Collective Effervescence

 25th June 2022

Collective Effervescence

The four of us went on a Wari on 24th June. I am not sure whether anyone from our group had any religious reasons for undertaking such a task. Kedar and Sharad are God fearing but not ritualistic. Chetan seems to be very practical in his approach and not overtly religious. I am a borderline atheist. I believe there exists some higher power which is beyond our perception. All of us feel and experience the impact of this higher power in our daily lives. People call this power by different names depending on their faith. 

I have been intrigued about the Pandharpur wari for many years and Kedar’s experience of a wari four or five years ago spurred me to undertake such a journey. So despite my non-religious and non-ritualistic way of life, I decided to join Kedar this year when he broached the topic. During my childhood my parents, and later my wife, used to talk about warkaris with great respect. I never really comprehended what this was all about.

I was startled and incredibly happy when I began to understand. Participating in a wari is a deeply uplifting experience. Walking in a wari is a great equaliser as irrespective of your standing in society or your caste, you have no option but to walk great distances. This dissolves barriers, shatters one’s ego and makes one free of inhibitions. People interacted freely with each other as all of us were tied with the common thread of paying obeisance to the palkhis of Sant Dnyaneshwar and Sant Tukaram (Jagatguru), among others. We had the privilege of taking the darshan of Sant Tukaram’s palkhi but missed Mouli’s. One gets to experience the phenomenon of *‘Collective Effervescence’* in which people come together and simultaneously communicate the same thought and participate in the same action. There were millions of people on the roads but this sea of humanity moved as one, that too in an orderly fashion. There was no urgency to be at the top of the line. No pushing or jostling. No eve teasing. What we saw was a deep sense of attachment to a common belief. What we experienced was complete surrender to the higher power. People genuinely believe that ‘mouli will take care of them and will show them the way’. 

Volunteers of various organisations ensured that all warkaris had plenty of water, rajgira ladu, bananas, sabudana khichadi etc. No one goes hungry. The wari also provides an opportunity to small enterprises to sell their wares. Some took the opportunity of wearing costumes of Narad, Vasudeo etc. This provides them with much needed Vitamin M! 

Women were doing ‘fugdi’. This emboldened me and Kedar to do the same! The air was ripe with cries of “Jai Jai Ram Krishna Hari”, “Vithucha Gajar”.... 

One has to participate in a wari at least once in their lifetime as it gives an experience which can be cherished for a very long time. One may not be religious or even aware of the great work done by saints like Tukaram and Dnyaneshwar. One may not be praying to Lord Vithal or even have visited Pandharpur. A Wari gives you profound joy. The feeling we get when we become one with the sea of humanity teaches us a lot of things. One just becomes a better human being. I also felt the important role played by our attire. I am convinced that our costume of kurta pyjama made this experience more lively and enjoyable.

Our wari began on a promising note when a person voluntarily approached us to show the way! Mr. Vinay Arondekar is a manager at Rupee bank and does the wari every year. He had no reason to wait for us while we had tea or had breakfast en route. Maybe ‘mouli’ planted this thought of helping us. This is possible. Mr. Arondekar left us after about 10-12 km when he felt sure that we would not get lost in this melee. His words of encouragement and patience helped us a lot. He seemed deeply religious yet our (at times) cavalier approach did not deter him from helping us. This is what the wari teaches us. You have to stay on your path irrespective of how the outside world acts and behaves!

The only sore point in this was the complete unavailability of toilets. I can understand and perhaps even accept the heaps of trash but toilets are necessary. Men were seen relieving themselves along the way but women had to suffer indignities. 

Complete surrender. Belief in a higher power. Accepting cues that life gives us. Forging bonds with fellow human beings. Shattering the walls and chains of prejudice. Becoming non-judgmental of people of different backgrounds and lineages. Being respectful and kind. Knowing your place and function in society. There are so many things one can learn and imbibe.