Militants threaten use of arms drones Yatris reploy is Faith boldness

 

Before this year's Amar Nath yatra began militants launch attacks on panties of Shiva Parvati worshippers. Militants said they will use arms, grenades and, if need be, drones. The idea that. not long ago, eight yarns were killed by militants also. had not been forgotten. The devout religionists gave two hoots to these threats and incidents. These failed to dishearten them and they decided to undertake the journey Two lakhs of them registered for the pilgrimage Many of them hailed from areas far away from the valley Some of them wanted to come from places 3,000 kilometres away Some more such intended persons could not undertake the journey because the travellers needed registration and yatra permits. To facilitate the ambition of the religious-minded persons 440 bank branches were needed to be designated for the purpose These branches are located in 32 states and union territories.

The journey is one of the most arduous of any place in the valley The sacred ave is at a height of 3,880 metres above the sea level. The terrain is uneven. A majority of the yatries hail from the hot plains of the country Most of them have never, earlier, travelled in such hilly areas. The roads are not smooth as these are in the plains. There are ups and downs. At some places the traveller has to go hundreds of metres up. At others, he has to come down that distance. The movement has restriction of time It has to be undertaken during the daytime only In the Pissu Ghati area some yatris faint because, the air, in that region, is not congenial for human inhalation Despite these handicaps, the devout persons take courage in both their hands and move on.

This year, the area had heavy rains. The weather became inclement. Roads become slippery. Landslides created hindrance in walking. In the very first week of the yatra, landslides killed three pilgrims and injured five. Two pilgrims died of cardiac arrest. During the first seven days the yatra claimed 11 lives Yet, this did not deter the worshippers of Lord Shiva from continuing their tough journey Within the first six days of the yatra 36,366 pilgrims succeeded in having of sacred cave entering the pious place, they look a bath in the stream flowing nearby The water of the stream was colder than the humans can normally bear but that proved immaterial for them. Then, they went inside, prayed and offered obeisance to the Lord and returned satisfied that they had achieved their ambition.

Among the yatris some were physically weak but mentally and spiritually strong. What the yatris are doing provides a direction to governments of the state and the Centre, as also militants. The pilgrims are not travelling with arms or grenades. They are carrying flowers and rice to be offered to the ice Shiving. They are, also, carrying camphor to be used during the prayers The unarmed persons exhibit valour. Their nishkam faith is the source of their great-heartedness. In a similar way, the governments and militants, too, should try to create an atmosphere so that followers of different religions can go to their pious places with a hope that they will not be harmed. In the rest of India, this idea is widespread. The Supreme Court has held that people of all faiths should be allowed to enter the premises of the Jagannath Temple, in Orissa. If crores of people can go to the Vaishnavi Devi temple, in Jammu, why can't some lakhs visit the Amar Nath cave? Why should there be need to deploy more than 40,000 CRPF and sate police personnel to protect the yatris from the militants attacks.

Now that the J & K state is under the Governor's rule, serious steps need to be taken to see that persons who want to undertake such journeys are able to do so, in a free atmosphere as is happening in the rest of India -and in a major part of the globe.

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Courtesy:-  Jagannath Dhar  and Koshur Samachar 2018, July