By Albert Thyrniang
On November 14 a letter ‘stressed’ the need for responsible management of large events in the city to minimise traffic chaos and messy streets. Readers saw religious motives in the content accusing the writer of attempting to spark animosity among communities. Now that an FIR has been filed against the concerned, the law will study the merits of the case and judge the intentions of the individual. Let us first look at the summary of the letter. The author expresses his deep concern at chaos and inconvenience created by the annual procession organised by the Shillong Archdiocese in the capital city on November 12. It was stated that life came to a standstill during the event halting even ambulances with patients. The writer questions the authorities for permitting the massive gathering without a comprehensive plan in place in the already congested city. Disturbed by the attendees’ blatant disregard for basic hygiene who indiscriminately littered everywhere leaving the city in a mess, he/she exhorted the organizers to enforce stringent waste management for such events. The letter alleges double standards as other cultural events are seen as causing inconvenience. A call was also made to local NGOs to take note of the event and its aftermath.
The letter does appear to have ulterior motives. It could be interpreted as an attempt to appeal to NGOs, pressure groups and other denominations to take a stand against the organisers of the massive religious Assembly. If it is true then it is disgusting. Why should there be a grudge against one faith? Every Christian denomination is allowed to hold religious functions in the city. Non-Christians too organise religious processions on the streets. The Seng Khasi is permitted to walk on the main thoroughfare. The RSS too march on the Shillong roads. Every group likes to have the biggest crowd possible. Should the size be restricted? It is debatable.
The police will look into any ‘communal’ angle. But let us ask these questions, ‘Was there traffic jam?’ ‘Was Shillong in a mess after the event?’ Leaving aside the particular procession, after every gathering, social, political or religious do we not leave eye soring garbage behind?’ Do we not have the habit of indiscriminate littering?’
As this writer was not around he solicited a tiny sample of respondents seeking their response on the observations in the letter. Some disagreed with the allegations. They say traffic was held up but it was limited only to the duration of the actual procession. Form the rest of the day traffic moved on, albeit slowly. A person even confirmed it with Google map. Volunteers did a great job and the event this year was organised much better, was the general opinion. With regards to the garbage they acknowledged that there was littering but also pointed out that other religious gatherings too did the same.
Others agreed with the writer. They stated that it was expected for the traffic to come to a grinding halt when a phenomenal crowd flocked to the city from all directions. The garbage left behind was true and the city was in fact in a mess. Strong views were expressed against holding such huge gatherings. They are more a public display of faith and a demonstration of numbers than anything else. ‘Why should an unmanageable crowd head for Shillong when everyone knows the numbers that the church has?’ someone asked. They also observed that a large chunk of the ‘devotees’ go to buy stuff in Police Bazaar and roam the city rather than participate in the function. The city does not have sufficient toilets for such a sea of people another one pointed out. A person wonders whether the Church has an environment policy and feels that the 21st century concern is not talked about in church services, in schools, in seminars and the various programs the church conducts.
The church has commendable tradition, documents and literature on the environment dating back to hundreds of years. Every pope, in one way or the other, addressed environmental issues. One of Christianity’s basic beliefs is that the Earth was created by God directly and it was gifted to humans to care for it. The Bible says so. Monastic tradition is embedded in agricultural activities and the care of the surrounding environment. Mystics are declared patrons of the environment and ecology.
On October 4, 2021 Pope Francis told religious leaders, “Future generations will never forgive us if we miss the opportunity to protect our common home.” In 2015 Francis wrote the famed encyclical Laudato si to call on all peoples to be protectors of the environment, the integral and all-embracing entity. Hailed as a landmark text the first encyclical on the environment also states that caring for creation is a virtue. It is inferred that for the declaration of future saints the ‘environmental virtue’ will also be a consideration.
The encyclical encourages dialogue. So when a view is articulated in the public domain the church does not need to be alarmed. Self-assessment and engagement with the society is a wiser option. Laudato Si itself is a sharp criticism of the abuses of the environment. Pollution is one among such exploitations. Scholars have found Laudato Si as the basis for Catholic (Christian) environmental ethics. Therefore, the church should be quick to take responsibility for the garbage and litter and declare publicly that what the faithful did on the procession day is not something virtuous and ethical.
By the look of it, documents largely remain on paper and are not implemented on the ground and in local situations. ‘The Shillong mess’ did not come from nowhere. It is a habit transported from the places of origin. It was brought from different parishes and villages. Invariably we see that after every religious function in parishes and villages the place is in a mess. The last two episcopal ordinations in Nongstoin and Jowai were no different. Plastic bottles, bottle caps, plastic bags, potato chip covers, and food wrappers are scattered all over the place. In many instances they lay right there for a long time. When they are removed they are dumped somewhere else. Depending on the material and other factors plastic can take anywhere between 20 to 500 years to decompose. Long after our bones and hair are decayed in our graves, the plastics we litter will still be around causing havoc to several generations after us. Science tells us that our carelessness affects generations. Even the typical one-time-used plastic bags take around 20 years to fully decompose. In many places plastics are burned down without knowing that chemicals remain in the soil and are harmful for living organisms.
On November 12 the Catholic Church was singled out. But traffic jams are caused by every religious, social and political gathering. Tonnes of garbage that are left behind are a common sight. We need not name the type of congregation. Last February after every single rally and meeting by political parties, venues turned into a garbage zone. Watch out for the parliamentary elections that are coming soon. And it is not as if dirt is only brought to Shillong. Shillong picnickers too leave behind beer and liquor bottles and garbage in river banks and tourist spots in villages. Civic sense and public cleanliness is not a strong point.
In August 2020 the Ministry of Urban Affairs, Government of India, through the fifth edition of Swachh Survekshan, tagged Shillong one of the dirtiest cities in India. Hence it is wrong to target only the Catholic Church’s procession in Laitumkhrah. However, the unfortunate ‘garbage episode’ should serve as an example to usher in new practices sensitive to the environment. All gatherings should be environment friendly. Unless someone points this out we may carry on the unhealthy patterns.
Is the crowd for the Archdiocese procession now unmanageable? A former archbishop did try to restrict the size of the multitude. He kind of discouraged the large participation of the faithful from the two dioceses of Nongstoin and Jowai on grounds that they have their own Eucharistic processions. But the bishops of the two dioceses were not open to the idea. Probably it is time to rethink. Should we take pride in the show of strength? Should not the focus be on prayerfulness and devotion? Can Nongstoin and Jowai only send delegates to the annual event. The rest can watch the live telecast if they wish. In such a scenario the procession could be more sacred and hazard free.