aircraft onto Lord Jagannath's chariot for the Rath Yatra of this year. The festival, one of the city's most eagerly awaited spiritual celebrations, will be held on June 27. This is a major upgrade following 48 years of utilising Boeing aircraft tyres for the chariot. ISKCON authorities state that the old Boeing tyres had created technical problems, and efforts to find appropriate substitutes over the past two decades were underway. "We were facing issues with the old tyres and tried for years to find an alternative. Since Dunlop, the manufacturer of the original Boeing tyres, shut operations long ago, we explored other options," said ISKCON Kolkata Vice President Radharaman Das in an interview. "After extensive research, we discovered that tyres used in Sukhoi fighter jets matched the diameter and load specifications required for the chariot. We reached out to MRF, the manufacturer of Sukhoi tyres, and their team inspected our chariot in December 2023," he mentioned. After the evaluation, the tyres were installed on the main wooden chariot, which completed a successful trial run of 20 kilometres in Kolkata on May 31. Das assured that structural changes were incorporated to fit the new tyres. All four of the Sukhoi tyres are capable of carrying a maximum load of 16 tonnes, facilitating the safe transport of the chariot during the Rath Yatra and Ultorath, which is scheduled on July 5. The chariots of the deities accompanying Lord Jagannath will still run on conventional iron wheels. "This is possibly a first-of-its-kind move in the country, if not Asia. We initially fitted Boeing tyres back in 1977, and to our knowledge, such a practice of using aircraft or fighter jet tyres in religious processions is unprecedented," Das said. The new tyres are likely to provide a smoother and safer ride for Lord Jagannath down the roads of Kolkata, as thousands of believers line up to watch the religious procession.