Walking the wari

People from all generations, all castes, all ages walk the wari. Everybody here is addressed as ‘mauli’, a term used fondly for Sant Dnyaneshwar. The men are dressed in numerous shades of white, the women in all colours but white. 

The wari leaves Pune around 3 a.m. to the rhythm of ‘Dnyanoba Mauli Tukaram’ along with traditional abhang, ovi and gavlan sung by the warkaris. And to the sounds of taal and mrudang reverberating in the air. 

Four years ago, across the 20 kilometres I walked from Pune to Dive Ghat, I chatted with many warkaris, young and old – we shared laughs and concerns about the impending drought (in 2014, in many parts of the state). “Now only if god takes mercy on us will it rain,” said a woman from Pangaon village in Kalamb taluka of Osmanabad district.

Those four hours were filled with smiles, songs, camaraderie. But numerous old men and women in tattered chappals were also walking the wari because it feeds them for two weeks and takes care of them – as the dindis pass through villages and towns,  devotees arrange for food, fruits, tea and biscuits for the warkaris.