I am sure I'm not the only one to have pondered the terrible irony of the latest temple stampede in which so many people were killed while performing an act of devotion. I'm also sure I'm not the only one a little fed up with all the hand-wringing and pontificating that goes on afterwards.
The state authorities announced on Wednesday evening that the death toll had now reached 224. The day after Tuesday's crush, authorities announced that devotees were still coming to the temple to worship to pray - not as many as on the previous deadly day - but still still plenty enough.
The latest incident makes a total of more than 360, who have died in such incidents this year alone.
The reasons for this week's crush in Jodhpur still appear somewhat confused; there may have been a bomb scare, there may have been a smaller group of devotees who tried to push their way past the rest of the crowd and people may have slipped on spilled coconut milk that made treacherous the stone pathway leading to the temple. All may have played a part in creating the deadly conditions as more than 25,000 people gathered on the first day of the Hindu festival of Navratri.
There are countless such festivals held throughout the year in India. They are part of the very fabric of life here and no-one for a moment thinks that such incidents as this week's are going to deter people from attending them. Is it too much to ask, however, that ahead of such events, religious leaders, temple officials and the local police get together and organise things so that when people come with heads bowed in acts of worship they can at least a fair chance of getting out alive?
(Photo: AFP/Getty Images)
Perhaps there is something we can learn from foreigners. Giving more space to another individual when sharing a common activity. Certain aspects of Indian culture are a drag on our quest to modernization. Even Television news channels in India often cater to the religious conservatives and beam superstitious programmes such as Astrology during prime time. This sends millions of hapless devotees into a frenzy and they can't comprehend the simple fact arriving in a crowded temple complex where there is not enough room for even breathing will only magnify your chances of getting killed in stampedes.
Posted by: Rahul | Friday, 17 October 2008 at 08:32 PM