CHAPTER 3
It was July 8, 2005. The event was the annual Jangannath Rath Yatra in
Ahmedabad where ‘’peace’’ prevailed and people were supposed to have
forgotten the 2002 riots. The police had made its quota of pre-yatra arrests
along with some recoveries. The only difference was that this time they were
reluctant to say that the accused wanted to disrupt the yatra.
Anyhow, the local media was abuzz with pre yatra stories and going by these
reports anyone would feel that Ahmedabad had become normal once again.
But the whole illusion took a beating when I went to Dariapur - a
predominant Muslim area falling in the categories of disturbed pockets.
There were scores of policemen, as expected. Muslim women were mainly
indoors and only kids lined the route from where the yatra was to pass. The
road had been got cleared by the police and everyone waited in anticipation
for the yatra to arrive.
Around 1.30 p.m. elders of the community could be seen asking the few women
outside to go indoors. The logic being given was disturbing indeed. They
were telling the women,’’ Don’t you understand that looking at idols is
Haraam (sin) in our religion.’’ The women ad others, low on literacy,
somehow understood. The children were getting smacked for venturing closer
to the road. A friend told me that things were different till some years
back when women and children actually used to line the streets.
Exactly at 2 p.m. a police Jeep with a public address system mounted on top
of it came to the spot and appeals were made to clear the road. It was quite
similar to the addressing when a curfew is about to be imposed. All of a
sudden one could see the yatra approaching. Immediately a large number of
speakers started blaring out patriotic songs and both the police and the
elders in the Muslim community resorted to blowing whistles at a shrill
pitch. I was surprised as I could not connect freedom movement or any of the
nationalist events to the religious occasion of the yatra and wondered why
these film songs were being blared at a very high level.
I decided to put this question to an elder. The reply was,’’ The yatris hurl
abuses at times which are countered by the Muslims. It may happen vice versa
also. The spats have all the potential to turn into violence. With more than
120 truck load of yatris you cannot take chances. Hence loud music and chaos
simply make abuses inaudible.’’
I could not term to terms with Muslims voluntarily keeping indoors – they
call it Janta curfew here – a concept which is a blot on the secular
society. Why do they do this ? The reply of an elder was,’’ By being indoor
for three hours we buy peace for the rest of the year.’’
All the papers the next day reported that the yatra had passed off
peacefully and the attempts to promote co-existence of Hindus and Muslims
were successful!!!
It was July 8, 2005. The event was the annual Jangannath Rath Yatra in
Ahmedabad where ‘’peace’’ prevailed and people were supposed to have
forgotten the 2002 riots. The police had made its quota of pre-yatra arrests
along with some recoveries. The only difference was that this time they were
reluctant to say that the accused wanted to disrupt the yatra.
Anyhow, the local media was abuzz with pre yatra stories and going by these
reports anyone would feel that Ahmedabad had become normal once again.
But the whole illusion took a beating when I went to Dariapur - a
predominant Muslim area falling in the categories of disturbed pockets.
There were scores of policemen, as expected. Muslim women were mainly
indoors and only kids lined the route from where the yatra was to pass. The
road had been got cleared by the police and everyone waited in anticipation
for the yatra to arrive.
Around 1.30 p.m. elders of the community could be seen asking the few women
outside to go indoors. The logic being given was disturbing indeed. They
were telling the women,’’ Don’t you understand that looking at idols is
Haraam (sin) in our religion.’’ The women ad others, low on literacy,
somehow understood. The children were getting smacked for venturing closer
to the road. A friend told me that things were different till some years
back when women and children actually used to line the streets.
Exactly at 2 p.m. a police Jeep with a public address system mounted on top
of it came to the spot and appeals were made to clear the road. It was quite
similar to the addressing when a curfew is about to be imposed. All of a
sudden one could see the yatra approaching. Immediately a large number of
speakers started blaring out patriotic songs and both the police and the
elders in the Muslim community resorted to blowing whistles at a shrill
pitch. I was surprised as I could not connect freedom movement or any of the
nationalist events to the religious occasion of the yatra and wondered why
these film songs were being blared at a very high level.
I decided to put this question to an elder. The reply was,’’ The yatris hurl
abuses at times which are countered by the Muslims. It may happen vice versa
also. The spats have all the potential to turn into violence. With more than
120 truck load of yatris you cannot take chances. Hence loud music and chaos
simply make abuses inaudible.’’
I could not term to terms with Muslims voluntarily keeping indoors – they
call it Janta curfew here – a concept which is a blot on the secular
society. Why do they do this ? The reply of an elder was,’’ By being indoor
for three hours we buy peace for the rest of the year.’’
All the papers the next day reported that the yatra had passed off
peacefully and the attempts to promote co-existence of Hindus and Muslims
were successful!!!
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