Procession (Juggernaut part 3 - revisited)

[Christopher Stewart]

(« Ratha Yatra Festival in Puri, India » by James Fergusson)

The third part of « Juggernaut, » entitled « Procession, » evokes the arrival of the crushing force before it unleashes into a frenzy of steamrolling.

The title and music of this section are both inspired by the origin of the word. From Wikipedia :

The English loanword juggernaut in the sense of "a huge wagon bearing an image of a Hindu god" is from the 17th century, inspired by the Jagannath Temple in Puri, Orissa, which has the Ratha Yatra ("chariot procession"), an annual procession of chariots carrying the murtis (statues) of Jagannâth (Krishna), Subhadra and Balabhadra (Krishna's elder brother).

In the storyline of the suite, the third section corresponds to the entrance of the team of workers led by the not-totally-honest designer. At first, the spectacle is orderly and even admirable, but as questionable deeds are committed by both camps, relationships degrade and things go awry.

This procession thus represents the series of signs which slowly become manifest as marks are missed, the cortege growing in strength until the tipping point is passed and all hell breaks loose.

To illustrate this musically, I've tried to come up with something that evokes the ceremonial and majestic grandeur of the original chariot procession which suddenly escapes control before turning into to the catastrophic crush of the stampede that reaches its climax in « Steamroller. »

Here's the poetry complementing this instrumental section :

where does this thing come from
it was not here before
obstacles make me glum
does this maze have a door

why doesn't this work out
it should be straightforward
leaving me in much doubt
how this have i incurred

what is this sensation
how come i feel so low
deflation impression
what is causing this woe

why are you mean to me
what have i done to you
why all this cruelty
and challenging undue

why is this happening
don't i deserve better
you claim to be loving
free me from this fetter

here an irritation
more annoyances there
push and prod vexation
is more than i can bear

distraught and deep in thought
drowning in resentment
confused and overwrought
and deaf to the moment

a lifeful of pointers
unfolds before my eyes
useful indicators
intended as allies

blinded by the blinkers
i do not recognize
lost in all that occurs
i avoid and despise

discounting as bothers
what's meant to make me wise
i deem as imposters
those wanting me to rise

inexorable force
standing tall on my course
inspiring my remorse
pointing me to the source

the calf on the altar
i respond in anger
unaware the mirror
heralds a steamroller

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« Juggernaut » is a suite which clocks in at a little under 18 minutes and comprises six chapters.

The composition was originally inspired by a most painful experience involving a rented house shared by six young and not-so-young adults, unannounced extensive renovations, and frictions and miscommunications of all sorts. It’s intended to illustrate the hamartia/metanoia principle :

« Missing the point. Yes, hamartia which meant missing the point, missing the mark. Now that got translated as sin. And repentance was metanoia, meaning a transformation of the mind, and got translated as pain, right? Penitence, repentance. The point is that repentance is merely to understand that you missed the mark, you see? (laughter) Therefore evil is missing the mark, basically. It is confusion, right? Its ultimate source is the kind of confusion I described about thought. » - David Bohm, Unfolding Meaning