[Reader-list] Amaranth Yatra

[Kashmir Affairs]

Aarthi,
Kashmiri Muslims offering food and shelter to the yatris is old practice. I will give you one example in recent times. When in 1996 due to unseasonal blizzards and uncontrollable number of yatris [70,000 on one day by some accounts], the yatris were stranded for nearly a week.
People in Islamabad [Anantnag] made free langers at Nai Basti, Sarnal, Kadipora, Khanabal, Anchidora, Mattan and Che and sheltered thousands of yatris in their homes, shops and even mosques. In Che, there was a small incident which i thought was funny, when the yatris thanking god for thier safety started shouting 'bolo amarnath ki jai' while housed in mosque. However, Yatris were not thrown out of the mosque, though some people questioned the practice while others laughed.
As a child we used to stand on the either side of road in Kadipora greeting walking yatris with 'babu ji sitaram'..... Certainly those days yatra was peaceful and a very low key affair. But now as any religion is marketed and branded, Amarnath Yatra has fallen to it as well.

Murtaza Shibli
www.kashmiraffairs.org

--- On Mon, 30/6/08, Aarti Sethi <aarti.sethi at gmail.com> wrote:
From: Aarti Sethi <aarti.sethi at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Amaranth Yatra
To: "Shuddhabrata Sengupta" <shuddha at sarai.net>
Cc: "sarai list" <reader-list at sarai.net>
Date: Monday, 30 June, 2008, 6:00 PM

Apropos this, today's express or TOI I forget which has a story on Kashmiri
Muslim's setting up food stalls and rest houses for stranded pilgrims.
Several pilgrims were housed in people's homes when they discovered they
had
nowhere to stay. On being asked they said this was nothing new and that the
local Muslim community had been hosting poilgrims for the lat hundred years
and they saw no reason to change this tradition despite the current fracas
over land allotment. So I would suggest Pavan that you excercise a little
restraint before you make intemperate remarks about intolerance.

best
A

On Mon, Jun 30, 2008 at 9:57 PM, Shuddhabrata Sengupta
<shuddha at sarai.net>
wrote:

> Dear Pawan,
>
> That is your opinion, not a substantiated fact. As far as I have
> seen, there has not been a single statement made against Hindu
> pligrims by anyone in the leadership or the constituency of the
> movement against land transfer in Kashmir. And until such a statement
> is made, we cannot say that it arises out of a 'resentment towards
> hindu pligrims'. People across the spectrum of political opinion in
> Kashmir have taken pains to point out that they welcome pilgrims. And
> the question of the acquisition of land has nothing to do with
> pilgrims. There is a long history of arbitrary acquisition and
> occupation of land, including orchards, schools, meadows, pastures,
> grazing comons and private homes in Kashmir, especially by the Armed
> Forces and paramilitaries, it is possible that the movement we see
> crystallizes the pent up feeling of anger against this long history
> of land acquisition.
>
> An audit of the impact of land acquisition on the ecology and social
> fabric of Kashmir (on both sides of the line of control) is still
> pending.
>
> best
>
> Shuddha
>
>
>
> On 30-Jun-08, at 9:24 PM, Pawan Durani wrote:
>
> > Dear Shuddha ,
> >
> >
> >
> > While I may trust your belief in ecological fallout , i completely
> > disagree with your understanding that the issue is not about the
> > resentment towards hindu pligrims.
> >
> >
> >
> > It is all about that , non tolerance towards so called hindus or
> > what they love to call...."Kufr".
> >
> >
> >
> > Pawan
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > On 6/30/08, Shuddhabrata Sengupta <shuddha at sarai.net> wrote:
> > Dear Pawan,
> >
> >
> >
> > Just because a terrain does not have trees, or that the altitude it
> > is located in happens to be above the treeline, does not mean that
> > it is not ecologically sensitive.
> >
> > Often, it is precisely terrain of this nature, such as for instance
> > is at the vicinity of the mouth of the Gomukh glacier above
> > Gangotri,(again above the treeline) that is extremely fragile and
> > needs very careful nurturing.
> >
> >
> >
> > I know for a fact that the ecosystem of the Gomukh glacial region
> > is very badly threatened because of the completely haphazard way in
> > which access to this region (and the logistics of pilgrimage and
> > tourism) has been managed. I can very easily see that something
> > similar can happen in the case of Amarnath.
> >
> >
> >
> > I would urge you not to make the discussion of this question into a
> > 'Hindu' question. It is not one, it is about the way in which
State
> > managed, so called, 'Temple Development Boards', enter into
schemes
> > to grab land, and about the ecological consequences of their land-
> > grabbing propensities.
> >
> >
> >
> > You might recall that some months back you tried to pose the
> > question of the building of a shipping canal between India and Sri
> > Lanka as a matter of hurting Hindu sentiments. I endorsed your
> > opposition to the so called 'Sethu-Samudram Shipping Channel'
> > scheme, because to me it represented a threat to a fragile marine
> > ecosystem, not on the basis of its alleged injury to Hindu
> > sentiments. I also pointed out to you and to others on the list
> > that the protectors of Hindutva, while proposing a Panama Canal
> > style waterway cutting through the apex of the Deccan peninsula as
> > an alternative to the 'Sethu-Samudram' plan were  also
proposing
> > what was certainly a blueprint for an ecological disaster.
> >
> >
> >
> > Opposition to the proposed (and now rescinded) land grab proposal
> > by the SASB in the Amarnath case does not automatically translate
> > into partisanship across the Hindu-Muslim question in Kashmir.
> > Those who translate it as such, whether they are Hindu, or Muslim,
> > are needlessly confusing a straightforward matter by bringing their
> > own secterian biases to bear on the issue. No one should be misled
> > by such attempts at confusion.
> >
> >
> >
> > best
> >
> >
> >
> > Shuddha
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > On 30-Jun-08, at 4:44 PM, Pawan Durani wrote:
> >
> >
> >> Hello Shuddha ,
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Lemme just inform everyone that , the land may have belonged to
> >> Forest
> >>
> >> Department , but there is no single tree over there.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Even when you reach Amarntah , there are no trees over there ,
> >> becuase of
> >>
> >> high altitude.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> I visited the site, Baltal , two years back.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Unfortunately the issue is not about ecology ..... the way it has
> >> been
> >>
> >> treated is a pure indicator that anything related to Hindus is
not
> >> tolerable
> >>
> >> in Kashmir, and proves once again that it is not
"freedom" but
> >> Islamic
> >>
> >> fanaticism which rules the shot in Kashmir.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Pawan
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> On 6/30/08, Shuddhabrata Sengupta <shuddha at sarai.net>
wrote:
> >>
> >>>
> >>> Dear Sonia, Dear Rashneek, dear all,
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> Thank you, Sonia and Rashneek for the debate on the Amarnath
Yatra
> >>>
> >>> issue. The question of temple boards and their closeness to
power,
> >>>
> >>> and their lust for acquiring forest lands is not unique to
Kashmir.
> >>>
> >>> It also happens, as you will see below, (see the report -
> >>> Sabarimala:
> >>>
> >>> The Faith in Spate, by K.A. Shaji) in distant Kerala. The
ruling
> >>> left
> >>>
> >>> front government in Kerala is as involved in this game as
anyone
> >>>
> >>> else, because 'Temple Boards' are gold-mines and no
state government
> >>>
> >>> wants to close an operation that earns them the gold that can
be
> >>>
> >>> mined in these gold mines. I am appending below a report on
the
> >>>
> >>> question of the Sabarimala Temple boards desire for even more
> >>>
> >>> reserved forest land. The story is remarkably resonant of the
> >>>
> >>> Amarnath issue. A local, highly culturally specific,
syncretic
> >>>
> >>> pilgrimage turning into the road-show of a revivalist
'Hinduism',
> >>>
> >>> with lucrative revenue spin-offs.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> I live in an area in Delhi where I have witnessed every year,
for
> >>> the
> >>>
> >>> past few years - 'Chalo Amarnath Chalo' (Let's go
to Amarnath)
> >>>
> >>> posters and banners being put up by local RSS functionaries.
And
> >>>
> >>> there are active fundraising drives which culminate in a
> >>> cavalcade of
> >>>
> >>> Tata Sumos with the local 'Youth' blaring
'bhajans' from their
> >>>
> >>> booming auto-sound systems taking off to go do
'darshan' of the
> >>>
> >>> melting lingam. I don't think they (the Sumo Pilgrims of
my
> >>>
> >>> neighbourhood) really care whether or not the forests of
Kashmir go
> >>>
> >>> up in smoke.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> I also know that the Sabarimala pilgrimage has been twisted
out of
> >>>
> >>> shape in a similar way, both by Hindutva enthusiasts, and by
> >>>
> >>> construction contractors close to the ruling Left Front.
Fragile
> >>>
> >>> forests can barely sustain the burden of so much sudden
faith.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> Incidentally, revivalist Hindus are by no means alone in
their
> >>>
> >>> disregard for the local heritage and environment. The ruling
> >>>
> >>> dispensation in Saudi Arabia has effectively turned the
pilgrimage
> >>>
> >>> sites of Mecca and Medina into an air-conditioned cultural
> >>> wasteland.
> >>>
> >>> it has systematically destroyed shrines that were considered
holy by
> >>>
> >>> millions of Muslim pilgrims, especially from South Asia, and
> >>>
> >>> completely transformed the intricate urban fabric of Mecca
and
> >>>
> >>> Medina. There is a long history of protest, including in
India, by
> >>>
> >>> Muslims against the way in which the Saudi Government, in
cohorts
> >>>
> >>> with the Wahabi establishment has wrecked the topography of
Mecca
> >>> and
> >>>
> >>> Medina. Similarly, the Israeli state's policy of
expansion, through
> >>>
> >>> settlements, and building high security segregated roads that
cut
> >>>
> >>> through the west bank of the Jordan river are often
camouflaged
> >>> under
> >>>
> >>> an appeal to scriptural sanction for 'Greater' or
'Eretz' Israel.
> >>>
> >>> There is a great deal of money to be made in pilgrimage, and
it
> >>>
> >>> affords everybody an opportunity to make some quick
transformations
> >>>
> >>> of the landscape in the name of 'infrastructure
development'  and
> >>>
> >>> 'settlement' , both of which are euphemisms for
speculation in real
> >>>
> >>> estate.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> I am also appending a detailed report on the environmental
impact of
> >>>
> >>> what was proposed by the erstwhile governor Gen (Retd) Sinha
of
> >>> Jammu
> >>>
> >>> and Kashmir for the Amarnath Yatra by Gautam Navlakha that
appeared
> >>>
> >>> recently in the website of a journal called Kashmir Affairs.
> >>> Finally,
> >>>
> >>> it is not my case that the acquisition of land for the
Amarnath
> >>> Board
> >>>
> >>> (SASB) is wrong, and the acquisition of land for the
so-called
> >>>
> >>> 'Mughal Road', which has been pointed out by Aditya
Raj Kaul, in a
> >>>
> >>> recent post is wrong. Both are equally disastrous from the
> >>>
> >>> environmental point of view. And the silence of political
formations
> >>>
> >>> (of all persuasions) on the environmental impact of the
revived
> >>>
> >>> Mughal Road and their recent discovery of environmentalism
(in the
> >>>
> >>> case of the Amarnath land transfer issue) does make their
commitment
> >>>
> >>> to environmentalism somewhat suspect. The PDP's stance is
> >>>
> >>> particularly hypocritical, as the original decision has been
> >>> ratified
> >>>
> >>> by its own minister, (for Forest) in the (Indian Held)
J&K state
> >>>
> >>> government. Still, even if the commitment of all the
protagonists is
> >>>
> >>> suspect, I must say that I have rarely seen a popular
movement
> >>>
> >>> reverse a state-driven decision on an 'environmental'
issue, and the
> >>>
> >>> recent success of the agitation in Kashmir (whatever be the
motives
> >>>
> >>> that impelled it) which has resulted in a reversal of the
Land
> >>>
> >>> Transfer issue is something to be grateful for.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> These are issues that need to be seen quite separately from
> >>> secterian
> >>>
> >>> concerns. I hope this debate can help us see them in that
way.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> best
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> Shuddha
> >>>
> >>> -------------------
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> 1. Sabarimala: The Faith in Spate
> >>>
> >>> by K A Shaji
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> http://www.boloji.com/society/115.htm
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> Legend has it that when Lord Ayyappa set out to seek
solitude, he
> >>>
> >>> settled upon Sabarimala. Its sylvan surroundings and
undulating
> >>>
> >>> terrain had made it an ideal retreat for the bachelor god.
The
> >>>
> >>> pristine monsoon forests had wrapped like an ornament around
his
> >>>
> >>> hermitage at the top of the hill. The Lord believed to have
called
> >>>
> >>> the area with tranquil atmosphere as his poonkavanam (sacred
> >>> forest).
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> A shrine inside the forest and a deity who chose the calm
> >>> ambience of
> >>>
> >>> hills and valleys has few parallels in the country and
outside. But
> >>>
> >>> now, it seems, all of the glories of Sabarimala were a thing
of the
> >>>
> >>> past. When mythology meets present-day reality, Sabarimala is
no
> >>> more
> >>>
> >>> a chosen abode of the hermit God. During January-February
each year,
> >>>
> >>> more than 50 million devotees, as claimed by the temple
authorities,
> >>>
> >>> are thronging this forest temple for annual pilgrimage,
putting the
> >>>
> >>> fragile ecology of the region under severe stress. Now, the
holy
> >>> hill
> >>>
> >>> is a synonym of increasing inflow of pilgrims, inadequate
> >>>
> >>> infrastructure, a devastated environment and a hapless
wildlife.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> While the entire hill and the adjacent river Pampa, the third
> >>> largest
> >>>
> >>> river in Kerala, are stinking due to sewage pollution and
> >>>
> >>> accumulation of garbage, the situation is not much different
in the
> >>>
> >>> administrative and spiritual circles of the hill shrine.
First, it
> >>>
> >>> was a controversy involving Kannada film actress Jayamala and
a
> >>> group
> >>>
> >>> of orthodox Hindus, who questioned her claim of touching the
idol of
> >>>
> >>> the bachelor god defying the barricades meant for preventing
> >>> sexually
> >>>
> >>> active women from entering the hill shrine. Then one of the
highly
> >>>
> >>> revered traditional priests of the temple was robbed of a
large
> >>>
> >>> amount of money and gold ornaments during his visit to the
house
> >>> of a
> >>>
> >>> woman engaged in flesh trade by a mafia gang. And now, it is
the
> >>> turn
> >>>
> >>> of aged father of a senior priest to allege that his son is
under
> >>>
> >>> influence of a powerful Ezhava community leader with shadowy
nature
> >>>
> >>> and the leader's followers are using his son to pocket
the temple
> >>>
> >>> money. In the meantime, the Left Front Government has
disbanded the
> >>>
> >>> existing administrative body of the temple citing corruption
at high
> >>>
> >>> level and is preparing to enact a legislation to keep the
corrupt
> >>>
> >>> community leaders out of the administrative body forever.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> On monetary grounds, the temple is the third largest in the
country,
> >>>
> >>> standing very close to Tirupathi and Guruvayur. The
cash-strapped
> >>>
> >>> Kerala Government, despite its leftist moorings, is depending
very
> >>>
> >>> much on the income from the temple to meet salary needs of
its
> >>>
> >>> employees. In order to increase the revenue, the successive
> >>>
> >>> governments and the so-called proponents of development are
> >>>
> >>> vociferous of implementing multi-crore construction plans in
> >>>
> >>> Sabarimala clearing forests and building a concrete jungle in
its
> >>>
> >>> place. But nobody in the spiritual and administrative levels
of the
> >>>
> >>> temple as well as the government establishment are
apprehensive of
> >>>
> >>> the increasing level of pollution and the extreme level of
> >>>
> >>> deforestation. Their focus is entangled only in the growing
> >>> number of
> >>>
> >>> controversies and the commissions to be available after the
> >>> beginning
> >>>
> >>> of the construction work.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> Located about 467 metres above sea level, the Sabarimala
temple is
> >>>
> >>> surrounded by 18 hills and situated inside Periyar Tiger
Reserve,
> >>> one
> >>>
> >>> of the few safe havens for tigers in the country. According
to bird
> >>>
> >>> watcher B.Sethumadhavan, as many as 2000 species of flowering
> >>> plants,
> >>>
> >>> endemic and medicinal, have been identified among the
region's
> >>> flora.
> >>>
> >>> `` About 63 species of mammals, some of them endangered like
tigers,
> >>>
> >>> elephants and lion tailed macaque live here. So far, 223
species of
> >>>
> >>> birds and 45 species of reptiles including King Cobra have
been
> >>>
> >>> identified in this area,'' he said. The ever-
expanding number of
> >>>
> >>> pilgrims and mindless construction works are posing severe
threat to
> >>>
> >>> their very survival. Devotees of a Lord, who believed to have
loved
> >>>
> >>> the flora and fauna and their safekeeping, are now on a
rampage in
> >>>
> >>> the name of development forcing the wildlife to move out of
their
> >>>
> >>> traditional habitat.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> As per legends, the vehicle of Lord Ayyappa is tiger. But,
> >>>
> >>> astonishingly, neither the tiger nor the surrounding
evergreen
> >>>
> >>> forests do not come in the list of priorities before the
|Travancore
> >>>
> >>> Devaswam Board, which administers the shrine. ``There was an
> >>> increase
> >>>
> >>> of 35 per cent in revenue while comparing with last year
during the
> >>>
> >>> November-December period. In the number of visitors, the
increase is
> >>>
> >>> of 19 per cent. These figures show the need for immediate
> >>>
> >>> developmental works in Sabarimala. But there are agencies
like
> >>> Forest
> >>>
> >>> Department which cry for tigers and forests,''
alleges G.Raman Nair,
> >>>
> >>> outgoing president of the board.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> However, environmentalists and forest officials are
countering the
> >>>
> >>> allegation. ``The development works so far at Pampa have made
it
> >>>
> >>> impossible a soul-filling holy dip in river Pampa. At least,
two
> >>>
> >>> scientific studies conducted by Government's own agencies
had found
> >>>
> >>> that landslips and tremors would take place at the holy
hillock any
> >>>
> >>> time largely because of the extensive concrete flooring at
the
> >>> temple
> >>>
> >>> premises. The devaswam is only interested in money making. It
has no
> >>>
> >>> concern for the impending dangers for both nature and
devotees,''
> >>>
> >>> pointed out Sumesh Mangalassery, a member of the
environmental group
> >>>
> >>> Kabani.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> According to Sumesh, a panel of Kerala Legislature on
environment
> >>> led
> >>>
> >>> by RSP leader A V Thamarakshan had submitted 32 proposals to
the
> >>>
> >>> Devaswam Board to protect Sabarimala around five years back.
But
> >>> none
> >>>
> >>> of them were acceptable to the board. Even the suggestions of
Kerala
> >>>
> >>> State Pollution Control Board to minimise the pollution of
river
> >>>
> >>> Pampa were paid scant regard by the board. A visit by Tehelka
to
> >>>
> >>> Sabarimala found that river Pampa continues to remain the
main
> >>> victim
> >>>
> >>> of the callous attitude of the authorities. It gets choked in
the
> >>>
> >>> temple area as solid waste including human excreta; plastic
bags,
> >>>
> >>> empty water bottles and coconut husks block the free flow of
water.
> >>>
> >>> About 35 million people took a holy dip in the river between
> >>> November
> >>>
> >>> and January, which is the major source of drinking water for
three
> >>>
> >>> districts.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> According to a study by the pollution control board, the
total
> >>>
> >>> coliform count recorded at the river portion close to
Sabarimala is
> >>>
> >>> about 1,14,000 per 100 millilitres (ML) during the peak of
> >>>
> >>> pilgrimage. Just before the pilgrimage season, it is merely
380 per
> >>>
> >>> 100 ml- well below the permissible limits of 500 per 100 ml.
> >>>
> >>> According to local people, the overflow of human faeces from
sceptic
> >>>
> >>> tanks around the temple stands the major reason of the
pollution of
> >>>
> >>> the river. ``More than 3,000 temporary toilets are
functioning close
> >>>
> >>> to the temple in addition to about 600 permanent toilets. The
> >>>
> >>> capacity of the sewerage treatment plant is very
limited,'' pointed
> >>>
> >>> out K.Anirudhan of Sabarimala Samrakshana Samithy.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> Most of the experts, who had conducted studies on the
pollution and
> >>>
> >>> environmental problems prevailing in Sabarimala, point to the
> >>> need of
> >>>
> >>> regulating the ever- increasing number of pilgrims.
``Sabarimala is
> >>>
> >>> bursting at the seams with millions of devotees now. Thirty
or forty
> >>>
> >>> years ago, only around 50,000 pilgrims visited the temple.
Today,
> >>> the
> >>>
> >>> number is fifty million and is rising at the rate of 20 per
cent
> >>>
> >>> every year. The ever-swelling flow resulted in a major mishap
on
> >>>
> >>> January 14, 1999, when 100 pilgrims died in a stampede at the
site.
> >>>
> >>> Indications are that Sabarimala is a disaster waiting to be
> >>> happen,''
> >>>
> >>> warns noted Kerala based environmentalist P K Uthaman.
According to
> >>>
> >>> him, almost two thousand tonnes of human waste are deposited
in
> >>> crude
> >>>
> >>> earth pits and outside in Sabarimala every year. These wastes
are
> >>>
> >>> finding their way into not only the river Pampa but also to
river
> >>>
> >>> Periyar by underground as well as over ground rivulets,
posing a
> >>>
> >>> threat great health hazard for the pilgrims as well as those
living
> >>>
> >>> downstream.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> In addition, the lack of post pilgrimage cleaning drives
often
> >>> result
> >>>
> >>> in unabated flow of hazardous waste into the rivers. The
temple area
> >>>
> >>> has already been converted into a concrete jungle where
guesthouses
> >>>
> >>> and other structures are constructed haphazardly all around.
They
> >>> are
> >>>
> >>> meant for temple officials, priests, VVIPs and police
personnel.
> >>>
> >>> According to M.Gopal, a pilgrim from Bangalore who visited
> >>> Sabarimala
> >>>
> >>> this year, human excreta and plastic waste were found strewn
just
> >>>
> >>> outside the Sannidhanam (the main building of the temple). As
per
> >>>
> >>> data available from forest department, over 2.5 lakh empty
plastic
> >>>
> >>> bottles of packaged water were collected from inside the
tiger
> >>>
> >>> reserve. The number of tetra packs collected would come
around 4.5
> >>>
> >>> lakh. The temple complex of the hermit, who believed in
renunciation
> >>>
> >>> of earthly attractions, is now filled with commercial shops
selling
> >>>
> >>> products ranging from gold ornaments to dress materials. All
these
> >>>
> >>> shops were constructed by clearing forests.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> ``The total time available for darsan as of now is a total of
1431
> >>>
> >>> hours, i.e. 515160 seconds. If a darsan goes on one at a time
basis
> >>>
> >>> and a devotee gets a second, the total strength of the
pilgrims can
> >>>
> >>> only be 5,15, 160 per year. If ten people could somehow
cluster
> >>>
> >>> together per second for darsan, the maximum number would be
> >>>
> >>> 51,51,600,'' points out a document prepared by
|School of Social
> >>>
> >>> Sciences at Mahatma Gandhi University on behalf of Kerla
Forest
> >>>
> >>> Department. The document also questions the claims of the
board that
> >>>
> >>> over 50 million people visit the temple annually. But anyway,
the
> >>>
> >>> number of pilgrims' visting Sabarimala is many times more
than its
> >>>
> >>> capacity.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> ``The authorities must find out some mechanism to regulate
the
> >>>
> >>> alarming increase in the number of pilgrims. Sabarimala is
not only
> >>>
> >>> an environmental but also a social disaster,'' opined
Dr.Rajan
> >>>
> >>> Gurukkal of School of Social Sciences. Now a day, the
uncontrolled
> >>>
> >>> flow of pilgrims from various entry points is resulting in
people
> >>>
> >>> swarming all around the protected sanctuary leading to man
–animal
> >>>
> >>> conflicts. Recently, an elephant trampled upon one pilgrim.
Then it
> >>>
> >>> was found that the pilgrims were sleeping in the corridor
used by
> >>> the
> >>>
> >>> elephants for going to the river to drink water at the night.
A
> >>> large
> >>>
> >>> number of such corridors were already disrupted due to the
> >>>
> >>> construction works undertaken in the recent past.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> According to Sedumadhavan, the authorities are even paying
scant
> >>>
> >>> attention on the safety of pilgrims. As many as 12,000 litres
of
> >>>
> >>> diesel are being stored just above the sannidhanam without
any
> >>>
> >>> storage licence or safety parameters. They are also keeping a
large
> >>>
> >>> number of crackers near the sanctum sanctoram without any
safety
> >>>
> >>> concern. The only solution on the part of Trvancore Devaswom
Board
> >>>
> >>> for all problems plaguing Sabarimala is denudation of nearby
forests
> >>>
> >>> and setting up new amenities. According to Rajan Gurukkal,
such an
> >>>
> >>> attempt would be disastrous as all the existing problems of
> >>>
> >>> Sabarimala can be viwed as the after effect of deforestation.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> The devaswam board has already ruined about 55.09 ha of
> >>> forestland in
> >>>
> >>> the name of sabarimala development. In the opinion of
> >>>
> >>> environmentalists, they demand more forests to cut and
smuggle out
> >>>
> >>> precious trees and construction of further concrete strctures
with
> >>>
> >>> ulterior motives. Maintaining the sanctity of the shrine and
the
> >>>
> >>> precious eco-system never appeared a priority before them. So
far,
> >>>
> >>> the devaswam board was constituted once in five years by
nomination
> >>>
> >>> of people with no administrative acumen at the behest of
successive
> >>>
> >>> governments.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> Rajan Gurukkal and his team at School of Social Sciences have
> >>>
> >>> prepared a long-term action plan for saving Sabarimala from
the
> >>>
> >>> sequence of disasters in the offing. But the lobbies of
corrupt and
> >>>
> >>> communal elements are not allowing the devaswam to look into
them.
> >>>
> >>> Even the small step of Left Government in disbanding the
existing
> >>>
> >>> devaswam committee is being interpreted as an attempt by
atheists to
> >>>
> >>> interfere in Hindu religious matters. The move by left
government to
> >>>
> >>> appoint experts in place of politicians at the board also
facing
> >>>
> >>> opposition from Sangh Parivar organisations, who claim as
custodians
> >>>
> >>> of Hindu places of worship.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> The board and its corrupt administrators were not able to get
their
> >>>
> >>> hand on the forest so far due to stringent central acts and
Supreme
> >>>
> >>> Court rulings. But even the outgoing members are repeating
their old
> >>>
> >>> slogan of `no development in Sabarimala would be possible
without
> >>>
> >>> deforestation.' Unless the authorities change their
attitude from a
> >>>
> >>> revenue-centred approach to a pilgrim centred aprach, there
is not
> >>>
> >>> much hope. But they still repeat that development (read
> >>>
> >>> deforestation) could not be stopped for the sake of a few
birds and
> >>>
> >>> animals. ``The board had neither faith in environmental
protection
> >>>
> >>> nor in religious sanctity,'' opines Rajan Gurukkal.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> Decongestion of base town Pampa by increasing facilities at a
> >>>
> >>> relatively distant town of Nilakkal, demolition of
unauthorised
> >>>
> >>> concrete structures at Sannidhanam and Pampa, cleaning of the
river,
> >>>
> >>> better waste disposal facilities and provisions of basic
facilities
> >>>
> >>> for pilgrims without affecting ecology are the urgent needs
of
> >>>
> >>> Sabarimala. The tigers and elephants must be protected.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> If there is no mechanism to check the number of pilgrims,
that would
> >>>
> >>> increase to two to three crores within years. Moderate
elements
> >>> among
> >>>
> >>> the Hindu community are favouring a statutory body for
Sabarimala in
> >>>
> >>> line with Tirumala-Thirupathy Devasthanam and Amarnath
temple.
> >>> Such a
> >>>
> >>> body consisting of experts from different fields can change
the
> >>>
> >>> course of priorities of the forest temple.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> -----------
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> 2. Amarnath Yatra: The Pilgrimage to Eco Disaster
> >>>
> >>> Gautam Navlakha
> >>>
> >>> http://www.kashmiraffairs.org/gautam_amarnath%20yatra.html
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> Should one question the propriety of promoting pilgrimage in
a
> >>>
> >>> ecologically fragile area or wink at it in the name of
devotees
> >>> right
> >>>
> >>> to free movement and worship? This question comes to mind
when
> >>>
> >>> looking at Amarnath Yatra especially the phenomenal increase
in the
> >>>
> >>> number of pilgrims. This increase is not of few hundred or
few
> >>>
> >>> thousand but runs into hundreds of thousands. There has been
a
> >>>
> >>> doubling of the period for pilgrimage from one month to two
this
> >>> year
> >>>
> >>> as well as forty times increase in number of pilgrims, from
> >>> 12,000 in
> >>>
> >>> 1989 to 450,000 in 2005 (this year it is set to cross
500,000) are
> >>>
> >>> cause for concern. In fact the actual period is longer
because a
> >>>
> >>> fortnight before the official yatra is reserved for army men
and
> >>>
> >>> their families to visit the Amarnath cave through
ecologically more
> >>>
> >>> vulnerable Baltal route. Moreover, in order to provide
security for
> >>>
> >>> pilgrims who come out in large number, the paramilitary
forces have
> >>>
> >>> to be deployed in large number. The current deployment will
be in
> >>>
> >>> excess of 20,000 for the entire period. Their presence and
stay
> >>>
> >>> cannot but affect the rise in pollution levels. Inclement
weather
> >>> too
> >>>
> >>> is an issue because rains in the plain means snow in the
higher
> >>>
> >>> reaches. This results in crowding at the camps, straining
services
> >>>
> >>> including disposal of waste. But worse things can happen as
in 1996
> >>>
> >>> when unexpected heavy snowfall resulted in death of 243
pilgrims and
> >>>
> >>> injuries to hundred more due to avalanche.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> The State Pollution Control Board (SPCB), recently in a 37
page
> >>>
> >>> report warns that generation of waste by pilgrims, absence of
waste
> >>>
> >>> disposal sites, open dumping of garbage, air pollution,
sewage
> >>>
> >>> generated by hotels, yatri camps and local residential areas
makes
> >>>
> >>> its way into Lidder river. The SPCB warned that waste
generated by
> >>>
> >>> pilgrims more than the local average and primarily contains
> >>> plastics,
> >>>
> >>> polythene and leftover food packets all along the route.
> >>> According to
> >>>
> >>> their calculation 55,000 kgs of plastic waste is generated
every day
> >>>
> >>> during the pilgrimage. Besides, thousands of open toilets
erected
> >>>
> >>> along the banks of Lidder river ensures that effluents enter
the
> >>>
> >>> river. Thousands of vehicles ply up and down the mountains
around
> >>>
> >>> Pahalgam all the way up to Chandanwari spewing carbon
monoxide. The
> >>>
> >>> Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB), which came into existence
on
> >>>
> >>> February 21, 2001, has been dismissive of such claims. They
assert
> >>>
> >>> that 230 pre-fabricated toilets being raised in Nunwan base
camp and
> >>>
> >>> human waste disposal off in leach pits with micro-organism
> >>> technology
> >>>
> >>> using Bokaslin powder and other chemicals would take care of
the
> >>>
> >>> problem. However, the issue is more than the supposedly
effective
> >>>
> >>> modern methods to manage waste. The sheer presence of large
mass of
> >>>
> >>> people is a cause for concern. Department of Science and
technology
> >>>
> >>> through its principal investigator on glaciology has argued
that
> >>> "the
> >>>
> >>> ecology, the environment and health of the glacier can be
under
> >>>
> >>> severe threat in case the Baltal route to the Holy Cave was
> >>>
> >>> frequented by thousands of pilgrims". And pointed out
that
> >>> "depletion
> >>>
> >>> and degradation (of glaciers) are the result of human breath,
refuse
> >>>
> >>> and land erosion". (The Tribune July 5, 2005).
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> It is disconcerting to note that opening of Baltal route for
> >>> pilgrims
> >>>
> >>> on foot and those using helicopters has crossed several
thousand
> >>>
> >>> every day. Apart from the Department of Science and
Technology of
> >>> J&K
> >>>
> >>> government even the Nitish Sengupta committee, which was
constituted
> >>>
> >>> to look into the deaths of 243 pilgrims in 1996 due to the
> >>> snowstorm,
> >>>
> >>> had recommended that number of yatris be restricted to 5000
per day
> >>>
> >>> for a period of one month and the total number of pilgrims be
capped
> >>>
> >>> at1.5 lakhs. According to them Baltal route should allow 1500
> >>>
> >>> pilgrims and Pahalgam 3500 per day. However, the General JR
> >>> Mukherjee
> >>>
> >>> committee, which looked into the cause of death of 35 people,
due to
> >>>
> >>> cross fire, during the 2000 yatra, focussed on security
arrangement
> >>>
> >>> and wanted the duration of the yatra to increase as security
> >>> scenario
> >>>
> >>> improved. But neither report looked at the environmental
impact of
> >>>
> >>> the yatra. Thus when the SASB invokes the recommendations of
the two
> >>>
> >>> committees what it does is to use it selectively and link the
number
> >>>
> >>> of pilgrims to the issue of managing security for them. In
this
> >>> sense
> >>>
> >>> they underplay the question whether the eco-system can bear
heavy
> >>>
> >>> influx of pilgrims. This emphasis on encouraging larger
number of
> >>>
> >>> pilgrims shows its impact on the environment in unexpected
ways.
> >>> Such
> >>>
> >>> as the SASB contemplating "air conditioning" to
preserve the shiva
> >>>
> >>> lingam from melting. The recent controversy over the pilgrims
> >>>
> >>> alleging that the SASB has been constructing the "snow
lingam" is
> >>> now
> >>>
> >>> being passed off as due to change in the course of the water
> >>> channels
> >>>
> >>> after last year's earthquake and global warming. Without
ruling this
> >>>
> >>> out human contribution to this phenomenon cannot be ignored
when
> >>>
> >>> glaciers are rapidly receding. As a matter of fact yatra was
never
> >>>
> >>> undertaken in June precisely because formation of shiva
lingam does
> >>>
> >>> not always take place then. Incidentally the local people
speak of
> >>>
> >>> "human" intervention in restoring what is a natural
phenomenon, as
> >>>
> >>> something that has happened in the past too. This apart large
number
> >>>
> >>> of pilgrims means that going gets tough as one draws close to
the
> >>>
> >>> cave with traffic jam being the order of the day. At times
pilgrims
> >>>
> >>> have to wait for hours for their turn. Increase in dust in
> >>> atmosphere
> >>>
> >>> too is caused by crowds of people as well as helicopter
service. The
> >>>
> >>> dust raised is visible from long distance away. All this also
means
> >>>
> >>> that individual pilgrims, that is other than VIPs, are
disallowed
> >>>
> >>> from spending more than seconds inside the cave. Above all
carbon
> >>>
> >>> dioxide levels shoot up warming the area all around.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> It cannot be that the SASB is unaware of the environmental
concerns.
> >>>
> >>> If it receives short shrift it is because the yatra has come
to
> >>>
> >>> symbolise Indian government's determination to promote
its claim in
> >>>
> >>> J&K. That pilgrimage is being heralded as victory against
a movement
> >>>
> >>> demanding azadi from India is available in the news portal of
Indian
> >>>
> >>> government, Press Information Bureau. It says that
"yearning for
> >>>
> >>> moksha (salvation) can move the devotees to the challenging
heights
> >>>
> >>> of Kashmir and will be a fitting gesture of solidarity with
our
> >>>
> >>> valiant soldiers who have been fighting the enemy to defend
our
> >>>
> >>> borders". (pib.nic.in/feature/feo799/f1507992.html).
Thus what is
> >>>
> >>> otherwise merely a religious pilgrimage of the Hindus has
been
> >>>
> >>> elevated to represent a patriotic enterprise. Besides, the
SASB is
> >>>
> >>> headed by the Governor and his principal secretary is the CEO
of the
> >>>
> >>> SASB. Thus the Government of India is clearly in charge of
> >>> organising
> >>>
> >>> the yatra. And it is the SASB which has been pushing for
larger and
> >>>
> >>> larger numbers of pilgrims and challenging the right of the
state
> >>>
> >>> government from interfering in anyway with the schedule
announced by
> >>>
> >>> the SASB.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> It is true that not everyone who goes to Amarnath accepts
this
> >>>
> >>> association of religion with patriotism. But the fact of the
matter
> >>>
> >>> is that official perception of pilgrimage as patriotic duty
has
> >>>
> >>> allowed the communal fascist elements to join in organising
their
> >>>
> >>> supporters. Little wonder that frequency of conflict between
section
> >>>
> >>> of such 'pilgrims' and local population due to their
obnoxious
> >>>
> >>> behaviour has shown an increase. What is equally
disconcerting is
> >>>
> >>> that the SASB presided over by the Governor has also been
engaged in
> >>>
> >>> controversial transactions. The CEO of SASB is the principal
> >>>
> >>> secretary to the Governor. Present CEO's wife, in her
capacity of
> >>>
> >>> Principal secretary forest department granted permission to
SASB on
> >>>
> >>> May 29, 2005 to use forest land. But this provision was not
in
> >>>
> >>> accordance with the provision of J&K Forest Conservation
Act 1997
> >>>
> >>> and, therefore, the state government withdrew the order.
However,
> >>>
> >>> thanks to a stay order by a division bench of the J&K
High Court the
> >>>
> >>> withdrawal of permission to occupy forest land, was
suspended. Any
> >>>
> >>> visitor to Pahalgam can observe how this forest land is being
> >>> cleared
> >>>
> >>> to setup camps for the yatris. In fact now the SASB has asked
the
> >>>
> >>> state government to give them land in the radius of 5kms of
the
> >>> cave.
> >>>
> >>> This arouses local passions precisely because Indian security
forces
> >>>
> >>> and other entities have transferred large tracts of land to
house
> >>>
> >>> camps for security force personnel, or for central projects,
as well
> >>>
> >>> as for schools which are run by army among others. Even a
pro-Indian
> >>>
> >>> National Conference party has protested such transfers of
land since
> >>>
> >>> 1989. Not very far from the camp for the pilgrims in
Pahalgam, in
> >>>
> >>> Lidru (opposite Kulan village) what locals describe as one of
the
> >>>
> >>> finest meadows, spread over 550 kanals (one kanal=one eighth
of
> >>> acre)
> >>>
> >>> in area, has been given to the army to run a school! Local
> >>> population
> >>>
> >>> feels helpless at being unable to stop this. Therefore, when
SASB
> >>>
> >>> wants large tract of land transferred to it under the claim
of
> >>>
> >>> providing accommodation for lakhs of pilgrims it must be
weighed
> >>>
> >>> against this local concern. Were the numbers of pilgrims to
be
> >>>
> >>> brought down the pressing need for transferring large areas
to SASB
> >>>
> >>> or for providing carpet security and thus deployment of
force,
> >>> can be
> >>>
> >>> brought down.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> This apart the SASB has also been involved in other
controversial
> >>>
> >>> acts. One such was the recent attempt by the SASB to bring
down the
> >>>
> >>> involvement of local people in the yatra. When on June 5,
2006 the
> >>>
> >>> local pro-India Peoples' Democratic Party (PDP) claimed
that SASB
> >>> was
> >>>
> >>> ignoring livelihood of locals, the SASB countered by claiming
that
> >>>
> >>> such criticism would generate controversy and thus
"jeopardise"
> >>>
> >>> tourism in Kashmir. Quite apart from the fact that promotion
of
> >>>
> >>> pilgrimage for commerce flies in the face of proclaimed
concern for
> >>>
> >>> people's faith PDP pointed out that if local porters and
ponywallahs
> >>>
> >>> can strike work at Vaishnodevi Shrine against the
(mis)management of
> >>>
> >>> the Shri Vaishnodevi Shrine Board (SVDSB) and seek support
from
> >>> local
> >>>
> >>> Congress leaders then what is wrong if local people from
Pahalgam
> >>> and
> >>>
> >>> Kangan areas seek their help to protest against the practises
of
> >>> SASB
> >>>
> >>> which discriminate against them. In fact the Pithoo Workers
Union at
> >>>
> >>> Katra have protested the suspension of six of their leaders,
alleged
> >>>
> >>> manhandling by SVDSB officials and demanded recall of its
additional
> >>>
> >>> CEO. Neither the Governor as head of SVDSB nor the Board
issued any
> >>>
> >>> statement chastising the Congress party!
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> Arguably, when yatra was halted between 1991-96 due to threat
of
> >>>
> >>> section of the militants it played into the hands of the
extreme
> >>>
> >>> right wing elements in Indian society who have since then
become an
> >>>
> >>> integral part of mobilising large numbers of pilgrims. Thus a
> >>> form of
> >>>
> >>> competitive communalism came into play. Thus when section of
the
> >>>
> >>> militants represented earlier by Harkatul Ansar and now
Lashkar-e-
> >>>
> >>> Taiyyaba or Jaish-e-Mohammed threaten to disrupt the
pilgrimage it
> >>>
> >>> only gets the backs up of the devout Hindus opens them to
vitriol of
> >>>
> >>> the rabidly anti-Muslim Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Shiv
Sena etc.
> >>>
> >>> and accentuates the communal divide. However, it is equally
> >>> important
> >>>
> >>> to note the actual fact that more people have died in yatra
due to
> >>>
> >>> inclement weather and cross fire than at the hands of the
militants.
> >>>
> >>> Besides, the main indigenous militant organisation Hizbul
Mujahideen
> >>>
> >>> has always supported the yatra and has consistently
demonstrated its
> >>>
> >>> opposition towards those who have tried to disrupt the yatra.
> >>>
> >>> Moreover, prior to constituting SASB the state government,
local
> >>>
> >>> people and social activists provided aid and assistance to
the
> >>>
> >>> pilgrims. However, threat of environmental damage has become
a
> >>> matter
> >>>
> >>> of utmost concern because the central government under the
cover of
> >>>
> >>> SASB remains unrelenting in its pursuit of ever larger
numbers to
> >>>
> >>> come for pilgrimage.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> In a way the Amarnath yatra illustrates the way in which the
Indian
> >>>
> >>> government injects communalism in our body politic. And also
> >>>
> >>> represents how secularism in India has been perverted to mean
state
> >>>
> >>> patronage of religion/s. This patronage is not equitably
distributed
> >>>
> >>> since Hindus outnumber others by more than eight times. Which
is to
> >>>
> >>> say that between un-equals equality ends up promoting Hindu
> >>> religious
> >>>
> >>> practises. In Amarnath yatra, in fact, the India government
even
> >>>
> >>> discarded its pretended neutrality by publicising the yatra
as a
> >>>
> >>> patriotic duty! Consequently, the likelihood of Amarnath
pilgrimage
> >>>
> >>> getting mired in controversy, over environmental damage and
> >>>
> >>> eventually feeding into further alienation of people because
they
> >>> can
> >>>
> >>> do little to save damage to their lived environment, has
increased.
> >>>
> >>> Trouble is the Indian government cares little for people and
prefers
> >>>
> >>> to pander to the extreme rightwing by projecting the yatra as
a
> >>>
> >>> patriotic enterprise to boost the morale of the Indian
paramilitary
> >>>
> >>> forces. The very same force which the local population
regards as
> >>>
> >>> symbol of their oppression. Thus a bigger mess is in the
making
> >>> right
> >>>
> >>> before our own eyes.
> >>>
> >>> ---------------
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> Shuddhabrata Sengupta
> >>>
> >>> The Sarai Programme at CSDS
> >>>
> >>> Raqs Media Collective
> >>>
> >>> shuddha at sarai.net
> >>>
> >>> www.sarai.net
> >>>
> >>> www.raqsmediacollective.net
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> _________________________________________
> >>>
> >>> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city.
> >>>
> >>> Critiques & Collaborations
> >>>
> >>> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net
with
> >>>
> >>> subscribe in the subject header.
> >>>
> > ...
> >
> > [Message clipped]
> >
> >
>
> Shuddhabrata Sengupta
> The Sarai Programme at CSDS
> Raqs Media Collective
> shuddha at sarai.net
> www.sarai.net
> www.raqsmediacollective.net
>
>
> _________________________________________
> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city.
> Critiques & Collaborations
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>
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