Abusing Hindu Religious Festivals

Ram Puniyani

Communal violence has been the bane of Indian society with increasing intensity. While in pre colonial era it was an occasional ethnic strife, from the period of British rule, it started to become a regularly occurring phenomenon. The communal historiography, looking at history through the prism of the religion of the ruler, introduced by the British was the solid base of the emergence of the narratives that formed the ground for the emergence of the communal streams, Muslim and Hindu.

A dogged journalist, Kunal Purohit in his remarkable path-breaking book, ‘H-Pop’ brings to people’s notice how popular culture is being shaped by pop songs which are spreading Hatred against the heroes of National movements like Gandhi, Nehru in particular, and against the Muslims.

On the back of this book comes another important book, ‘Weaponi-sation of Hindu Festivals’ by Irfan Engineer and NehaDabhade (Pharos Media). Both these researchers are part of ‘Centre for Study of Society and Secularism’, which was founded by legendary Asghar Ali Engineer. This centre has constantly been monitoring and studying the nature and intensity of communal violence. In the wake of violence being orchestrated around Hindu festivals, particularly Ram Navami, the author duo has focused on the mechanism as to how festival celebrations have been made intimidatory and aggressive to the Muslim community, mostly leading to violence and polarisation.

This book is based on the in-depth inquiry into the violence instigated by the religious processions as a part of celebrations of festivals, Ram Navami in particular in the years 2022-2023. It seriously analyses the incidents following the inquiry by the teams in which they participated. The violence covered in the book relates to Howrah and Hoogly (2023), Sambahji Nagar (2023), Vadodara (2023), Biharsharif and Sasaram 2023, Khargone (2022), Himmat Nagar and Khambat (2022) and Lohardagga (2022).

This book is relevant as its observations can be of great help in preventing the violence by ensuring that the pattern which is coming into being should be prevented for maintaining peace among communities. What needs to be understood for prevention is that most of the time these processions, which are well armed; deliberately decide to pass through Muslim-majority areas, with loud music and provocative and abusive slogans. It has become a pattern that someone will climb over the mosque and replace the green flag with a saffron flag and the crowds down below dance and give a big applause. Such a phenomenon has seen a boost, particularly after 2014 with the BJP coming to power at the centre. The Khargone incident is very revealing in this regard. A minister of the MP Government said stones were thrown on the procession, which has come from Muslim Households, so these Households are to be turned into stones.

In addition to Ram Navami other local religious Yatras (processions), Ganga Aarti, (Prayer for river Ganges), Satsangs (religious meeting), and other religious programmes are being started with similar goals.

The festivals, times to enjoy and celebrate, are being used to instill fear and violence. The book is very relevant as it calls upon the state to take measures by anticipating the moves of communal organisations planning such processions.

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Frontier
Vol 57, No. 22, Nov 24 - 30, 2024