Our sages have already said that Sangha Shakti is Kaliyuga. That is, in the present era the biggest power is that of organization and collectivity. This has been the basic voice of our eternal cultural consciousness that faith is not just a method of worship but is a bridge that connects the society. Kanwar Yatra becomes a living proof of this sutra and comes true every year in the month of Shravan, when millions of Shiva devotees walk for miles carrying Ganga water on their shoulders and demolish all the walls of social discrimination.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Kanwar Yatra By including it in its social priorities, it gave voice to this consciousness and established it as a state dignity and celebration. The echo arising from Kanwar Yatra is actually a proclamation of our eternal unity, which provides strength to the entire society.
real form of eternal
Kanwar Yatra is not just a religious ritual, it is a manifestation of the inherent power of Sanatan Dharma which erases the differences of caste, class and social status and makes everyone stand on an equal footing. When a devotee walks with a kanwar on his shoulder, neither is he asked which caste he belongs to, nor is it seen what economic background he comes from. In the camps set up on the way, people from all sections, Dalit, backward and forward, engage in service with equal enthusiasm and also receive prasad. This is the real form of Sanatan Dharma. A religion which teaches organization and not division.
Harishankar Mishra, senior journalist and political analyst
Ban imposed under appeasement
It is ironical that the previous governments saw elements of political appeasement even in this dignified journey and tried to break this cultural unity. The ban on this journey in the Samajwadi Party government was the basis of appeasement politics. This was a reflection of the mentality of the Samajwadi Party, which considered the faith of the majority society inconvenient. When the government takes such decisions, it not only stops a Yatra, it hurts the collective sentiment of crores of devotees.
On the contrary, Yogi government not only restored Kanwar Yatra but also connected it with public sentiments. When a government organizes flower showers, cleanliness arrangements, medical camps and security arrangements on Kanwar routes, it makes its priority clear. The light of LED lights on Kanwar Marg appears as if the entire state is celebrating Diwali.
The administration has arranged rest camps, medical camps and cold water at various places along with teams of doctors deployed round the clock, so that no devotee has to face any health related inconvenience. When the administration itself stands to welcome the devotees and the police personnel shower flowers on the Kanwariyas, then the unbreakable relationship between the state and the society is established in the form of cultural pride.
festival of honor of faith
Security arrangements are very important in such a large public gathering. Surveillance through drone cameras, deployment of thousands of policemen, special security cordons for women devotees, and extra vigilance at sensitive places, all this is proof that the government has considered protecting faith as its duty. The tradition of showering flowers from helicopter has now become a hallmark of this yatra.
When flowers rain from the sky and kanwads swing on millions of shoulders below, the scene is wonderful. In fact, this is a public declaration of gratitude and respect from the state towards crores of devotees. The huge welcome gates installed on the route, cultural stages, bhajan evenings, and Shiva bhajans being played at various places turn this journey into a collective spiritual experience, where even fatigue merges into devotion.
a message respecting the journey
Yogi government has given grandeur to Kanwar Yatra and there is a deep social vision behind it. When the government honors this Yatra, it sends a message to every section of the society that their faith enjoys state protection. This sentiment is especially important for those classes who remained marginalized for centuries and had to struggle for their cultural expression.
When a person standing at the last rung of the society participates in the Kanwar Yatra with full enthusiasm and gets respect everywhere on the way, then he feels himself in the priority list of the state. This feeling lays the foundation of true social harmony.
symbol of social revolution
The tradition of service camps established on the route of Kanwar Yatra is also an excellent example of social harmony. The volunteers serving in these camps are engaged in serving the devotees without any distinction of caste and creed, and now these camps also receive administrative support, due to which their capacity and quality has increased manifold. This service is the practical implementation of the principle of Paramo Dharma, which now also has government support.
Enthusiasm about Kanwar Yatra in every section
The enthusiasm that is being seen among today’s youth, especially among the youth of Dalit and other backward classes, towards Kanwar Yatra is a proof of how strong the roots of Sanatan Dharma are. When a Dalit youth and an upper caste youth walk shoulder to shoulder, wearing clothes of the same colour, on the same path, with the same purpose, then this scene is a symbol of such a social revolution, a symbol of unity in diversity. This harmony cannot come from sociologists and seminars, but Sanatan faith makes it happen easily.
Festivals like Kanwar Yatra and its grand political system remind us that the true ruler is the one who stands with the faith of his society and not by keeping distance from it. The government that heals the blisters on a devotee’s feet, the government that stays awake in the camps even at midnight to serve, does not just manage a religious event, it instills faith in crores of hearts.
Kanwar Yatra reminds us that the grandeur of Sanatan Dharma lies in its inclusiveness, and when this grandeur is combined with royal patronage and respect, it becomes more luminous. This is the biggest victory of Sanatan Dharma that in every era, in every situation, whether there is opposition or support, it keeps giving the message of unity and service. Kanwar Yatra is a living expression of this eternal message, which every year in the month of Shravan reminds us that all of us, irrespective of caste, class or status, are ultimately children of the same eternal tradition. (These are the personal views of the author.)
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