Why Kanwar Yatra Turns Violent Every Year

Lokmat

Watch Why Kanwar Yatra Turns Violent Every Year - Lokmat on Dailymotion

Transcript

00:00Dear viewers, have you ever seen faith turn into fear, devotion into destruction,

00:06a religious pilgrimage that turns highways into war zones?

00:09If you live in North India during July and August, you know what exactly I'm talking about.

00:15This is the Kavad Yatra.

00:16And let's not sugarcoat it.

00:18For many, it has become a season of dread, a time when roads shut down,

00:23when groups of young men in saffron take over streets,

00:25when bhajans blast over idiom beats, and when the smallest perceived slight

00:30can trigger violence that leaves vehicles smashed, people injured, and livelihoods destroyed.

00:37Today on Honest Take With Me Tejas, we are going to unpack the Kavad Yatra.

00:41What it is, how it began, what it means, how it has evolved, and why it has turned violent.

00:47We will also ask why governments not only tolerate but often encourage this aggression

00:52and what it says about faith, law, and the social contract in India.

00:57But before we begin, do subscribe to our channel if you haven't already,

01:01and hit the bell icon to never miss an important update,

01:03because we bring you the stories that others don't.

01:07Firstly, what exactly is the Kavad Yatra?

01:09Every year during the Hindu month of Shravan,

01:12lakhs, sometime crores of devotees called Kavadiyas,

01:16walk, run, or drive to the Ganga in Harivar, Gaumuk, Gangotri, and other pilgrimage sites.

01:21They collect holy water and carry it back in a brightly decorated pitchers called Kavads,

01:27often on foot, to offer to Lord Shiva in local temples.

01:31It is seen as an act of penance, surrender, and deep devotion.

01:35In Hindu mythology, stories link this yatra to Lord Shiva consuming poison to save the world,

01:41and to legendary devotees like Parshuram, Ram, and even Ravan,

01:44who offered Ganga water to Shiva to fulfill vows.

01:48For many, it's a deeply personal journey.

01:50They fast, stay away from intoxicants, walk barefoot, and chant Shiva's name.

01:55Families take pride when their sons and daughters return with the holy water.

02:00In small towns and villages, it's an event that brings communities together.

02:04That's the ideal.

02:06Until the late 1980s, the Kavad Yatra was a quiet affair.

02:09Groups of devotees would walk along highways, chanting softly,

02:13stopping at roadside camps, and returning home after completing their offering.

02:17But over the last three decades, it has changed completely.

02:22Why?

02:23Better roads, a rising wave of religious assertion,

02:26the growth of identity politics,

02:28and the cultural mainstreaming of public displays of faith

02:31turned a humble pilgrimage into a spectacle.

02:34Crowds swelled from thousands to lakhs to crores.

02:38DJ trucks blasting EDM mixed with bhajans,

02:41brightly lit vehicles, saffron flags,

02:43and WhatsApp groups coordinating movements changed the Yatra's character.

02:48What began as a spiritual journey became a street performance.

02:52You have seen the videos.

02:53Young men dancing on highways, waving tridents,

02:56chanting slogans, blocking roads,

02:58and sometimes flexing their power by shutting shops and intimidating locals.

03:03Let's look at what has been happening on the ground recently.

03:06Muzaffarnagar, July 2025

03:08Kawardiyahs attack a man and destroy his motorcycle over a minor collision.

03:13Police stand by intervening only after the damage is done.

03:17Merets, the same month.

03:18A group attacks four men from a minority community

03:22after an accidental brush on the Delhi-Dehradun highway,

03:25vandalizing their car.

03:27Haridwar, Kawardiyahs vandalize an e-rickshaw,

03:30accusing the driver of desecrating their kaward after a minor collision.

03:34Mansoorpur, around 50 kawardiyahs attack petrol pump staff

03:38for asking them not to litter.

03:40A dhaba is ransacked because onions were served in food

03:44considered inappropriate during the Yatra.

03:47Harpur, last year.

03:48Stones thrown at a madarsa over rumors that someone spat on kawardiyahs.

03:53These are not isolated incidents.

03:55Every year, similar stories repeat.

03:58Vehicles smashed, shops attacked,

04:00ordinary people forced to watch mobs,

04:02emboldened by numbers and religious symbolism,

04:06take over public spaces.

04:07So why does this violence happen?

04:09The kawardiyahs involves large groups of young men moving together.

04:14The sense of religious duty combined with the power of numbers

04:18blurs normal boundaries.

04:20A small incident, a brush, a honk, a comment

04:23can escalate into collective aggression.

04:26Religious zeal adds fuel to the fire.

04:28Some kawardiyahs believe that any contact with their kaward by a non-devotee

04:32is an insult to Shiva, demanding instant retribution.

04:36A culture of masculinity mixed with a desire to display religious aggression

04:40makes it even more volatile.

04:43And then, there is the system's complication.

04:46Police hesitate to intervene,

04:48fearing allegations of hurting religious sentiments.

04:50Governments, aware of the religious vote bank,

04:54go out of their way to accommodate the yatra,

04:57turning a blind eye to excesses.

04:59It creates a perfect storm.

05:01Hooliganism gets wrapped in a saffron flag.

05:04Lawlessness gets justified as religious fervor.

05:07The kaward yatra is politically sensitive.

05:10No government, especially in states like Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand,

05:15wants to be seen as cracking down on Hindu religious practices.

05:19So, you get bizarre spectacles.

05:21Police officers showering petals on kawardiyahs from helicopters,

05:25free amenities,

05:26roads cleared while ordinary citizens and businesses are forced to shut down.

05:31The state's message is clear.

05:33Faith above law.

05:34Political calculation above accountability.

05:37Even the Supreme Court has criticized governments for failing to curb vandalism,

05:42demanding accountability and FIRs.

05:44But on the ground, the situation rarely changes.

05:47Police become bystanders.

05:49FIRs is filed rarely lead to arrests.

05:52Let's be clear.

05:53This episode is not an attack on faith.

05:56Faith, when personal, is powerful and transformative.

05:59But when it is weaponized to justify lawlessness,

06:02it becomes a threat to society.

06:04If your faith requires you to destroy someone's car

06:07because it brushed against your coward,

06:09is that faith or arrogance?

06:11If your devotion makes you feel entitled to block roads for hours,

06:15is that devotion or power play?

06:18Faith does not demand the destruction of law and order.

06:21Faith does not require violence.

06:23Every year when violence erupts, videos go viral.

06:26Newsrooms debate, hashtags trend,

06:28and then, as the yatra ends, the outrage fades.

06:31Victims are left to rebuild.

06:33Perpetrators vanish back into their homes,

06:36unpunished.

06:36Until next year, when it all repeats.

06:38Faith should be a personal journey, not a public menace.

06:42The state needs to enforce the law,

06:44irrespective of who breaks it.

06:46If the coward yatra is to continue,

06:49it must do so within the bounds of law and order.

06:52Violence should not be tolerated.

06:54Vandalism should not be ignored.

06:56Blocking highways should not be normalized.

06:58Devotees must remember,

07:00faith does not grant the right to terrorize others.

07:03Faith does not need to be loud, aggressive, or destructive.

07:06It can be quiet, personal, and powerful.

07:10Until then, every July and August will bring the same fear,

07:13the same violence, the same helplessness.

07:16We need to ask,

07:17what are we really worshipping when we let mobs rule the street in the name of God?

07:22Faith or fear?

07:23Spirituality or aggression?

07:24Devotion or dominance?

07:26Until we answer these questions,

07:28the coward yatra will remain a mirror.

07:31Reflecting what our society has become.

07:33Reflecting the compromises our state is willing to make in the name of faith.

07:38Reflecting the fear many citizens are forced to live with

07:41in their own cities, on their own roads.

07:44This was your Honest Take with me, Tejas.

07:46Until next time,

07:47stay sharp, stay curious,

07:49and never stop asking tough questions.

Category

Transcript

Recommended