[akbaree]

Originally Posted by Technocrat

yep thats what I was trying to say, that if Varkaris can carry out their Annual journey peacefully why cant others?

+1 to this. We should discuss/give suggestions on how something can be improved and reduce the vices.

However, I am not surprised at angry responses on this thread. As a society we are getting less tolerant. Whether it reflects in our angry responses on this thread or what so called Kanwarias do as part of their celebrations.

We should surely have zero tolerance for any kind of violence resulting from such practices but when we start abusing a community or the practice they have faith in instead of the specific vices, it just reflect similar thought process.

P.S: I am hearing about the Kanwarias for the first time and have nothing to do with the practice.

[Dry Ice]

Read about the accident which Extreme Torque has mentioned. What stumped me is that even though the driver was booked under rash and negligent driving, the kanwarias were let off. No case was lodged against them even after destroying public and private property.

I doubt any one of them is religiously inclined. For no religion on this earth preaches about harming other fellow beings. This is a mess and needs to be curtailed. But as is the thing with "religion" in this country, I don't see anything happening in the next 100 years.

Better to stay away from these lunatics and be extra careful.

[phamilyman]

@akbaree: Less Tolerance? LOL! For hooligans under any other name as well, please.

Come down here next kanwar time, drive around with dak kanwars invading the road, then we'll talk

[Eddy]

Originally Posted by akbaree

P.S: I am hearing about the Kanwarias for the first time and have nothing to do with the practice.

And hence you speak about lower tolerance. Trust me, come down once and experience the kawarias and then you will have views as strong as seen in this thread.

[faithless_1984]

I am happy that it's over now, you would have actually faced the brunt if you lived in east delhi and specially near border.... These guys had left side of the GT road dedicatedly blocked for them over the weekend till monday morning.

Residing in the same area i can feel your pain bro.

Have personally scene the trouble these guys can create.
They are a menace to the society ,no doubt about it.
Worst thing is they act as if they are doing us a favor.!!
You wanna act all religious then do it in a temple or in your home ,not on the frigging roads.

[shekharlele]

I travel to delhi frequently on business and have witnessed this kavariya drama first-hand. However, this is not limited to delhi. You must witness the religious frenzy of the ganesh processions or the id processions to actually realise we are still living in some forgotten time warp (although these processions are very well managed these days). The other BIG irritant is the ambedkar jayanti, when scores of Dr. Ambedkar's followers ruin shivaji park and run riot in the trains ferrying them to mumbai. I mean the man wrote our constitution and this is the way we choose to honour him. Unfortunately, education and civic sense is so lacking in our society that these scenarios will only worsen.

[abbey4u]

What do you think the real problem is? IS it the religion? I don't think so. These religious march happens not only in India, but happens all around the world? Take Mecca madina for example.

The problem lies in hadnling and organising these pilgrim yatras. Now obviously the roads will be blocked and traffic would come to standstill when you know everything is going to ply on the same road.

Take areas like chandni chowk or purani delhi. Its the same thing just that its a widespread during kanwar season.

As a general public one could avoid these stretches, but I know there will be times when you can't avoid and will have to go on the same route. I kind of plan and avoid these stretches. And people missing on trains in not just the kanwars, the morning traffic in NCR is like mad and goes extreme when it rains.

There was a day when it took me 4 hours in the afternoon to reach my office.

why am I making these points is we should identify the real problem.

The real problem is:

1. We are not a responsible society. We do things only when its forced on us.
2. Enough arrangement are not made for these devotees.
3. No arrangement on how to segregate normal traffic and pilgrims plying on the same route.
3. There were never a case when these pilgrims were asked to follow any rules. The rules and law should be enforced even on them. Its from the starting and its getting worse each following year.

There are some true devotees and there are some hooligans. Something needs to be done to curtain these hooligans. May be each of the devotees rest centre which are almost every Kms on the route should be made responsible to teach these and enforce law on them.

This can be one of the solution but I am sure there can be many to make our society a more civilized and responsible during any step of our life.

[lordofgondor]

Originally Posted by gd1418

I came and settled in Delhi sometime in 1970. Till about 10-12 years back the Kanwarias were sort of non-existent. Slowly the trickle turned into a downpour and now it is an un-manageable mess. Huge tents with dazzling lights, blaring music etc., pop-up on busy roads for these foot-soldiers.

They are not at all religious. Last year I had to encounter drunk Dak-Kanwarias on the NH8 carrying hockey sticks, rods etc. Now, why do they need these in the first place? Is that anything religious? No, not at all.

+1 to that. Now every holy festival gives many social miscreants a chance to do illegal stuff quite openly in public. What many of the Kavars do, we have seen. But I have been seeing bad things happening even while festivals like Durga Puja & Vishwakarma Divas. It's a pain crossing the Kalindi Kunj section on the deity immersion days of these festivals. Autos, cars, bikes, tempos & trucks filled with hooligans block the road, while they consume alcohol/bhaang/other stuff, dancing like crazy on the road blocking traffic and of course you can't do anything cause they're holding cricket bats, hockey sticks, laathis with them. Last year I saw people who're so drunk that they kept tripping from the tempo.

An elder told me that the tradition was that from every village one or two people would be chosen the Kavar(s), and they'd travel to Gangaji and bring the holy water back. Now things have apparently changed for the worst.

[rubin2006]

Wow -- what they do and what they were supposed to do , are two different things
They were on a holy visit on a pilgrimage , what the results is ,its totally unexpected
I saw a Tata 407 full of kawarias at 1 am playing loud music dancing in the middle of
Shanti Niketan ( new Delhi ) and i was amazed to see how they could continuously do what they were doing for half an hour and woof no police nothing

That is a kind of place that if you play loud music some one will call police before you listen to 5 minute long song and nobody seem to give a damn to these kawaris at 1 am at night , was kind of strange

But in totality what laws are we discussing , the people who think like @ Bhipans we are not even 3-4 % of the population and people who are like these are 75 %
SO who gives a damn about who,s thinking what is right and what is wrong

We seriously hate how China controls its Mob by government playing even a bigger mob then the hooligans ( sad but true that is the only way to control any body who is Irate )

This is democracy where larger number of people will decide weather to block that major expressways , set the buses on fire or just play Loud music or carry base ball bat or Bla Bla Bla

In this country if you drive a beamer or Porsche Cayenne where 70 % dont have proper food to eat just look the other way ,or if you look at the rule book i am sure 90 % will loose there cars first and will be moving in the same lane as kawaris
MYSELF INCLUDED

The point is dont tell that village boy who had nothing to earn to not go a create havoc in your beautiful city next to AMBIANCE MALL Because he will not understand
and your governmet is incompetent to punish him cause they are Beggars for his vote Not yours

Basically This is fault with the system not with kawarias ,they would do things which u cannot dream in your city if they are not met with force
but the governemt lets them do this much IE burn cars and all so they are happy doing it r

[BoneCollector]

Hitting this old thread,how is the situation these days?

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by BoneCollector

...how is the situation these days?

Peak "kanwar" season starts from 23-24 July, till 31 July. NH24 & NH58 are expected to close down to vehicular traffic on these days. NH2 will remain open but obviously heavily crowded due to traffic diverted from other highways. Travel on highways leading out of Delhi between these days only if absolutely imperative.

[normally_crazy]

But isn't that the situation everywhere ?

1) Truckloads of Ambedkar followers come into the city on his birth anniversary to pay respect to him at Dadar - nah thats the last thing they want to do. It's free train travel, bus travel, road travel ( no tolls if you have the flag fluttering on the vehicle that day)

2) On Badi raat day (it's tomorrow ) which is supposed to be holy - people take auto rickshaws fully loaded and drive into town, youngsters on screechy bikes triple seats perform stunts on the Reclamation / carter road fronts, drive like crazy zig zagging through traffic.....and God help you if they manage to nick your car and you want to admonish them for it ...

The cops know all these things and are mute spectators - out numbered and scared to stop these "worshippers" and under pressure from politicians !

You can do anything in the name of Religion in this country and get away clean with it. Period.

[gd1418]

Sigh...it is that nightmarish time of the year for the motorists of Delhi/NCR. Thank God and thank you Sreedharan for the Metro. I have been traveling to & fro from home to work in Metro since it started from Gurgaon.

Kanwarias or no kanwariyas, it now doesn't affect me. Even during the stupid jat & Gujjar agitation, while the road were blocked, I reached to work in time and came back in time.

[phamilyman]

The mess has already started at the train station. It will be a potent mix this year.

Far too many parents hand over their bike keys to adolescents without teaching them how to handle the power responsibly with due deference to other citizens on the road. Ramadan + Kavariyas on the road at the same time = chaos. Saw folks of both sides driving on the road like madmen at midnight near karolbagh today.

[Eddy]

When is the madness expected to hit the NH8 ?

Drove to office with a lot of trepidation today, but thankfully it was clear