ON OUR FESTIVALS (2009)

No description of India is complete without a mention of the festivals of this great nation. To start with, the list is endless. I think if ever anyone claimed to be able to list all festivals celebrated in this country then he/she should be god in human form or one would have to say that he/she was lying. As an Indian, one grows with these occasions and learns to live in them. In fact, we are taught to see these festivals as the hallmark of the national/regional character.

Each festival marks an event in the life of god and there are numerous such events from the mythology. Moreover, the 33000 gods we have makes it difficult for us to embrace atheism. There is such a variety that invariably one tends to identify oneself with some god (deity). So one gets married to the related festivals, customs and traditions very early in life. In due course of time one realizes how very difficult it is to disassociate oneself from this disease of celebrating festivals. It is almost mandatory that every Bengali do the durga puja during dussehra, just as it is mandatory for ganpati puja to be done in every maharashtrian’s home. Sometimes I find it odd to understand how a particular day even if considered the birthday of a god is to be celebrated. I mean is it the feeling of ‘oh so nice today ganpati was born’. Would god want us to celebrate his birthday or to dwell on the lessons we need to learn. The worst is to see roads being blocked, music being played at a deafening volume and people dancing rowdily oblivious to the inconvenience they cause to passersby. I recall the day when it took me about 25 min to pass through a market place not even 500 metre long during one such celebration of Baba sahib Bhimrao Ambedkar’s birthday, that too when I was on a bike. As I was crossing through the area I wondered to myself how an Ambulance or an emergency vehicle would move through the area. I couldn’t help but thinking that the patient would never be able to reach hospital in time on such days. In any case, the volume of the amplifier systems used on such occasions, would, on an average be at least 10 times that of the ambulance siren. I don't wish to be called unsocial or insensitive on religious issues but I wish someone took the responsibility for the unintended (actually, I guess most people choose to ignore the repercussions of such extravagance) inconvenience caused to those who embrace a simpler lifestyle.

Now there are two facets of festivals that I wish, are given the attention they deserve. One is that most of us don’t seem to be following the good actions we need to learn as the symbol of a festival and second is with respect to the way festivals are celebrated. I wish we could think of more peaceful means of celebrating festivals ones where the starving angler is able to go fishing as he would do on other days and then get back into the market to sell it to earn the daily bread for his family. Likewise an emergency patient travelling in an ambulance should be able to receive timely treatment. Wishful thinking, is it? I shudder to think of how people with migraine survive the diwali season.

Finally, I also feel that one has to lump it when it comes to living through festivals in India. Firstly, it seems as if even celebration is forced on us. Secondly, and more importantly, we can’t even think of not accepting the way these are celebrated. Just try raising your eyebrow to the youngster throwing color on you on Holi and you would understand what I am trying to imply here. “Bura na mano Holi hai”!
‘It happens only in India’! Isn’t this what the famous song said?