Tirth is as valuable as the destination

The deaths on the Char Dham yatra - 119 in 45 days - should force us to pause and consider the circumstances in which most pilgrimages take place in this country. Like other religious tours, this one in Uttarakhand, too, has been impacted by mindless human intervention and harsh climatic conditions. With the effects of unplanned and untethered construction, and climate change catching up, there is no set pattern in the manifestations of how humans are affected. There is an urgent need to acknowledge the reality of slap-bang, helter-skelter 'development' and climate change, and to stop the former and adapt to the latter's impacts. No pilgrim in India deserves to suffer the unintended penance of the journey itself now taken for granted.

Adapting better to the impacts - excessive rains, high temperatures, forest fires, landslides - requires 'building into' the pilgrimage and alleviating the load. The fact that of the 20 lakh pilgrims at Char Dham, 2.15 lakh have needed medical attention is a scary indicator that systems are down. That means better medical care, places to rest, ways of travel and accommodation. There is a special need to provide the elderly, differently-abled and children a more relaxed itinerary, with proper facilities at regular intervals and better transport, which includes better roads, traffic management and transportation facilities. Improved weather forecasts can help organisers disseminate information, allowing people to make better decisions regarding their journey, and for pilgrimage towns to manage crowds, and control them where and when required.

The infrastructure and planning of yatras must reflect and swivel to this reality. The journey - tirth - must also be made as valuable as the destination.