Sadbhavna effect? Gujarat's Shabri Kumbh Mela to be simple affair

It seems chief minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Sadbhavna Mission’ may have finally brought some sadbhavana (harmony) somewhere - at least for now.

The Shabri Kumbh Mela scheduled in the tribal-dominated Dangs in south Gujarat in January next year is being toned down — ostensibly because of the CM’s Sadbhavna Mission.

The connections may seem far-fetched, but reliable sources are convinced. For years, the rather backward tribal district has been the hotbed of religious conflicts - with tribals converting to Christianity and the saffron brigade opposing it. In 2006, a mega event called the Shabri Kumbh Mela was held to draw the tribals back into the ‘Hindu fold’.

It was a high-profile event attracting much hype and international attention with the attendance of several religious leaders and leading to communal tension.

The second edition of the event is scheduled now between January 13 and 15, 2012. However, the Shabri Dham Samiti, the organiser for the event, has chucked plans to conduct the event in a grand fashion the way they conducted it in 2006.

“The Mela is going to be different this year and the credit goes to the Sadbhavna fast of the chief minister. People from all the religious background had participated in the event in the last week of November and appealed for communal harmony. This is the reason why Shabri Kumbh Mela will be a local affair this year,” claimed PK Solanki, district collector of Dangs.

Solanki said that in 2006, the Kumbh Mela created communal disharmony mainly due to the large number of visitors from outside Dangs. He said that this year the police as well as local administration would make sure the event passes off peacefully. The administration is expecting about 20,000 people to participate in the three-day mela, he said.

However, Kishore Gavit of Shabrimata Seva Samiti rubbished the claims. He said that toning down of the event had nothing to do with ‘Sadbhava Mission’. He said that the organising committee had decided not to hold a grand Kumbh Mela much before the chief minister’s fast.

Gavit claimed that delay in preparation was the reason for the decision against holding the event in a grand fashion. He also said that the programme was shortened due to Gram Panchayat elections.

It may be noted that the committee had started preparations for the Kumbh Mela almost year-and-half back. At that time, BJP MLA from Dangs, Vijay Patel, had announced that the committee would hold Kumbh Mela at Shabri Dham every six years.

When contacted by DNA, Patel said that CM's Sadbhavna Mission had not influenced the decision to tone down the event. He too attributed it to delay in preparation. However, he did say that communal harmony in the region was strengthened by the Sadbhavna Mission. On the other hand, locals claim that the main reason behind toning down the event is, by and large, connected with the chief minister's image make-over with the help of "Sadbhavna Mission."

Sources close to the developments said that during Modi's fast, people from different religious background had gathered after a long gap since the troubles started brewing in mainly due to conversion and other religious disputes since 1998. In fact, the idea behind organising Shabri Kumbh was based on anti-conversion of the saffron brigade.

In 2006, the Kumbh Mela had drawn international attention due to its harsh communal link. A large number of powerful religious and political leaders had thronged the remote tribal village for the event. The issue of conversion had also hit headlines as a large number of tribals were converted to Hinduism. The religious event also played a big role in BJP's win in the Dangs assembly seat in 2007.

Swami Aseemanand, now in jail in connection with terror attacks and branded as poster boy of 'Hindutva' terror, was the key organiser of the 2006 Shabri Kumbh Mela. He had received applause from the saffron brigade for the grand event, before his eventual arrest on terror charges.