Ganesh Fervour in Western UP Signals Assertion of Hindu Identity

Celebration of Ganesh Utsav in western UP is not an isolated event, it indicates dominance of religious identity.

Celebration of Ganesh Utsav in hinterlands of UP indicates a rise in majoritarianism. (Photo: Hardeep Singh/ The Quint)

Navigating National Highway 58 when returning to the capital from any city or town north of Ghaziabad or Meerut is tedious on any normal day and more so on weekends. At the end of the three-decade-old Meerut bypass, one is back into the even older road which, though double-laned, still runs through crowded hamlets and townships like Modinagar and Muradnagar.

Driving anywhere in western UP is harrowing, but last Sunday evening it was probably one of the worst that I experienced in almost half a century of travel on this highway.

As it turned out, a cacophony of electronic devotion and disco jagraata became audible. Slowly, its source, a truck, came into sight. But ahead of it a group of frenzied men were shaking every limb. The truck loaded with large speakers was decked up the way such vehicles are decorated for various religious festivals.

Over the years one has got used to seeing such a sight for a variety of religious festivals ranging from Durga Puja to Valmiki Jayanti and Moharram embracing every community.

Religious Processions

What changed was the attire, idols or images and the accompanying music. Religious processions have been competitive from early 20th century and taken out with the purpose of cocking a snook at the ‘other’. In recent years, however, this has become a more frequent phenomenon and more aggressive and cut-throat. The frenzy of the largely male utsav on NH-58 too was indisputably aimed at making a statement.

The delirious group began chanting slogans in praise of Lord Ganesha, the elephant-headed God. Why was Ganesh utsav being celebrated in western UP and what were people doing with small Ganesh idols in their hands?

The people were returning from the immersion ceremony at the Ganga Canal in Muradnagar. And there were numerous such trucks following. Ahead of us too there were numerous vehicles and their accompanying group waiting for their turn to reach the ghat and this explained our crawl. How and why has Lord Ganesh spread his influence in a region not known for celebrating this annual festival?

Devotees carry a Lord Ganesha idol for immersion during Ganesh Utsav in Badaun, 11 September 2016. (Photo: PTI)

Displaying Religious Identity

The celebration of the Ganesh festival in western UP, and may be many other regions, is not an isolated development but must be seen in the context of the rising trend of people displaying their religious identities in a more pronounced way with every passing year. From a time when Indians were more conscious of their sub-nationalities — Marathi, Gujarati, Bihari, Kannadiga, Telugu, etc. — religion has become the primary basis of social identity.

As signalled by the enthusiasm of Ganesh tableaux and processions generated on NH-58, this phenomenon is no longer restricted to metros and big cities but is resonating loudly in the hinterland. The rise of this attitude is not community-specific but is prevalent among all religious communities.

While earlier people were first a Bengali or Malayali and a Hindu, Muslim or Christian later, now they are first a Hindu or Muslim and only subsequently a Bihari or a UP-wallah.

Politics of Prejudice

Not everybody who affixes religious identity prior to displaying the regional characteristics is a practitioner of communal politics or believes in such sentiment. Yet giving primacy to religious identity makes them more open to being easy recipients of the politics of hoisting prejudice. Barring rationalists, no one will grudge any person for turning to religion. There will also be little opposition to communities beginning to worship new deities. But when observance of festivals acquires disruptive overtones, it becomes problematic.

In recent years, there has been a steady rise among religious minorities the world over, to emphasise their identity.

In the wake of the Punjab imbroglio in the 1980s and 1990s, India witnessed the rise of reaffirmation of the Sikh identity, and in recent years there has been a rising trend among Muslims of sporting beard in the distinctive style that has been adopted by the community. At least in India, there is a rising trend of sections of the majority community not losing a single opportunity to display their identity. This explains why western UP has witnessed the emergence of Ganesh festivals.

Devotees at Ramesh Nagar pandal on Ganesh Chaturthi in New Delhi on 7 September, 2016. (Photo: IANS)

Majoritarian Hues in Ganesh Visarjan

• Ganesh utsav being celebrated with fervour in hinterlands of western UP indicate emergence of religion as a basis of identity.
  
• Religion has taken over sub-nationalities and regional identity such as Marathi, Gujarati, Bihari, etc.
  
• This phenomenon is more pronounced in the hinterland as compared to the metros and big cities.
  
• Recent instances to be blamed for rise in majoritarianism with Haryana govt testing samples of biryani for beef and Amit Shah extending greetings on Onam.
  

State-Sponsored Majoritarianism

In every community, public display of identity has accompanied rise of religious orthodoxy and political sectarianism. On the one hand, this has been bolstered by a wave of pan-Islamism, while on the other we have witnessed state sponsorship of majoritarianism.

The latest instance of so-called biryani-testing in Haryana by a special task force to curb cow smuggling (as if there is no need for task forces to curb other crimes) and Amit Shah’s attempt to provide a religious twist to the essentially secular festival of Onam are just two instances of how the state or ruling party has given impetus to religious fervour.

From banning slaughter of even bulls and bullocks in Maharashtra to how controversially surya namaskar was included in the Yoga Day protocol, there are numerous instances of how state has promoted the majoritarian identity.

Spurt in Public Participation

It needs to be recalled that during the tenure of the first NDA government there was a substantial spurt in public participation in the annual sawan kanwariya when Ganga water is collected in Haridwar and taken as an offering to the Shiva temple nearest to a person’s home. This was particularly noticeable in 2002 after the Gujarat riots polarised India sharply, exactly a decade after the demolition of the Babri Masjid.

At that time, investigations by journalists revealed that the surge of interest had a direct correlation with facilities made available for the kanwariyas. All along NH-58 and other highways in north India, numerous tent shelters were set up where the so-called pilgrims were provided place to sleep and food to eat. These facilities were funded by businesses sympathetic to the regime and often Bajrang Dal activists acted as volunteers.

During the tenure of the first NDA government there was a substantial spurt in public participation in the annual sawan kanwariya practice. (Photo: The Quint)

Orthodoxy and Animosity

There were also several kanwariyas who confessed that the promise of the chillum had motivated them to participate in the festival.

The world over, various forms of enticements have been used to attract people to action driven by orthodoxy and animosity towards the ‘other’. Public display of religious identity is the first step towards displaying hostility towards other communities because animosity cannot be sustained without fortifying community sentiment.

Few would have resented the traffic holdup on NH-58 even if it had indeed been an instance of mass religiosity. But such programmes are primarily aimed at harnessing the energy of the lumpen youth and eventually keep it as a standby force for use during inter-community conflicts. Increasingly, public participation in religious festival is an indication of growing pietism, but unfortunately this religious zeal is not inward looking but dressed up for aggressive combat.

(The writer is an author and journalist based in Delhi. His most recent books are ‘Sikhs: The Untold Agony of 1984’ and ‘Narendra Modi: The Man, The Times’. He can be reached at @NilanjanUdwin)

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