My Life! My World!

The festival of lights!

// October 1st, 2009 // Musings

What does the festival Diwali mean to us?  Ask a kid, he would be excited about the sweets and the crackers… Ask a government employee, he would be excited about the bonus he’d get… Ask an employee in a private firm, he would be excited about the holiday… Ask your parents, they would be thrilled about meeting your kins… The jewellery shops and textile shops flood you with offers… The TV channels flood you with special shows….. From electronic showrooms and furniture shops to Tata Sky, everyone has an eye on your wallet…

Amidst all the moolah, the real significance of the festival is lost!  Rama’s homecoming or Narakasura’s demise is hardly recollected on the day of the festival.  I firmly believe the festivals have a meaning – a way of understanding our history and roots, hence our identity.  But we dont give importance to our history and culture, and ignore the great epics and the wonderful stories that our ancestors wrote to communicate the art of living.  We are rather keen on discussing Dan Brown (Oh, nothing wrong, really! Just that there are local stories, that can evince same interest, are right in front of us that we fail to take notice!).  How nice would it be to have the parents tell their children a bit of Ramayana on the day of the festival… And how nice would it be for the country to celebrate our great epics and remind its citizens of the great works of art our ancestors have passed! I dont find any meaning sitting in front of KTV watching a Vijay movie – not my idea of Diwali!

And coming to the most important part that I wanted to talk about, what’s with these crackers, anyway?  What’s the noise all about?  The world is screwed up as it is! Imagine the damage that we do to our environment on an auspicious day!  The whole country merrily indulging in fireworks, what a gift to mother nature!!!  I mean, what makes us think we can do whatever we want with our earth?  We are just tiny specks playing a temporary role inside a majestic system… And what right do we have to mess around with something that in no day and no way belongs to us?

You can say, “Look at the brighter aspects – Cash flow is good for our economy, consumer spending becomes higher, more employment opportunities are created…” and so on…. the same argument my dad puts forward for the lavish marriages that have become the order of the day…  I’d say the same applies for hooch or cigars!

I think crackers is a stupid way of celebrating, or rather, atrocious!  Lighting of diyas is sweet, though! thats more like a diwali I am fond of!