By Satish Aparajit
On a recent visit to Kedarnath, Badrinath, Tungnath and, later, Vaishno Devi, I discovered that even after 76 years of independence we continue to find ourselves wrapped in the VVIP/VIP syndrome created by our politicians ably supported by the bureaucracy.
I am given to understand unless invited by Bholenath one can’t visit these temples, so I wonder why I get invited as I am not a devout follower. I visited the Dhams in the 1970’s when facilities were minimal and one had to trek long distances, often across rugged terrain. The experiences were deeply moving and all pilgrims were treated alike. The VIP culture had not crept in as there were no roads or helicopters to cart them to these sites. Since I had been there and done it, just to humour my wife I agreed to do the circuit once again. She planned our visit meticulously but Bholenath wanted to test her so, lo and behold, an obstacle appeared in the form of the Vice President of India’s visit to Kedarnath. So, our helicopter ride was cancelled. The Gods might have blessed him but curses from common mortals abounded. On questioning fellow passengers about the name of the Vice President, 90% of them proved to be unaware. What is in a name, the might of the position and power it wields is enough to throw the state machinery in disarray.
Being a typical service officer, undaunted, we decided to implement plan B and treated it as an opportunity, so we visited Tungnath, the highest Shiva temple. The following day, we were told that the Finance Minister was visiting, so we fell prey to the VIP culture and managed only to get two seats on a ride to Kedarnath. My wife and sister- in-law experienced the VIP culture and were escorted to the sanctum sanctorum while others struggled – it left her a bit shamefaced. While she enjoyed the exclusivity and the positivity the temple emanates, she missed the ordinariness that a visit to this holy shrine entails.
While travelling to Badrinath we were struck by the fragility of the region and the merciless drilling of the mountainside for tunnels for the railway project. The recent Silkyara tunnel collapse came as no surprise; the local people are sceptical about this form of development but who is listening? The temple is beautiful but who has the time to admire or soak in the spiritual energy being jostled by crowds and pushed by a sea of humanity. For the VIPS it is different, the crowds are forced to part for them and they spend a fair amount of time paying obeisance to the Gods – the rest are herded out quickly.
The call of the mountains continued, and Vaishno Devi beckoned us. I felt like an alien visiting the shrine after 44 years as the narrow bent pathway through the cave to the shrine has been replaced with an easy walk. The whole area is well maintained and well organised, but the price is heavy concretisation. However, the levels of care and cleanliness are remarkable for a place visited by lakhs of devotees. The order and discipline are apparent. The holy shrines of Uttarakhand can take a leaf out of the book of this temple.
The end of our pilgrimage ended with the all- pervasive VIP culture as policemen rudely shooed all of us away as we approached the Katra railway station. They made us alight from the taxi and take a long roundabout route carting our luggage to make way for some so-called VIP. Two platforms were also closed for this VIP, whoever he or she was.
As we march ahead and want to be treated as a developed nation, till this culture of Jee Hazoori and entitlement ends, we will not be able to become a more equal society. We all are perpetrators of this culture but with order and discipline we can have Darshan which is quick and easy, and the Gods can smile equally on us, much like the Vatican City. In the words of Alexander Pope, “Hope springs eternal in the human breast”, and I am sure the temples will perhaps make a beginning by promoting a more equitable society.
(Satish Aparajit is a retired wing Commander)
