Lost in Kanwar noise, devotion to the divine

Pilgrimage is about peace and well-being, not cacophony and chaos — hooliganism has no place in it

- Shashi Shekhar

Let me share three snapshots from the biggest pilgrimage during the monsoon season in North India.

Scene I: Modinagar, Ghaziabad district: The Kanwar procession stood still with hundreds of devotees clapping and surrounding a woman and her physically challenged husband chanting “Har Har Mahadev”. The reason? This villager, Asha Devi, was undertaking Kanwar pilgrimage carrying her husband on her back. She believed it would not only cure him of his disability but also fetch him a job.

Scene 2: Lachhiwala in Dehradun: A large contingent of Kanwariyas is resting with boom speakers playing devotional songs inspired by Bollywood music. A large elephant emerges from the neighbouring Rajaji National Park and charges at them. Utter pandemonium ensues. After flipping a tractor trolley the elephant retreats into the jungle. Wildlife experts say high decibel sounds disturbs the sleep pattern of wild animals, making them irritable and aggressive.

Scene 3: Mirzapur: A video of young Kanwariyas in which they are roughing up a soldier has gone viral. The man in uniform isn’t giving in. Each time he falls, he gets up to take on his attackers. The video evokes memories of the disturbed areas in Kashmir and the North East.