The Mob Mentality

 'Pandhari chi wari', the annual pilgrimage to Pandharpur, began in Alandi yesterday. As for the Sant Tukaram Maharaj Palakhi, it began its journey the day before. Both the processions reached Pune this evening.

Every year, i walk some distance with the pilgrims. There are a number of reasons that lead to my attempt. For one thing, we are all Pandharpur born. My small little walk is in a way a humble tribute to that gorgeous fact. Both my parents, moreover, were religious, without any excessive religiosity whatsoever. So it is a heart-felt remembrance in its own way of their simple but genuine way of life.

It is an act of empathy as well. The  'warkari'-s, the pilgrims, would be walking the entire distance for about three weeks despite all the difficulties faced on the way. I try to participate in that feel via this brief walk shared with them. This tradition, moreover, continuing from the days of Sant Dnyaneshwar is the soul of Marathi-ness so to say, and i like soaking in that entire feel, the beat of the taal-mridang, the warkari's singing the abhang's, the unique traditional patterns of each dindi, et al.

The only thing i hate each year is the mob mentality. There is a terrible and simply horrible rush. The mob enthusiasm is such that everybody is pushing everyone else so mindlessly that even when an elderly person falls down, nobody notices nor cares. 

Many pilgrims are extremely poor. The noble act of providing them goodies is great. Yet the food donation/anna-dan is most mindless, and quite heartless. It is heartwrenching to see people of all ages literally snatching the food packets!

Often bananas are eaten, and peels pile up on the road. Elderly pilgrims slip on them. Such is the mad mob rush that it is impossible to bend down, and pick up the peels out of the way. Once i saw some five elderly women slip on banana peels, made yuckier and deadlier due to punctured plastic water pouches. Nothing could be done, and none helped them. They got up on their own, and continued limping on, wobbling along. 

May be, all such mishaps can be avoided if the food/drink items are given to the dindi pramukh, the head of each pilgrim group, who can systematically distribute them at every small little stop, right?

The current mob mentality leads only to mishaps and ugly scenes. Oh, yes, that reminds me, the push parade at Tirupati, too, is simply a terror and quite a horror! Why the mob mentality at the divine doorstep? Instead we should be more disciplined in our dedication, right?

Pratima@The mob, opines Kelly Slater, "is like the mafia". Once you get in, there is no way to get out!                                              When in a mob, most human beings reveal the latent gangster lurking in them, may be! Does that explain the mob mentality? Remember the viciousness let loose when/if a petty pick-pocket is caught, and beaten up on the Mumbai local train?!?