By Anil Raturi (Retd IPS)
It is believed that the number of pilgrims that visited Prayagraj Kumbh 2025 is the largest human congregation ever at one site! The 26th February Shivratri Festival marks the conclusion of this Hindu religious Mela, in which it is believed that more than half a billion people took the holy dip!
People have divergent views about the Kumbh. Millions who have faith, consider it sacred, while some also call it superstition. No matter what view one may hold, it is undeniable that all around the world, people still find succour in faith!
Human beings resort to religion and belief systems to satisfy their basic requirement about answers to primordial questions about life and death.
Science and technology are, without doubt, a great boon to mankind for providing a better quality of life, built on irrefutable principles of reason, which is also imbued with dignity.
However, despite the immense progress of science and technology, they remain inadequate in providing the overarching “meaning” to human existence and its existential drama!
It fails to pacify the emotional turmoil of an individual when there is a sudden and (many a times) untimely death of a loved one.
It is perhaps human instinct to pine for such primordial questions about the meaning of birth and death, etc.
It is a requirement that pertains more to the abstract realm of the spirit than to the palpable corporeal frame, such as regarding emotions–love, good, evil, soul, etc.
Science tells us only about the chemical process of life and death. It seems to suggest that beyond the physiological-anatomical aspect, life does not have any higher “meaning”.
For it, death is a matter of fact, unemotional, inevitable, and cold cessation of life!
In that sense, science, to an extent, provides an explanation about the physics and chemistry (existence) of life. But it does not satisfy the emotional questions about (essence of) life!
One fondly hopes that in the days to come, science and technology will be able to provide us answers to such deep questions, too.
Until then, emotional humans will keep resorting to myth making!
It is because of this need that, since time immemorial, various belief systems have emerged among human societies.
Myth making is not limited to the domain of God and religion alone. It has also, since ages, been a part of politics, too.
The “divine right theory of kingship” or the totem of the tribal chief were inextricably politico- religious in nature.
The concepts of “Nation State” (European Nationalism), Communism (Bolshevik USSR) or “Cultural Revolution” (Maoist China) and even “liberal democracy” are also not free of “myth making” and in that strict sense are also ultimately all different kinds of belief systems!
Satisfaction of socio-economic needs is indeed the most basic requirement. But human beings desire to live beyond just the physical. They want answers to abstract questions.
Moses led the exodus of Jews out of Egypt to Israel, spirited by the belief of being the “chosen people”.
Today’s war in Israel-Gaza (after millenniums of the birth of the belief) is a testament to human proclivity to continue to adduce mythical meaning to life.
Another Jew (Jesus Christ) proclaimed himself to be “The Son of God” and gave the “Sermon on the Mount” to begin another great faith, Christianity.
The Pope is both the religious and temporal chief of Catholic Vatican State.
Politico-religious wars, called “crusades” (in which various European Christian armies participated), were approved and financially supported by various Popes as “just” wars based on faith.
England, considered the mother of democracy, has a king who, apart from being head of the State, is also the chief of the Anglican Ecclesiastes.
In that sense, for ages, faith and its beliefs often become part of politics and governance.
The Islamic Caliphs were both religious and political leaders. In fact, the classical tenets of Islam believe that an ideal government is not possible without governance being imbued with the principles of Shariah.
The recent swearing in of President Trump (of USA, arguably the most advanced nation) had a session of religious blessing through formal scripture reading as part of the official programme.
In the above light, whatever is happening in India today, in the context of Kumbh, is neither new nor strange.
Rather, it is behaviour consistent with the history of humanity, which has always been and still is in less or more degrees superstitious!
Having said that, one wishes that evolved human beings will understand that faith is a matter that is beyond discussion. And that practitioners of faith will not resort to violence. That they will not impose their faith on others and shall be tolerant and respectful of the faith of others. Lastly, that no faith will exploit any human being by being unfair and inegalitarian!
Perhaps a tall wish!!
(Anil Raturi is a retired IPS Officer and served as DGP, Uttarakhand).
