खट नट सगळी येई शुद्ध होऊनिया जाई.....

 These words which are part of a bhajan fell on my ears during this year's Pandharpur waari ... my 4th year; and a new enlightenment dawned on me... these words simply mean people of all hues, intentions and professions (खट - खाटिक or buthcher or one who can kill à¤¨à¤Ÿ - actor or one who pretends) participate in the pandharpur waari and Vitthal is so large hearted and sublime that he purifies everyone... it also signifies that the Waari is one great equaliser.

 

We were at Dr. Kachare's hospital in Lonand on the morning of the 2nd day of the Waari enjoying the hari paath by some waarkaris before commencing the second phase of our journey this year... Luckily for us my friends Dr. Hemant and Meera knew Dr. Kachare and he was gracious enough to let us stay at his hospital for a night . Anyways he closes his hospital for 2 days of the Waari and also hosts some other Warkaris there.

This year our waari consisted of an overnight stay 'cause Walhe to Lonand is 21 kms ... but the next phase lonand to Taradgaon is only 8 kms and we did not want to wait for a year for a phase of 8 kms... so it all came together very well and there we were.

However much you may plan based on past experience, each year at the waari is different from the previous one. In such situations... (for eg. this year we got stuck in heavy traffic on the way to Walhe from where we were to commence walking) when you think to yourself à¤œà¤¶à¥€ माऊलीची इच्छा ( as mauli - mother or the lord wishes ) you are at peace and there is a confidence that your journey will be safe and pleasant. Of course rationalists may contest this emotion ... but I have experienced it and trust me it works... its not fatalism as many modernists may argue ... but once you entrust the result in the hands of a positive higher power you are pushed to take the steps needed with a positivity and confidence hetherto elusive ( à¤¨à¤¿à¤·à¥à¤•à¤¾à¤® कर्म ) ....so despite many odds including huge emotional ones ( because of the sad demise of my brother in law Subhash in March ) Rupa ( his wife) and I decided to undertake the waari this year too ... we were joined by Neelam our youngest sis in law, Aai , Vanita taai ( Anand's cousin) and Nanda taai ( Neelam's cousin ) ...

Since we had missed the palkhi darshan at our starting point all we had to do was start walking . The weather was wet and cloudy. It was the day Mumbai was flooded ...but enroute we were blessed with weather pleasent enough for us to not realise when we completed the walk upto Neera (14 kms) . On the way we were blessed when we met the palkhi all of a sudden... it was an endorsement of my sense of à¤¨à¤¿à¤·à¥à¤•à¤¾à¤® कर्म ...

After taking darshan of the divine Neera snan , where the lords padukas are bathed  in the Neera, we resumed walking... the distance left was 7kms but now the afternoon sun was beating down on us and the final 7kms seemed to take ages to complete... as usual we were walking with hordes of warkaris. Many of them didn't even have regular chappals , most of the ladies were in saris , some of them carrying the Tulsi on their head and most of them carrying the load of their belongings... typically it takes about 20 to 21 days to complete the journey from Alandi to Pandharpur . The warkaris cannot carry clothes for all days... they have to carry minimum amount of clothes which means they have to wash their clothes and dry them wherever possible ... its a small practicality but it has huge implications especially for women in terms of hygiene and privacy . Contrary to popular perception not all warkaris are from poor rural backgrounds , many of them are from semi urban and urban locations . There are school teachers, traders, business persons, rich farmers, professionals who are used to a comfortable and convenient way of life ... but when in the wari they adapt beautifully to the situation and happily make do with the bare minimum of facilities... thats an important learning from this experience.

  1. Keeping your needs at a bare minimum
  2. Making do with available resources
  3. Adapting to the situation with a positive frame of mind

Walking in the wari always initiates an internal journey for me ... I tend to explore my innermost feelings , partially lift the veil over my darkest fears and the walk to the destination opens up vistas of inner thoughts , when negotiating the road i also negotiate my conflicts and find a way through them ... the journey helps me deal with grief as i hope this year it must've helped Rupa deal with hers...

 

Day 2 involves walking a distance of 4kms to witness the first ringan or salutations paid to the palkhi by the waarkaris and his horse ... enroute we are lucky to be treated to a wholesome breakfast of à¤à¥à¤£à¤•à¤¾ भाकरी ठेचा free of cost, as many people believe serving the warkaris is akin to serving the Lord himself. So one finds a plethora of options of food, medical treatment, free raincoats , tea, water all free of cost. The administration also pitches in with cleaning facilities, mobile toilets and water for cleaning...

The wari is also significant for celebrating the ordinary and establishing a very personal rapport with the divine ... of recognising the bhakt before the deity. Vitthal is arguably the only deity in India who accords more importance to the devotee than to himself... hence we say à¤ªà¥à¤‚डलिक वरदा हरि विठ्ठल...hence à¤œà¥à¤žà¤¾à¤¨à¤¦à¥‡à¤µ and à¤¤à¥à¤•à¤¾à¤°à¤¾à¤® are as revered as their à¤ªà¤¾à¤‚डुरंग... likewise each à¤µà¤¾à¤°à¤•à¤°à¥€ is à¤®à¤¾à¤‰à¤²à¥€... this nomenclature when correlated with the now hot issue of gender fluidity makes me think the concept of gender fluidity is already part of the à¤µà¤¾à¤°à¤•à¤°à¥€ sub culture where the Lord is not only likened to but called mother à¤®à¤¾à¤‰à¤²à¥€ because he cares for his devotees like a mother would for a child ... so here gender is accorded to the role played than the body structure by birth... makes me think the concept of gender fluidity is not new at all ... it may now be a part of conscious debate...But it was always part of our emotional psyche . All the waarkaris refer to vithal in the singular as in à¤…रे तुरे as opposed to the more respectful and formal à¤…हो जाहो... they talk of him as though he's one of them ...as though he's their mother, sister, brother, friend. innumerable bhajans and ovis bear testament to This very personal and informal bond with the lord. To sample a few ...

विठ्ठला तू वेडा कुंभार 

कानडा राजा पंढरीचा 

विठू माऊली तू 

ओव्या गाउ कौतुके तू ये र बा विठ्ठला

The destination gives you a sense of fulfiment , of having overcome odds, of a feeling of standing apart and yet assimilating into the river of humanity walking as one towards the ocean of divinity ...