The Nabakalebar event between Banajaga Yatra and Brahma transfer went too shabbily only due to the arrogance and ignorance of the Daitas and the SJTA administration alike. Once upon a time, as the District Magistrate of Puri, the incumbent SJTA Chief Administrator has done a pass-enough job because then there was no scope for any vulgar display of the divinely secret rituals of the deities.
There was television in 1996 but no mad frenzy of the current times due to media hype encouraged and promoted by the authorities who believed the opportunity was just too rare to attract even the Eskimos to rush in by showcasing the event loudly. They imagined Odisha would then become a most-desired global tourist destination. Nothing of that sort ever occurred, nor will, because the very approach was grounded on a ‘single faith’ mode, which is constitutionally wrong. All that the State could have publicised even insanely is the superb arrangement to contain huge congregations and maintain law and order.
The SJTA Chief Administrator got swayed in the move and did precious little to keep ‘secret rituals’ secret. He himself went ahead most brazenly to wrap around a Daru tree the silk cloth as if he were a servitor. He did not even make clear to public that it’s not daitas but a Brahmin servitor ‘Pati Mahapatra’ is entitled to transfer the Brahma material from the old bodies to the new. Daitas never took the expected arduous journey in seeking the sacred Neem tree.
They revelled in their Sabarpallis as Arab emirs in luxury tents, enjoyed joy rides in expensive cars, ate grand food and dozed when women massaged their never-tired bodies. The SJTA job began with Banajaga Yatra and ended with Brahma transfer, all of which was so terribly messed up that the people who worshipped Daitas days before, burnt their effigies in public.
The Puri district administration was invariably alert to all the hurtful events happening around. The DM and the SP supported by the Sub-Collector and the municipal functionaries took all preventive measures to have the public in cheers. Though much in a hurry, the temple surrounding is incredibly spacious; the roads are encroachment-free; and, above all, during the Car Festival the free rest sheds and food counters have amazed the pilgrims with unheard of joy. DM Arvind Agrawal looks timid and SP Ashish Singh small in stature, but the way they handled the Nabakalebar event has stunned even the experienced officials who came from the Nasik Kumbh Mela for exposure.
On close inquiry, all of them said, “Great job! It couldn’t have been better. We are carrying back the techniques of suddenly swelling crowds at a relatively small space.” Thus, the infamy earned during the Brahma transfer has been nearly wiped out by the district administration. The number of visitors remained an enigma. One media house put the figure at 15 lakh while another says not more than 10 lakh. There was no mechanism in place to come up with the accurate figure; people who kept count on the thumb-rule technique have mentioned 15 lakh.
*Now a truly amusing tale from Uttar Pradesh: On July 19 afternoon, during a visit to pacify local protesting residents, Bahujan Samaj Party MlA Babban Singh Chauhan and the husband of the local councillor Sheikh Kayamuddin were captured and held hostage by the local people and tied up with a rope like criminals are treated.
The local people had been suffering from erratic supply of electricity and water in the Alinagar ward of Mughalsarai. The tie-up event was video-recorded and put on the web which has gone viral. Police rescued them later but, the politicians did not have the moral courage to file an FIR. That’s good news. People are beginning to fix erring politicians who are too used to getting away. The same act is likely to be witnessed across the country soon. People have lost faith in the politicians who talk too much but are only efficient in delivering everything to their own family members and sycophants.
Around this time, a Parliamentary panel has pitched for a 100-per cent hike in salary and daily allowances of MPs and a 75-per cent raise in pension of ex-MPs apart from facilities for their “companions” in place of “spouses”. The panel, headed by BJP MP Yogi Adityanath, has sought doubling of the existing Rs50,000 salary and increasing the pension of former parliamentarians from 20 thousand to 35 thousand rupees. The panel has also recommended the daily allowance of Rs2,000 during Parliament sessions be doubled to Rs4,000.
A few ex-MPs, who appeared before the panel rued that while they are given a first class ticket to travel on train, the companion, even if the one is a spouse, gets an uncomfortable second AC class berth. The panel is learnt to have recommended that both the ex-MPs and the “companions” be given AC first class berths. Further, the panel has expressed desire that ex-MPs be allowed to travel by air five times a year as air travel has got into their system and the train journeys bore them to the core.
The sitting MPs get to fly executive class three dozen times a year. The insane panel keeps harping that MPs are above the rank of Cabinet Secretary; so their privileges should also match the exalted status. Even more shamelessly, they have pitched for healthcare benefits to all married children of MPs.
The salaries and perks of the MPs were last revised in 2010. CPI(M) member KN Balagopal has, however, suggested that MPs themselves should not decide their salary and allowances. This should be done through an independent, neutral mechanism. JD-U Rajya Sabha member KC Tyagi is also of the view that an independent body should be constituted to decide the salary and perks of MPs.
Some mad members of the panel are keen to have UK or Australia salary since India is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. It seems the Commonwealth guys don’t get to see the video clips of Indian politicians being bashed up by ordinary people.
One of the most hateful things Indian politicians commit is buying swanky SUVs the day after they are elected. Most of them scream ‘Jai Hind’ but demonstrate the least respect for patriotism.
They buy any car of personal fancy, not necessarily indigenous ones that are exported for quality. Instead of Maruti-Suzuki, Mahindra or Hindustan Motors, they go in for Ford, Chevrolet, Toyota, Nissan, Audi, Volkswagen and the like. Not one MP has ever raised the issue of promoting what is most Indian among all vehicles. The UP Alinagar ward experiment is likely to be replicated throughout the country as the people are getting more and more conscious of the fun times politicians indulge in, for which the common people pay heavily.
Narendra Modi, who once sold tea in streets, should appreciate the situation logically and prove that he is with the millions of deprived communities. This great opportunity shall not ever come back to Modi if he ignores the contentious issue or supports the mischievously greedy lawmakers’ demand to loot the public.
*lastly, the country should not forget the great revolutionary Chandrasekhar Azad who was born this day at Bhavra of the then Central Provinces in 1906 to be hanged along with Bhagat Singh and Rajguru on February 27, 1931 at the tender age of only 24. May God hammer into the heads of our greedy politicians to hang the picture of the revolutionaries on their drawing room walls to draw inspiration for serving the people some sense of personal sacrifice!
(The writer is a core member of Transparency International, Odisha)