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HEAL THE WORLD
By planting saplings of indigenous and eco-friendly plants, on their way back home with the holy Ganga water, kanwarias could show set a precedence for others to follow
Bipin Sharma
India is a country endowed with one of the richest, oldest and a diversified cultural legacy. Almost every region has carved out its own edifying niche over the years. Incidentally every year, during the holy Shravan or the monsoon month, thousands of saffron clad ’Kanwarias’ collect water from the Ganga in Hardwar, Rishikesh, Gangotri, Gaumukh and other holy places. After collecting the holy water in Kanwars (pots) they return home on foot carrying the Kanwar on their shoulders to bathe the Shiva Lingam in their homes or temples on the Amavasi day. This pilgrimage is not only one of its kind but also one of the longest celebrations of the world as more than six million Kanwarias take part in this pilgrimage.
As per the legend, there is a strong belief that one gets absolved of all sins by taking a dip in the holy river and by offering prayers on its banks during the Shravan month. It is indeed an enchanting and mesmerizing sight of barefoot pilgrims carrying pots filled with the holy Ganga water and chanting ‘Har Har Mahadev’ and ‘’Bum Bum Bholey’.
At the time of commencement of the journey, devotees offer prayers to the almighty for both a safe culmination of their yatra as well as for fulfillment of their wishes. On the other hand, there are numerous devotees undertaking a trip for thanking the almighty for getting the long cherished wishes fulfilled.
The movement of Kanwarias has always been a serious concern for authorities and consequently a lot needs to be done by the government for efficiently manning the large number of devotees walking back with the holy water on almost all arterial roads of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh. While the National Highway from Hardwar to Delhi is often sealed for facilitating a smooth vehicular traffic during the Kanwarias trek, experts feel authorities have still a long mile to traverse.
National président of Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha, Swami Chakrapani, informs, "Notable initiatives have been undertaken by both government authorities as well as NGOs for ensuring a safe and sound pathway for the Kanwarias. But the need of the hour is to be innovative. As nature has been a key constituent of the almighty, the best possible way of paying rich tributes and reverence to the environment is by taking part in a mass conservation and tree plantation campaigns. Significantly, it is the priceless legacy of a clean and pollution free healthy environment that we could bequeath to our future generations for its everlasting effect on mind, body and soul. Since I like to practice what I preach, we have planned a unique event this year during the Shravan month at all the five key entry points namely Wazirabad, Ghaziabad, Maujpur, Yamuna Vihar and Najafgrah from where Kanwarias would be converging. Our dedicated teams of volunteers would be handing them over countless saplings of indigenous and eco-friendly plants such as Amla, Ashoka, Neem, Peepal, Banyan, Bel, Tulsi, Amaltas, Jamun and Mango for planting at various places. In fact, tree plantation could even be made mandatory for the Kanwarias in the near future as primarily they not only help in sprucing up the ecology, but will also help in enhancing the scenic ambiance of the area. Moreover, by planting trees Kanwarias could set an unprecedented benchmark for others to imbibe and follow in times to come.”
Supplements Dr. Indira Tiwari, national organising secretary of the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha, “Tree worship has been ubiquitous since the Vedic days and is a custom prevalent the world over. While there may be numerous reasons attached to this conviction, the key rationale are fertility of the earth and a strong belief that the special tree epitomes a blessed and sanctified site. Ancient literature in India is replete with names of various trees and flowers. Most of these flowers are referred to by names that are uncommon in use today. Surely there isn’t any other better investment than planting one single tree on every birthday. Likewise, the best way to reduce burden on Mother Earth is by planting maximum possible trees at all available spaces and by involving tender minds. At present, habitat centers lack proper planning and are devoid of basic amenities. Trees have always been a source of inspiration to the intelligentsia class such as scientists, research scholars, poets, philosophers, saints, thinkers.”
Concludes Swamiji, “Every day is like a new beginning towards the path of self -discovery. Given an opportunity with whatever available resources, I put in my effort to inculcate the best possible methods to work a system that is self serving based on genuine values, effectively streamlining both short and long term goals, and harmoniously to yield results that are to be much better than expectations. More often than not, I feel to have been rewarded and I cherish this success as if it is a magic.”
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