The mighty power of the proverbial zero in times of chaos and conflict
India discovered the zero many centuries ago. It revolutionised mathematics and metaphysics. However its real power has only been unleashed by the ever so innovative Indians in the realm of politics and governance as the first quarter of the 21 century enters its last year.
Those who rule us have constantly reminded us that they have zero tolerance for corruption, unpatriotic thoughts or obsessive attachment to relics of colonial rule. Ironically, and most unfortunately, we seem to have zero respect for rational thought and zero sense of shame. The stampede at the Mahakumbh in Prayagraj constrains to embark on a painful introspection.
We hasten to add, lest we are accused of hurting the religious sentiments of the majority community or unwittingly falling prey to some conspiracy hatched by forces hostile to resurgent India, that matters of faith are sacrosanct, but manmade catastrophes precipitated by criminally negligent and incompetent event managers shouldn’t and can’t be protected by sacred shields.
First things first. This moment of grief should not be misused to drag the PM, the BJP-NDA, RSS etc. into the blame game. The President, the PM, the Home and Defence Ministers lost no time in condoling the dead. It was the UP government that remained steadfast in denial hours after the tragedy. Policemen continued to insist that nothing serious had happened: Only a few persons had panicked and fainted and would recover soon.
Zero dead or seriously hurt. When videos from ground zero went viral, the great whitewash started. Unfortunately, when a respectable national newspaper with much larger circulation than the English Paper Tigers boldly carried the story on the front page and followed up with the statistics of mortality, the strategy adopted was of zero communication.
No words, no figures. Next stage was zero shame. Like in the circus the show must go on despite the blood on the ground. We have been treated to the shocking spectacle of our vice president and family taking the holy dip after alighting from the helicopter. Kids splashing water on the benignly smiling grandfatherly figure in the sacred pool.
The dip and sip can’t be missed in the magic moment that comes only once in 144 years. The CM of the state, who is a monastic head added insult to injury by stating that those who had lost their lives had gone straight to the heavens—attained liberation from the cycle of rebirth. No media other than social media has any space for the wailing widows or orphaned children. No celebrity, politician sportsperson could resist the temptation of instant de luxe moksha without risking life or limb.
The claims of the UP government of organising a Divya and Bhavya Mahakumbh have boomeranged. Hundreds have lost their lives. The dear departed may have gone to swarga, but the survivors are condemned to eke out the rest of their days in living hell (nark) on earth. The culture of zero accountability will follow its usual course making it impossible to keep track of compensation, relief and rehabilitation or proceedings of hastily handpicked judicial commissions.
Is it sacrilegious and profane to ask legitimate questions about what proportion of the budget earmarked for this technologically glitzy mega event was spent on advertisements and what was the residue available for safety and security, shelter and sanitation of the non-VVVIPS—children of lesser gods? Were they not lulled into false sense of security by boasts of bragging leaders?
Before we conclude it must be admitted that crowds of such magnitude are beyond the control of the most gifted event manager or tech wizard. One—including the rationalists—can only hope and pray that everything passes without a mishap. Stampedes triggered by tiniest misstep have a cascading effect. From Hathras to Tirupati (and in past Kumbhs) there have been accidents. What is most distressing this time is to brazen things out.
No government can provide enough mobile lavatories for hundreds of millions camping for days or hold back continuously surging tsunami-like waves of devotees driven by faith to descend on a very small spot called Sangam—the confluence. They believe that God will save them from harm but also trust the people they have chosen to govern them on earth to protect them from mishaps during the congregation of milling crowds.
What gives us hope as we try to shake off this numbing nightmare is how the Muslims in the grief-stricken city have opened their homes and hearths to the unfortunate Hindu brothers and sisters. Much before the advent of the British and their ‘bandobast’ the Kumbh was a self-regulated affair—the ‘guests’ were hosted by the residents of the city who had zero sectarian prejudice. Elites had vested interest and the commoners were united by myriad threads of harmony.
Pluralism and diversity didn’t divide the society. It’s time that sages and men of religion reclaimed the space encroached by squatters—media-savvy godmen and gurus enjoying political patronage. Politicians should remain silent on paap and punya.
Pushpesh Pant
Former professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University
pushpeshpant@gmail.com