Monday, October 1, 2012

Pilgrims’ distress



It is rightly pointed out that old age, poor physical fitness, and lack of acclimatization are the primary causes for large number of people dying on their pilgrimage to Amaranth every year. Many devout Hindus wish to visit the holy shrines on the Himalayan terrain at least once in their lifetime. It is understood that a significant chunk of pilgrims who succumb to the adverse climate on their passage is the elderly. While we respect their religious sentiments, it is our responsibility to see that they are safe. It must be mandatory to subject the pilgrims to a multi-stage health screening before they embark on their yatra, and creation of means to shift the sick to the base camp in an emergency is quite welcome. An acclimatization training may be made mandatory to all prospective pilgrims. Pilgrims who do not measure up to these screening tests may be counseled to drop from their journey. The elderly, who cannot make it to Amaranth, may visit other renowned temples near Himalayas.


from:  Suryaprakash Rao Mothiki

Posted on: 
Jul 24, 2012 at 13:03 IST



Please click on the link below to read the originial article in The Hindu along with other comments.

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