Purification is not cleaning. The distinction matters because cleaning concerns hygiene, while purification can carry a disturbing caste and religious meaning. The alleged “shuddhikaran” ceremony at Haldwani must be viewed in that context.

Anyone who has visited a venue after a political, religious or social gathering knows the scene: plastic bottles, paper, food waste and other rubbish scattered across the ground. The larger the gathering, the greater the mess.

Cleaning staff remove the waste and restore the place. Nobody calls it purification. The same workers perform an equally thankless task after heavy rain, clearing mud and garbage from roads and lanes. Their contribution is rarely noticed. Yet nobody suggests that they are purifying the........

© Free Press Journal