If lakhs of Naxalites were to
block all the roads between Hardwar, Delhi and surrounding areas for nearly a
month, virtually shut down Meerut and other nearby towns, torch a few dozen
trucks, buses, tractors and petrol pumps and block the bridges in retaliation
for the deaths of a few of their colleagues in road accidents, the Government
would have responded with alacrity and the army would have acted with an iron
hand. But if these vandals were on a mission of religious piety no political
party would dare to interfere.
The season of the `Kanwarias’
is upon us again. An estimated 7 Lakh devotees will block most of the roads
from Hardwar to
their home towns and villages in a 300 KM radius during the lunar month of
Shravan. They are called Kanwarias because these saffron clad devotees carry
small pots of holy Ganga water on their
shoulders on a bamboo pole called a Kanwar. For the most part the short
pilgrimages are pious and peaceful but for the advent of a new custom of `Dak
Kanwars’ with groups of running Kanwarias who run in relays to quickly get to
their destinations. While one devotee runs with the pots on his shoulder, the
rest of his team follows on motorcycles, buses, cars or other vehicles and are
violently angry if their passage is delayed or stopped.
So for four weeks from late
July, it will be nearly impossible for children to get to school in this area
or for mourners to take the ashes of their departed for immersion to Rishikesh
or Hardwar. Ambulances will become virtually immobile, fire brigades, police
and other emergency vehicles will find it difficult to operate.
This custom was almost unknown
a decade ago and was transplanted here during the period of BJP rule from a similar
custom that began many years earlier in Sultanganj near Bhagalpur in Bihar. This
annual migration with its raucous religiosity is a very far cry from quiet
spirituality of true religion. The custom has no place in any of the Hindu scriptures
but has become a popular act of piety in which both the devotees as well as the
numerous supporters providing them with food, refreshments and shelter believe
that they will gain `punya’ or good Karma for a better next life. Professional
priests also encourage many sit-at-home donors to hire Kanwarias to earn punya
by proxy for them.
Priests of all religions have for many centuries exploited
gullible devotees by persuading them that they would earn many otherworldly
rewards in exchange for donations, pilgrimages, fasts, sacrifices or austerities.
With surprising speed new religious customs explode. Soon even the less
credulous succumb to the comfort of going with the flow rather than face the possible
wrath of the heavens, the anger of priests or the public by challenging the
authenticity of such customs or by defying the demands of devotees.
Paradoxically such customs were not the command of the
sages, prophets or founders of any religion. None of them had asked for
temples, mosques or churches let alone the colourful trappings or
demonstrations of religion with sacred robes, triumphant flags, loud religious
music or colourful processions. But power corrupts and the priests of all faiths
are intoxicated by the power that religiosity gives them. Politicians happily
support religiosity that can serve their political agendas. With amazing speed,
the social and moral ideas of the founders become lost in an ocean of
meaningless rituals and superstitions. Outward form becomes more important then
inner substance and religiosity masquerades as religion.
But curiously, it is at this stage of the most feverish
religiosity that religions have collapsed. History shows that new reformers
disgusted with empty rituals, superstitions and the arrogance of the priests have
always appeared to break away to become the founders of new faiths. Zoroaster
and Buddha, disgusted with the sacrifices of the old Avestan and Vedic priests,
founded simple new faiths. Jesus, horrified by the excesses of Jewish priests
who had made their house of prayer into a `den of thieves’ founded
Christianity. Muhammad, appalled by the sacrifices to 365 idols at Mecca
founded Islam. Martin Luther appalled by the ridiculous `indulgences’ of
Catholic priests, who offered places in heaven in exchange for donations founded
Protestantism. Guru Nanak contemptuous of the empty rituals of Brahmanism
founded Sikhism. Dayanand Saraswati disturbed by more recent Brahmin excesses,
founded the Arya Samaj to try to bring Hinduism back to the purity of simple
Vedic concepts.
But the insidious influence of ritual and superstition is
difficult to eradicate. Many millions of insecure or gullible people are easy
prey. Rituals, penances, processions and offerings packaged as joyous
distractions cost much less than the effort of understanding and practicing the
deeper moral, social and philosophical tenets of religion. So populist priests
and charlatans thrive and ritual and superstition have crept into all the
practiced forms of Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and other faiths.
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