On our last afternoon
before leaving MCC I decided to buy a dhoti to diversify my plain white
collection. Standing in a storefront of the bustling West Tambaram Market, I
debated between a black and a light orange garment, each with golden borders. I
innocently weighted the matter as a basic fashion decision. I had never seen a
black dhoti worn, but I dismissed this as a simple creative failure by formal
Indian men. Many of them, after all, routinely butchered the art of flattering
dress. Selecting the black, I entered the shop where I found an even better
version boasting both green and red on its borders. I shelled out 125 rupees,
unwittingly branding myself as one of the 50 million devotees in one of the
biggest annual pilgrimages on Earth.
As chronicled by a Nov. 18th Hindu article,
Nov 17th, on Thursday of our first week in Kerala, marked the
opening of Sabarimala, and the start of the pilgrimage. Sabarimala is a hilltop
temple to Lord Ayyupan the son of Vishnu and Shiva, located in the southern
state of Kerala. Legends abound about the Hindu god in Kerala and neighboring
Tamil Nadu, but they basically all agree that he spent his earthly existence at
Sabarimala protecting the ancient kings there from enemies and performing other
benevolent holy acts.
Today
pilgrims trek there with the hope of increasing their fortunes and longevity.
The travelers follow a 41 day penance period before visiting the temple. They
don a garland of special beads, and abstain from eating meat, using tobacco or
alcohol, or engaging in sex. Their most obvious identifier, though is the
exclusive use of saffron, blue or black traditional clothing; black being the
most popular. For this reason, the black dhoti earned me double takes, extended
stares, and bewildered questions from the staff of our hotels, busses and
restaurants in Kerala. I can only imagine a greater response if I had worn it
around on the streets.
The
Hindu article told of the basic rituals beginning at 3AM and the throngs of
devotees gathering to participate. As with media coverage of major US
gatherings, the writing focused on the logistics of handling so many travelers
converging on one destination. It stated how the state and federal police had
enforced security at the temple since Wednesday morning, forcing each pilgrim
through metal detector at two controlled entrances. It provided the web address
for the new e-registration system, which already had 10,000 users on Wednesday
afternoon. It included a list of prominent politicians who had already appeared
on the first day of the event.
The
same author gave a much darker report for the Sunday edition of the Hindu,
entitled “Problems galore for Sabarimala pilgrims.” He accused the monitoring
board of poor monitoring, and poor planning when it demolished a number of
shelters and eateries under the premise of reducing human impact. The
accompanying photo showed a large, sparsely-crowded pathway built to lead people
away from the shrine, but it was under utilized for lack of knowledge.
This
pair articles highlights the government/religious ties that seem more
significant in India than the US. I couldn’t name any religious event that
causes such logistical headaches in the US, or that requires such effort from
participants. I suppose this stems from the large role of ritual in Hinduism.
This probably combines with the inefficiency that comes with all Indian
government bodies. Debate continues about proper management for Sabarimala, and
the second article mentions a movement to make a special oversight committee
with statutory powers. Judicial investigations following a 1999 stampede
tragedy recommended such a body but the government has taken no action on the
report since its submission in 2000. Such a critical press speaks well to the
state of Indian democracy, but the problems it notes are definitely
discouraging, and no solutions seem forthcoming. We know the democratic process brings change
slowly, but ten years of poor management, as the article seems to indicate, is
probably too long.
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