Haj 2008: A new dimension

Haj 2008: A new dimension

Many would think why am I wanting to take this year’s hajj out of the pack. And I would not blame them for such a thought. After all, by the grace of Allah, hajj has been going on for centuries. Well, what makes this year’s hajj different?
The governor of Makkah region, Prince Khalid Al Faisal set a new tone when the rolled out the slogan,” No permit, No hajj”. And it is from here that the entire hajj took a new turn. By the way, the concept that he has promoted is not new. It has been going on for a long time now. But the difference was in the spirit of his attitude. And this rubbed on to his colleagues. He led by example and was seen on the TV showing his own hajj permit. Such an example set the trend. And this is why I see this hajj as adding a new dimension, the touch of personal attention coupled with a professional management attitude.
For long we have been hearing cynical comments from different quarters. It seems that everyone else knows how to handle the Hajj except the authorities!! And since in the past we have had mishaps, the cynics got emboldened. Hajj 2008 was different because it has silenced the critics in many ways. Prince Khalid and his team went about the whole issue very meticulously and methodically. They reviewed each and every aspect of Hajj especially the stoning. And they came out with some excellent solutions to ensure that crowd controlling and management was handled with due diligence. Movement of the hajjis was streamlined to ensure that there were no bottlenecks and each hajji was comfortable and at ease. Each hajji who went for stoning was free of tension and performed his act devoid of any stress or panic. I especially single out the Governor because he has shown what determination and good planning can do. He had a plan and he did not allow any deviation from that. Perhaps this is what was lacking in the previous years? Controlling crowd movement is always a tough task. And this becomes even more when the movement has to be done within a time frame. Imagine 3.5 million (unofficially) people moving at the same time!! Indeed, there must have been some problems and this is but natural. But the Governor and his team was up to the task in ensuring that people moved to their destinations within the stipulated time. And with NO ACCIDENTS. Perhaps this is the only of its kind in the world when 3.5 million people have collected and disbursed in one day! And then to have NO mishaps...NO shortage of food and drinks… NO black marketing of essential commodities…Almost a miracle! Let’s be fair and offer heartfelt kudos to those who made this a reality. We salute you all!!
The check points were strict and sent back many who came without their permits. Sure, many also managed to slip in unnoticed. But the success, I felt , lay not in sending back those who were sans the permit but in the fact that a huge population realized that the Government was serious and hence they just did not start at all. This is where the true success lay and I feel that in the coming year, this will be felt more. One of the many reasons why people were dissuaded from even trying was the highly publicized penalty and punishment for the violators. The policy of deterrence worked. The government spent a lot of money on publicity. And this paid rich dividends.
“ There were young boy scouts and other volunteers who ensured that anyone lost was restored to his camp. I believe that there was some kind of an incentive schemes for these volunteers which resulted in them going out of the way to help the lost ones”, said Dr.Rasheed, a hajji from Dammam.
“Over 17,000 hospital beds were available for attending the sick. Best of medical facilities were rolled out for the needy. And what more would one expect when serving a huge sea of humanity”? asked Abdul Majeed, a young hajji from India.
Indeed, this hajj was different. But I am sure that the authorities would be looking at this as just the beginning…not the end. Indeed, many vociferous critics have been silenced. But the magnitude of the task at hand cannot allow complacency. With the right attitude and planning, much more awaits to be achieved. Well, a Six Sigma attitude is all that we need….rest falls in place!! I remember Robert Frost who said, “ Miles to go before I sleep…Miles to go before I sleep”