Pawan Khera and Manish Khanduri
“It was brilliant” says Yatri Anshul Trivedi. “Brilliant crowds, brilliant atmosphere, brilliant management, brilliant political imagery.” He was speaking of the sixty second day of the #BharatJodoYatra and the first full day in Maharastra.
Indeed the crowds were remarkable, matching up to anything we’ve seen. The enthusiasm, and the passion was out there for all to see – in a blue of colour, sloganeering, street artist performances and at one stage even the addition of horses to the proceedings.
And as for the political imagery that Trivedi was referring to, he meant the “Outstanding use of symbols such as the images of Shivaji in displays.”
The early morning walk was short – even minuscule by current Yatris standards – at 3 kilometres; since the yatris had covered most of the targeted distance the night before. However on the evening the Yatris walked approximately 9 kilometres from Khatgaon Phata to Bhopala. And it was a diverse crowd. “We saw not just political cadres, but women with children, senior citizens with their grandchildren,” says Yatri, Keshav Yadav.
In the evening there were a number of groups that walked with Congress leaders including authors Niranjan Takle, Darshan Mondekar and representatives of Fair Price Shops Association.
Today we deeply regret to report the death of someone associated with the yatra. Krishna Kumar Pandey, General Secretary of Seva Dal was walking along with the Yatris when he suddenly collapsed. The Yatris, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee and other Congress leaders paid their last respects at the Yatra halt site in Atkali village.
Krishna Kumar Pandey, General Secretary of Seva Dal was walking along with the Yatris when he suddenly collapsed and was later declared dead. We offer our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones
Currently in the state of Maharastra, the Bharat Jodo Yatra is a five month, 3500 kilometre long Padyatra from Kanyakumari in the South of India to Kashmir up in the North. It is part of the party’s national mass outreach program aimed at highlighting social polarisation, economic inequalities and political centralisation.
Ground research: Aparna Ashwarya (INC Communications Department research team)
End of Day Travel Facts
1. Nanded district has been a major place for Sikh pilgrimage. The tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh made Nanded his permanent abode and passed the Guruship to Guru Granth Sahib before his death in 1708 in Nanded.
2. The district is also known for various Sufi Shrines, Kandhar Fort, and the beautiful waterfall of Sahastrakund.
3. Nanded is the birthplace of three renowned Maratha Poets- Vishnupant Shesa, Ragunath Shesa and Vaman Pandit.
4. The 700-year-old treatise Leela Charita, written by Mhaimbhatta mentions the district of Nanded and its irrigation practices.
5. The district is slowly emerging as an industrial centre, namely cotton spinning and weaving mills.
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