Large no of Kanwariyas on pilgrimage points towards an unemployment problem

An estimate of 30 million kanwariya pilgrims this year may not be too far off the mark. What does this number tell us about the employment situation in the country?

During the last one month, much of north India witnessed colourfully attired kanwariyas trudging along sidewalks of large metropolises, often spilling over into busy city traffic jams. This is as spectacular a clash between tradition and modernity as one can get. The traffic jams reflected the inability of modernity to deliver as the march of tradition grew in numbers and in its swagger.

While this clash is an interesting subject to study and understand, it is not my subject of discourse here. My interest is in finding in this phenomenon a reflection of the jobs situation in India.