Babli Begum travels from her marital home in Meerut to her parents’ home in Haridwar’s Jwalapur each year during the Hindu month of Shravan, taking the chance to earn some extra money during the Kanwar yatra. This year, however, the fact that she is a Muslim makes the annual trip more complicated.
During the Kanwar yatra, which has become increasingly popular in recent years, lakhs of devotees of the Hindu god Shiv walk hundreds of kilometres carrying water from the Ganga, considered holy, to the temples in their home towns. The pots of Ganga jal are carried using a pole called the kanwar, which is balanced on the shoulders of the pilgrims, known as kanwariyas or Bhole. These kanwars are often made by Muslim artisans like Ms. Begum.
“This yatra gives me both money and happiness as I meet family and earn during the same time. I sell kanwars for ₹200 to ₹300, and sometimes even give it for ₹100 to those who have less money to offer,” says Ms. Begum, 42, who is using the tricolour to decorate her kanwars this year. In 2004, she was recognised by the State government for saving the lives of six children from drowning in the Ganga river.
‘Promoting discrimination’
This year, however, her sales are likely to be hit by the escalating row which began when Uttar Pradesh police issued orders that shop owners along the Kanwar yatra route must display the name of their proprietors on boards outside their shops. Police in Uttarakhand’s Haridwar have now followed suit, saying that the directive is meant to prevent the “disputes” that often arise during the yatra.
Opposition parties have slammed the order, saying that its aims are mischievous. “Such an initiative will only promote discrimination and increase communal tensions in society,” says Garima Dasaumi, the Congress spokesperson in Uttarakhand.
Given that it is mostly Muslims in U.P. and Uttarakhand who craft the kanwar itself, they ask why the kanwariyas have issues purchasing other items from shops owned by the Muslim community.
‘Political stunt’
Afsar Sheikh, 42, from Mawana, has been coming to Haridwar’s Kanwar fair since 2008 to sell his hand-made kanwars. The father of two school-going children, Mr. Sheikh creates flower decorations for weddings through much of the year; in July, however, when wedding season ends, he makes and sells kanwars by buying material on credit. After his expenses are accounted for, he ends up earning about ₹5,000 to ₹10,000 from this trade.
“I have placed my kanwar shop next to a shopkeeper whose name is Rahul. We decorate kanwars with artificial flowers, colourful papers, decorative mirrors and pictures of gods and goddesses. None of the buyers has ever asked about my religion, which is clearly visible from the skull cap that I generally wear,” Mr. Sheikh told The Hindu.
Rahul Kumar, who is helping Mr. Sheikh, says that asking shop owners to mention their names outside their shops is a political stunt. “I have a Muslim neighbour. We exchange food and live peacefully,” he said, adding that no Muslim living in the Kanwar fair eats meat during the entire yatra season, in order to respect the religious sentiments of the kanwariyas.
‘Law and order precautions’
Apart from making kanwars, many Muslims also organise free food stalls for kanwariyas and even offer their lands to the devotees to set up tents for sleep.
Asif Rahi — founder of an NGO named Paigam-E-Insaniyat, which means ‘messenger of humanity’ — has organised free food camps for the kanwariyas in Muzaffarnagar for the last 17 years. But this year is different. “I dont think any Bhola will come and eat in my camp,” he says, adding that he will keep giving monetary contributions to other NGOs and organisations from the Hindu community to organise such camps.
Arun Pratap Singh of the Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Shakti Dal is taking monetary help from Mr. Rahi, but still feels that the police order is correct. “Law and order jab bigadta hai... tab police ko hi use control karna hai (When law and order deteriorates, only the police have the job of controlling it),” he says, asking what is wrong with the police taking precautions before the yatra.
‘Preventing disputes’
During a crime review meeting, the Senior Superintendent of Police in Haridwar, Padmendra Dobal, asked all those in charge of police stations within his jurisdiction to run campaigns to check the documents of outsiders living in their respective areas ahead of the Kanwar yatra, and take strict legal action against suspicious people as per the rules. He also asked policemen to ensure that shops selling non-vegetarian food should remain closed during the yatra, which begins on July 22.
“Sometimes disputes arise during the Kanwar yatra due to eateries and food shops not mentioning the name of the proprietor outside,” Mr. Dobal told journalists, defending the police order. “To address this, all shops, restaurants, hotels, dhabas and street vendors will be verified and they are asked to display the names of owners outside and the same must also be mentioned on QR codes,” he added.
