Should You Celebrate?
I came across a blog where the lady asked why do we have to celebrate some festival or the other?
First of all the reason why we should celebrate is not for our own sake but for the reason the day is there. We celebrate Independence day because we got that, Gandhi jayanti for the Great Persona's day, Diwali for defeat of evil, Xmas for the birth of Jesus and so on. Similarly we celebrate our own birthday and anniversaries too, even the day we met our s/o's .The celebrations have nothing to do with the festivities but we adapt according to the ways of the world. There was no loud music earlier but music like shehnai and dholaks were played. The elders were respected and bowed down to. There were hardly any fireworks but now there are and we light fireworks. Can we tell the Chinese not to light then during their festivities? Or the special playfulness at Halloween? We have celebrated Ganesha in a sarvajanik(community) way in Mumbai, where the youngsters gather funds from one and all in whichever way possible, even coercion. Now you may not like that but so also a breaking in of a new student by ragging happens all over(3 Idiots). So some use of threats are used too.
The pundits are no good but do we have a choice? Sure we do. Let us then play the music cd's and say prayers. But then we rob these guys of their lively hood. In the same way we do our work in bpo's and if the USA comes up with some way of stopping us we get bugged about it. Are we not treading on someones toes too?
If we start eliminating every thing in this universe then we will never find newer ways of over coming the problems.
It is the universe's way of eliminating the species in whichever way it wants. The universe uses us to destroy birds like the dodo also, or even the tiger. There are those who will try to save that too. They are doing their part and let us do ours.
This world is a very beautiful place to live in. Everyone has been given their designated places and jobs to do. Even the purohits and the snakes.
They sure are as important to us as we all are to the universe.
Take this case, if the rubbish is not collected by the sweepers, then there will be a stink. Even the lousy cockroach has its uses. And let us understand this-if someone spews gutter language from his mouth, then why do we expect that gutter to flow with clean and holy Ganga water? Let us drop the expectations from politicians and the people who celebrate in a garish way and just continue to do what we are here for. After living in Bangalore, I do not get to celebrate in the way we would celebrate in Mumbai any festival but then we got to adapt to the ways of that place also and not expect then to follow some other methods. Just the way Dandia is from Gujarat but the way it is celebrated in Mumbai is appalling. That is only for getting all the young girls and boys to freak around. I know this sounds bad but that's the way it is. So also a celebration of Valentine's day! Every one has some complaint or the other, but let us learn to live and let live, even if it costs us some peace of mind. We are a tolerant nation so we celebrate all functions with the same vigor as the followers too.
Of course you will also have somethings to celebrate someday when it will be required to have a bandbaja, then it may be not palatable for us to blame the world if it objects to us. So let us live in harmony and peace and let those who want to celebrate the way they want to and let us do our own job in a better way of cribbing about it.
Comments
If they call a purohit to perform any pooja, why can't they ask him the meaning and significance of what he's doing, after all wouldn't that make it more complete an experience?
or isn't there another way to worship snakes than to endanger their habitat? or is it too much to ask people to buy an unpainted Ganesha idol..
We can come up with excuses to defend anything and everything but do we have to?
Atleast the educated people can make some difference..
I'm sure you are very proud of our festivities and culture, there is nothing wrong in it...It is just my opinion
I read your blogs turn by turn in the order it should be. My view point is somewhat similar to krsnas.
See, I do not say what these pundits are doing is correct and I also do not recommend totally doing away with the festivals and the festivities (Ana_treek: doing away is almost similar to hating festivals). There can be a mid-path. You CAN LOVE the festivals and if you think all the pundits are same, please do not call them for chanting matras. You yourself can chant some simple bhajans. Isn't that enough for purification??
What I believe is that there are always 2 ways to choose from to solve any problem, one is to ignore it and the problem will cause you the least. The other way is to change the way it should be, you might be affected initially, but you WILL GET what you wanted to.
Just an opinion.