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Environment
Rising Religiosity
Hurting Indian Environment
by Proloy Bagchi
 The news that came out of Delhi recently was depressing. The
water supply in the metropolis was disrupted as the supply lines
were clogged. North, West, North-West and parts of South Delhi
suffered severe shortages because of the pollution in the
Hyderpur Canal which supplies water to the eponymous treatment
plant. “The presence of paints, particulate matter, chunks of
plastic and flowers from the idol immersions that were carried
out have left our pumps choked”, said the Delhi Jal Board (Water
Board). Despite there being eight water pumps water needed for
treatment could not be lifted. The inevitable shortages occurred
as the required amount could not be given the necessary
treatment. And, the pumps got clogged because of the thousands
of idols that were immersed in River Yamuna after the recent
festivities. This is a new sociological phenomenon which is
becoming increasingly evident every year in the upcountry after
Ganesh Chaturthi and Navaratri festivals.
During the festivals Ganesh, the Elephant God, and Goddess
Durga with her progeny are worshipped, respectively. Their clay
idols lovingly made with piety and passion, finished with
plaster of Paris, coated with toxic enamel paints, embellished
by faux ornaments and decked up in colorful synthetic clothes
are installed for worship in regular or temporary temples. At
the end of the ten days’ festivities these are subjected to
ritualized ceremonial immersions in the nearest water bodies.
Every year the numbers of idols installed in the urban and rural
areas, particularly in the upcountry, have been on the rise. The
ardor and devotion of the people disrupt normal life, upset the
working schedule, cause traffic bottle-necks and (later) also
pollute the very water that sustains the community. A couple of
decades back the festivities used to be on a much lower scale
and were not so disruptive or polluting. Lately, however, with a
strong revival of religious traditions and an unprecedented
surge in religious fervor, things are increasingly getting out
of hand.
The way we have been going for some years now, the kind of
mishap that happened in Delhi had to happen sooner or later.
Clearly, the festivals have now started hurting the community.
Whether it is the Hooghly River in West Bengal, the Arabian Sea
near Mumbai or other inland rivers or water bodies, all have had
the privilege of experiencing the unkindly, even malign
after-effects of these festivities. Although, post-immersions,
the idols are unceremoniously stripped of all valuables, yet
what remains of them adds to the pollution of the waters that
are already polluted with urban and industrial effluents. The
Delhi Jal Board has only complained about the disruption of the
supplies that it is supposed to make. That the River flowing
through the Capital was being polluted is, seemingly, not any of
its concerns.
This has been happening in all parts of the country where these
festivals are observed with such vigor. And, the fate virtually
of all the rivers and other water bodies in such parts is almost
the same as that of the Yamuna. The Hindu community is,
strangely, unable to appreciate the threats that it is posing to
the country at large with its progressively magnifying
religiosity. It seems to be killing the very environment that
sustains the larger community. Whether it is land, water or air,
the piety that is flaunted all over the country is polluting
them all, though the Hindu religious tradition has always been
worshipful of nature.
Kumbh Mela
Take the periodical Kumbha Melas, for instance, when pilgrims in
millions take bath every day either in the Ganga at Hardwar or
in Kshipra (now on the brink of extinction) at Ujjain or near
the source of Godavari at Nashik or at Allahabad where the
Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati meet. Extended
pilgrimages of massive proportions which demand detailed
planning and comprehensive logistics, they force the governments
of respective states to step into the operations that
essentially are religious. What happens to the rivers, howsoever
holy they are considered to be, and their ecosystems have not so
far been matters of concern for those who are behind the
pilgrimages and the ritualized holy baths as also those who
facilitate them.
Likewise, the annual pilgrimage to the Amarnath cave in the
Himalayas has been the cause of damage to the delicate Himalayan
ecology. Earlier, a pilgrimage of roughly a week with
participation of a few thousands, it has now assumed enormous
proportions. It now runs for around two month and is joined, by
the last count, by around 500,000 pilgrims. While the affluent
few take a helicopter ride to the mouth of the 14000 ft. high
Holy Cave for a quickie darshan (obeisance), most are ferried by
countless diesel-run buses to Srinagar/Pahalgam to eventually
trek to the cave. Things are not much different with the annual
trudge of millions to the Sabarimala temple situated in the
midst of densely forested hills in Kerala. The pilgrimage, for
that matter any pilgrimage, has become an industry with
hoteliers and tour operators feeding them with their inviting
offers. The hyped-up religious festivals, on the other hand,
have become occasions for marketing of all kinds of merchandise
– from cars, diamond jewellery to garments – and even holidays.
The environment, however, is always a casualty.
There could be any number of reasons for this gush of
religiosity. It could be because of a more pro-active role
played by organizations connected with the Hindu religion; it
could also be because of a reaction against frequent Islamic
terrorist attacks in the heartland of the country. Even the
political power captured by Bharatiya Janata Party, branded by
the West as the “Hindu Nationalist Party”, in several states,
coupled with the post-liberalization rise in the levels of
disposable incomes among the Hindu middle classes may have been
factors in fuelling the heightened religious zeal. The
electronic media, particularly, the TV with its outreach deep
into the urban slums and rural homes telecasting gold
foil-wrapped Hindu traditions, too, may have given a fillip to
the rising tempo.
Whatever may be the reason(s), the whole thing, viewed
objectively, appears to be sheer madness. Self-regulation and
self-restraint being conspicuous by their absence, every passing
year a new vigor, seemingly, is injected into the festivities.
Religion and its practices being matters of very sensitive
nature, no government would come out and cry a halt. Besides,
there is that ‘small’ matter of votes. No political party would
ever dream of alienating such a large community and losing such
a sizable chunk of votes. Hindu religiosity, thus, would seem to
be spiraling out of control with consequences that may, sooner
than later, prove to be catastrophic for its pious and the
devout.
Nonetheless, one can see a ray of hope. For the first time ever,
Jairam Ramesh, Minister for Environment and Forests, has put a
cap on the number of tourists travelling to Himachal Pradesh.
Though inordinately late, it is a very wise step and needs
replication elsewhere. World over natural assets are subjected
to sensitive treatment, limiting the intrusions by humans in
order to ensure their sustainability. The cap that the minister
has imposed is surely based on a well-researched carrying
capacity of the region. Similar caps need to be imposed for
other natural assets, too, which happen to be tourism hotspots,
as also those which, post-festivities, get the brunt of the
idols. Such measures will be unexceptionable as they would be
aimed at protecting the natural riches of the country and their
vital ecosystems. If, in the process, the minister has to
interfere with the peoples’ religious practices, so be it. After
all, that will be for the larger good. What, however, would be
needed are courage and the conviction to do the right by the
country!
October 11, 2009
Images under license with Gettyimages.com
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