Delhi-Haridwar Kanwar yatra: Why are we making a grand spectacle of religious celebrations in a secular state?

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat*
The huge Kanwar yatra during the season of Savan has started. Devotees of Lord Shiva will be carrying water from the places known to have an important place in mythology, like Haridwar, Devghar, Varanasi etc, to their homes. The Delhi-Meerut-Haridwar high way is virtually closed for nearly one week to ensure that the devotees are comfortable. On the road from Hardiwar to Delhi, political parties have put huge hoardings to welcome the devotees and camps for them to relax.
Kanwar yatra is considered to be very auspicious for many people. It was carried out by men only, but with changing times, women too have started participating in it. The highway is packed with pop-devotees, with Bhajans based on latest Bollywood numbers. This is a 'grand-masti' for many who want to get rid of their monotonous schedule of life.
During this one week, all the commuters in NCR or Delhi Meerut highway will have severe problems due to restrictions in traffic. In the last two decades, the yatra has been magnified in such a way, as if the yatris are 'deshbhakts' and they are all set fight a war on the border. This clever pattern of making yatris look 'important' and 'brave', such as soldiers, attracts ever more people.
While I have no issues with people's personal choices of believing in God, I do have problems with the manner in which these yatras are promoted and encouraged. A new rowdy culture is being promoted, and people fear violence from these Kanwaris whenever any mishap happens. Often strange rumours float around during the yatra.
One witnesses strange scenes like a baba wearing over 30 kilogrammes of gold walking all the way -- he is called Golden Baba. This man loves Rolls Royce and other luxury vehicles. We do not how Hinduism, which these people celebrate, allows such persons to be spiritual leaders. If you really love your God, it should be done in a peaceful and dignified way. Even the concept of Shiva should to be celebrated in the way He was, and not the way how political bhakts have converted him into.
As traffic snarls, those who are disturbed include senior citizens and the sick. This needs to be seriously looked into. Should any political party promote such activities? Why are we making a grand spectacle of religious celebrations in a secular state? Can't it be personal and without any problems for common people?
For next few days one has to be prepared for all the hullabaloo by the Kanwars. Hope some day some sociologist would do a caste-class analysis of this yatra and why it attracts so many of the most marginalised communities. Also, one has to ponder as how do people manage contradictions in India, claiming to be radical, even as doing bhakti.

---

*Human rights activist. Source: Author's Facebook timeline

Comments

Uma said…

The present government does not recognise 'common people'. People are either with them or against them.

August 04, 2018

'300 Nazis fell by your gun': Most successful female sniper in history

By Harsh Thakor* "Miss Pavlichenko’s well known to fame, Russia’s your country, fighting is your game. The whole world will always love you for all time to come, Three hundred Nazis fell by your gun." — from Woody Guthrie's “Miss Pavlichenko"

TU activist Anirudh Rajan, lawyer Ajay Kumar in custody: Wounded reputation of world's largest democracy?

By Vedika S* Over the last few days, India's National Investigation Agency (NIA), known to be tasked with suppressing revolutionary, democratic, and progressive forces, conducted a series of raids across Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi. Targets included human rights attorney Pankaj Tripathi, student leader Devendra Azad, and peasant union leader Sukhwinder Kaur. Lawyer and anti-displacement activist Ajay Kumar was arrested and taken to his home in Mohali, which was subsequently raided. He is now imprisoned in Lucknow as a suspect in the NIA's "Northern Regional Bureau (NRB) Revival case."

RG Kar saga: Towards liberation from the constraints of rigid political parties?

By Atanu Roy* There's a saying: "There is no such thing as a half-pregnancy." This adage seems particularly relevant when discussing the current regime of the Trinamool Congress (TMC). The party appears to be entrenched in widespread corruption that affects nearly every aspect of our lives. One must wonder, why would they exclude the health sector—a lucrative area where illicit money can flow freely, thanks to a network of corrupt leaders colluding with ambitious bureaucrats?

'No to risky 11,000 MW hydroelectric project': Call to protect Siang river

Beverly Longid, Jiten Yumnam* The civil rights network, International Indigenous Peoples Movement for Self-Determination and Liberation (IPMSDL), has voicesd its support for the residents of Siang District, Northeast India, as they resist the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation's (NHPC) efforts to monopolize the Siang River for its Upper Siang Hydroelectric Project, a massive undertaking proposed at 11,000 MW.

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

By Rajiv Shah* The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual.

'Abduction' of labour activist Anirudh Rajan part of a 'troubling trend': CASR

By Our Representative The civil rights network Campaign Against State Repression (CASR) has issued a strong denunciation of the "abduction" of labour rights activist Anirudh Rajan, who was taken by state authorities on September 5, 2024, while traveling to meet his family. This incident is part of a troubling trend, as the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and various state forces have increasingly targeted trade union and democratic rights activists over the past year.

Impact of global warming? Asia's 61% population 'deprived of clean water'

By Vikas Meshram* A recent study from Utrecht University in the Netherlands warns that climate change and socio-economic transformations will exacerbate water scarcity, disproportionately affecting populations in South Asian countries. Human beings require clean water for drinking, sanitation, food production, energy, and manufacturing. Across the globe, people and policymakers are grappling with the challenges of water scarcity.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Bulldozer justice? How government officials simply seek to please their political patrons

By Vikas Meshram* The Supreme Court has not only raised objections but also expressed concern over the practice of demolishing the homes of criminal suspects, accused, or convicts using bulldozers. It has indicated that necessary guidelines will be issued to all states in this regard. In such circumstances, the court's intervention is indeed welcome. A bench comprising Justice B.R. Gavai and Justice K.V. Viswanathan made these remarks while hearing petitions seeking a ban on the bulldozer actions being carried out by administrations in several states. The bench clarified that they would not offer protection to unauthorized constructions or encroachments, including religious structures built on roads. It also emphasized the need to ensure that no individual or officer takes undue advantage of any legal loophole.

Search This Blog