26 hours in queue for 5-second darshan of Raja
After spending 26 hours or 1,560 minutes in queue, I reached within touching distance of Lalbaugcha Raja, Mumbai's favourite deity. Barely had I stood for five seconds in front of the idol when I was pushed away by the volunteers along with several others. I did manage to touch the Raja's two feet but not before people around me tried their best to stop me after touching the idol's left foot.
Those attempting to click photos of the idol were dismissed too even as VIPs are allowed to enter the mandal through a short cut and get a good darshan of the Raja.
My first visit to Lalbaugcha Raja was a huge disappointment. At 12.50am on Wednesday, the crowd for mukh darshan (where one is allowed to see the idol, but not touch it) was buzzing with excitement as it does while entering a stadium for a cricket match. There was a mammoth crowd waiting in the queue which takes at least seven hours to reach the idol. I opted for the navsachi raang (where people make a wish to the lord and in which one can touch the Raja's feet) as I assumed it will move fast and reach the idol by morning.
Joining the queue was an experience in itself. The line had stretched up to the interiors of Kalachowkie, a five-minute walk from Lalbaug. As I walked toward the end of the queue, reality dawned upon me. It took me 20 minutes to reach the spot. Devotees, young and old, from the island city and far-flung suburbs, stood in the crawling line just for a glimpse of the destroyer of all evils.
It took me two hours to cover 500 metres and a tired me often leaned on others in the queue for support. There was, however, no shortage of enthusiasm among the devotees. Chants of Ganpati Bappa Morya filled the air as the night grew. Some others had a good time poking fun at people breaking the queue. Each time a person jumped queue, someone would yell, "VIP aaya, VIP aaya… jaane do."
Though there was merriment, devotees did not go overboard with their enthusiasm. After some women joined the queue on returning from the washroom, an unruly youngster fought with them.
After the crowd realised that the women were not at fault, they shouted: "Ek Mahatma Gandhi, doosra Anna Gandhi aur yeh teesra Gandhi."
At 6.30am, I reached a big hall comprising vibhags 15 to 10 where the crowd was made to sit on benches. The organisers also provided packaged water, poha, cutlet and upma to the devotees at regular intervals. Some people even managed to sleep for a while.
The ordeal began at vibhags nine and eight six hours later. People had to stand for eight hours in the hall which was one-third the size of the previous one. Poor management was evident here as there was no effort to monitor the crowd. Organisers were mere spectators as people got into verbal duels.
Devotees also got to see and join the first aarti of the day which was broadcast on flat-screen TVs installed in the hall. There was also a sense of anger as people could see VIPs taking photos of the idol at leisure and apply vermillion on their foreheads, a far cry from the treatment meted out to the ordinary devotee who spends at least 20 hours in the queue.
Things got better in vibhags seven and six - people finished the stretch in two hours. As they stood on an overhead bridge to enter the other hall, they took photos of the crowd with lit up trees in the background.
Devotees were once again served snacks in the other hall. The 20-odd rows were covered in two hours following which the organisers provided bags to the devotees to keep their footwear. It was to be later collected from the stand. A little later, I was on another bridge which was connected to the mandal. Shopkeepers tried to reach out to the devotees and sell offerings to the lord - flowers, coconuts, dhoop sticks, etc. They were placed in bags which were hung on nails attached to bamboo sticks.
At 2.50am on Thursday, I finally got to see the Lalbaughca Raja in all His splendour, albeit for a few seconds. I walked out of the mandal with memories that I don't think I will forget for a very long time.
After spending 26 hours or 1,560 minutes in queue, I reached within touching distance of Lalbaugcha Raja, Mumbai's favourite deity. Barely had I stood for five seconds in front of the idol when I was pushed away by the volunteers along with several others. I did manage to touch the Raja's two feet but not before people around me tried their best to stop me after touching the idol's left foot.
Those attempting to click photos of the idol were dismissed too even as VIPs are allowed to enter the mandal through a short cut and get a good darshan of the Raja.
My first visit to Lalbaugcha Raja was a huge disappointment. At 12.50am on Wednesday, the crowd for mukh darshan (where one is allowed to see the idol, but not touch it) was buzzing with excitement as it does while entering a stadium for a cricket match. There was a mammoth crowd waiting in the queue which takes at least seven hours to reach the idol. I opted for the navsachi raang (where people make a wish to the lord and in which one can touch the Raja's feet) as I assumed it will move fast and reach the idol by morning.
Joining the queue was an experience in itself. The line had stretched up to the interiors of Kalachowkie, a five-minute walk from Lalbaug. As I walked toward the end of the queue, reality dawned upon me. It took me 20 minutes to reach the spot. Devotees, young and old, from the island city and far-flung suburbs, stood in the crawling line just for a glimpse of the destroyer of all evils.
It took me two hours to cover 500 metres and a tired me often leaned on others in the queue for support. There was, however, no shortage of enthusiasm among the devotees. Chants of Ganpati Bappa Morya filled the air as the night grew. Some others had a good time poking fun at people breaking the queue. Each time a person jumped queue, someone would yell, "VIP aaya, VIP aaya… jaane do."
Though there was merriment, devotees did not go overboard with their enthusiasm. After some women joined the queue on returning from the washroom, an unruly youngster fought with them.
After the crowd realised that the women were not at fault, they shouted: "Ek Mahatma Gandhi, doosra Anna Gandhi aur yeh teesra Gandhi."
At 6.30am, I reached a big hall comprising vibhags 15 to 10 where the crowd was made to sit on benches. The organisers also provided packaged water, poha, cutlet and upma to the devotees at regular intervals. Some people even managed to sleep for a while.
The ordeal began at vibhags nine and eight six hours later. People had to stand for eight hours in the hall which was one-third the size of the previous one. Poor management was evident here as there was no effort to monitor the crowd. Organisers were mere spectators as people got into verbal duels.
Devotees also got to see and join the first aarti of the day which was broadcast on flat-screen TVs installed in the hall. There was also a sense of anger as people could see VIPs taking photos of the idol at leisure and apply vermillion on their foreheads, a far cry from the treatment meted out to the ordinary devotee who spends at least 20 hours in the queue.
Things got better in vibhags seven and six - people finished the stretch in two hours. As they stood on an overhead bridge to enter the other hall, they took photos of the crowd with lit up trees in the background.
Devotees were once again served snacks in the other hall. The 20-odd rows were covered in two hours following which the organisers provided bags to the devotees to keep their footwear. It was to be later collected from the stand. A little later, I was on another bridge which was connected to the mandal. Shopkeepers tried to reach out to the devotees and sell offerings to the lord - flowers, coconuts, dhoop sticks, etc. They were placed in bags which were hung on nails attached to bamboo sticks.
At 2.50am on Thursday, I finally got to see the Lalbaughca Raja in all His splendour, albeit for a few seconds. I walked out of the mandal with memories that I don't think I will forget for a very long time.
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