PROCESSIONS- NEED TO BAN

The ostentatious convention of taking out religious processions should be reviewed.

Religious processions have been a part of our heritage for a long time. We have grown up by seeing these processions in our lives. Religious processions are not always community or religion specific. Followers of every religion (Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism) take out the processions with equal enthusiasm and fervor. But the relevance of these processions is an issue to be questioned.

Life in the city comes to a stand still for several hours. Every such procession costs the communities huge amount of could have been better, spent building more schools hospitals etc. Though they help us in reviving our glorious past but what needs to be understood is that our country is in the developing stage and we should modify our attitude to cope up with the changing times.

Why ???

For decades these processions have been a part of our culture and tradition but have we ever given a thought about their relevance in the current times? In olden days they were the instruments to spread teachings and to generate awareness about religion and values since there was no other way of mass-communication. But in today's contemporary world the concept of religious processions is simply outdated. With the evolution of means of mass communication like TV, DVDs and CDs, religious processions have lost their original significance. We can effectively use these means for spreading the message of religious functions, events, views and opinion of religious leaders. These mediums are more in sync with the needs of today's world and can be used to publicize the teachings of different religious faiths. We need to rethink on the significance of these functions because they are causing a lot of hardships to the public.

With the evolution of means of mass communication like TV, DVDs and CDs, religious processions have lost their original significance.

The other side :

In the present scenario these processions are the means through which people of a particular community get together and hold marches without giving a thought to their relevance. They also have a violent side to them. For instance, people of certain communities hurt themselves for money, on the name of god and there are others in which there is display of weapons like swords, lathis etc.

These processions, though done in the name of religion, but numerous times they pose a big threat to law and order situation of the state. There have been instances when religious processions have lead to communal riots, on 26 February 2003 a clash broke out between two communities at the time of religious procession and resulted in deaths and injuries to many.

Many a times they outrage people of a certain community that lead to violence. They not only generate communal disharmony but also create a lot of discomfort and chaos. They have become a major cause for the waste of money, lakhs and crores of rupees are spent in organizing these processions. They are done with a lot of fanfare but serve no fruitful cause.

Long religious processions lead to heavy traffic blockage and stagnation. Many a times they make people miss their appointments; trains, flights and some in immediate need of medical help are deprived of their lives.

Very often these processions involve use of mikes and loudspeakers, which lead to noise pollution. Small kids and school children are often made to participate in such processions, which hinders their studies. In some of these processions the number of participants is huge and uncontrollable which has resulted into accidents like stampede and deaths.

Keeping in view the various drawbacks of religious processions, Calcutta High Court has banned rallies and processions during peak traffic hours on weekdays. But a ban from a court of law or government is useless until we realize the drawbacks of these processions and look for some better solutions.

A better solution :
In bygone days these processions were a good way to propagate religious teachings but now the times have changed. We have to look for some better alternatives to do away with the shortcomings of these processions. Electronic media is one such medium, which can successfully replace these processions. It can be used to create awareness about the religion and culture of the country. Also basic knowledge of major religious faiths can be made mandatory in schools so that the youth can have basic knowledge about the religions that are practiced in the country.

What needs to be understood is that in recent times there are other ways to propagate the religious teachings. We need to rethink on the relevance of these processions as they lead to wastage of time and money and often create law and order problems. The money that is spent on these processions can be used for the welfare of people and as 'Service to man is the service to god'.

In spite of all these, if it is really necessary to take out a procession then it should be ensured that it does not hinder the life of a common man. It should be the means to propagate religious values and should not hurt religious sentiments of any other community. There should be proper arrangements of security to avoid mishaps and accidents. The processions should not be organized during peak hours. Crowded roads should be avoided during these processions. The venue for these processions should be on an isolated place away from the town so that it does not hinder the life of common man. We should search for some alternatives in lieu of these processions so that religion and public interest can go hand in hand. Small public meetings in the shrines, use of audiovisual media are some of the options. The aim of any religion is to popularize the feeling of love; any religious group should not accept brotherhood and harmony and if anything drifts us away from this path. So now we have to decide to get away with superficial things like religious processions and get in to the core of our religion and discover its true meaning.

Finally we have to realize that nothing is above our country's interest and anything, which disturbs its harmony, and brotherhood, should be stopped immediately.

There have been instances when religious processions have lead to communal riots, on 26 February 2003 a clash broke out between two communities at the time of religious procession and resulted in deaths and injuries to many.