Festive spillover

Almost all of Delhi?s newspapers on Thursday carried reports of a problem common in almost all major urban centres of the country ? traffic disruption caused by a procession.

Almost all of Delhi’s newspapers on Thursday carried reports of a problem common in almost all major urban centres of the country — traffic disruption caused by a procession. In this case, traffic in New Delhi came to a standstill because of a procession to celebrate the 340th birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh from one historical gurdwara to another. Such processions are ancient rites that pre-dated motor cars and the present urban sprawl, so it is not easy to argue for them to be curtailed. But there can be options that can minimise the collateral impact of the celebrations of one community on the rest of the people living in our already overcrowded cities.

HT Image

One solution can be the American one: allow processions on a fixed Sunday or on public holidays. This way the parade can be held and attract not only more people, but also folk from other communities who might want to participate. At present, any such participation is involuntary when they are stuck in traffic jams. The second option is for community leaders to ensure that the guidelines issued by the authorities are strictly adhered to. These are quite specific and, if observed and monitored by the organisers themselves, can certainly go a long way in minimising the chaos that is unfortunately becoming the norm these days. The third, and perhaps more difficult option is to consider whether a particular occasion requires a procession at all, and whether or not the celebratory aspects can be carried out in a controlled environment such as a large stadium or open space.

Perhaps the Sikh community, which is known for its progressive views and pragmatic approach to problems, as well as its spirit of service to society, can take the lead and come up with a formula that can be applied across the board for people of all faiths, as well as the more mundane rallies of political parties.