Spring has arrived and with it the pilgrimage season. I have recently returned from a trip to the Kurdish region of Iraq (KRI). I was there to interview female Peshmerga for my history of Women Warriors. Given that most wars are largely fought by men, the book looks for answers to one question – what causes some women to take up arms?
While the media may be wrapped up in immediate concerns of contagion, we can only assume that the millions flocking to the Kumbh Mela are taking the long view.
As crowds continue to gather in their millions in Praygaj for the biggest Kumbh Mela of all time, I'm still sitting in London thinking of Nehru. He was a prolific writer and many of his letters are passionate expressions of love for India, and in particular the Ganga, or Ganges. to his daughter Indira he … Continue reading A River of Pilgrims
Polish photographer Michal Iwanowski recently walked from his home in the UK to his family home of Mokrzeszow in Poland: a journey of over 1000 miles. His journey was prompted by graffiti saying 'Go home Polish' scrawled on a wall in Cardiff. Is this a pilgrimage? There is certainly a tradition of ritually returning to … Continue reading Does pilgrimage have to be religious?
WhyPilgrim 