The middle road

At the outset, I would like to state that I write this not as a 8220;pseudo-secularist8221; but as a citizen. I8217;m a Hindu and while I may not fold my hands in front of the Almighty every day, my wayward feet do occasionally find themselves at a temple threshold. Even as I write this, the city has been invaded by thousands of 8220;kawarias8221;. To the uninitiated, kawarias are devotees of Shiva. To coincide with the festival of Maha Shivratri, they traverse the plains of north India, barefoot, until they reach Haridwar, whereupon they collect sacred Ganga water. This they then carry on their journey back to their village or home town. While this may be noble and good, I ask: In God8217;s name, why must their piety be expressed in the middle of the road?

The national highway from New Delhi to Haridwar, which incidentally also services the Uttaranchal state capital, Dehra Dun, is practically shut for vehicular traffic. Yup, you guessed it. The kawarias strike again. My husband8217;s 80-year-old uncle who recently suffered a stroke that has rendered him practically immobile, was travelling by road to the capital, to have his pace-maker checked. The normally six-hour journey took a hellish ten-and-a-half hours. Highway traffic had been diverted, causing major blockages. When the driver sought to remonstrate with a throng of 8216;8216;pilgrims8217;8217;, he was greeted with a volley of abuse and the threat of violence.

This is not a stray incident. Residents of Gurgaon who routinely drive to their Delhi offices now face traffic jams that are kilometers long. This morning, an aquaintance who resides in Palam Vihar, was threatened by a hockey stick-wielding group of kawarias for having the temerity to request a way through. Yesterday, I was subjected to lewd comments and suggestions by one 8216;8216;devout8217;8217; lot, as I waited at the Chirag Delhi traffic light in south Delhi. This, even as the young men were carrying their precious load of holy water. True devotion, indeed!

It makes you wonder, though. Who are these hordes of young men? When faced with this kind loutish behaviour, it becomes very hard to believe that thousands of youngsters hear some 8220;inner voice8221;, abandon gainful employment, and just up and leave on a pretty arduous trek spread over many weeks. What is striking is the scale on which this annual juggernaut is now conducted.

Up until even five or seven years ago, kawarias routinely entered and exited the city, quietly doing their own thing. This gala tamasha 8212; with neighbourhood associations providing food, drink and shelter gratis 8212; seems to have become institutionalised over the last five years. Frankly, I8217;m not surprised.