The season of festivals

It's that time of the year when the festivals start coming one after the other, bringing in loads of childhood memories and wisdom of adulthood. Typically festivals are associated with revelry, food and prayers. I enjoy all that and the beautiful flower arrangements that adorn temples and entrances. Yet as the years have gone by, it's the learnings of the festivals that has stood out most for me. 

Let me start with Janmashtami, the festival that marks the beginning of all major festivals of the Hindu calendar. This festival falls in the Hindu month of Shravan on the eighth day of the waning moon cycle. I am smiling as I am writing this, because this maybe confusing even for those who follow Janamashtami. The Hindu calendar is a lunar calendar and has two halves of a fortnight each - the waxing moon cycle and the waning moon cycle. The month of Shravan is the monsoon month put very liberally and it's so apt as legends have it that Lord Krishna was born on this day to be welcomed by a torrential downpour. 

Before I get into the learnings of Janamashtami, let me share the revelries around this time. As children we would begin celebrating eight days in advance by preparing unique and diverse tableaus each day. Usually we would use vegetables on day one, fruits on day two, colours on day three, our toys on day four, fabric on day five and ultimately flowers on day eight. It was a community affair. More recently my paternal grandmother used to lay out a tiny swing and on it she would get her little Krishna to sit and swing him gently while singing sweet bhajans. Her devotion was unparalleled. She was the one who regaled my childhood with the glory of Kanha, as Krishna is fondly called. 

The Benevolent One was the one to acquaint me with the learnings from Krishna's life. He called him जगत गुरु, or the Guru of the Universe. As a Guru, Krishna showed how to navigate the most complex and tumultuous situations in life with grace and dignity. He was born in a prison where his parents were apprehended by his maternal uncle, he grew up away from his biological parents, had multiple attempts at his life from infancy, had to kill his own maternal uncle and was cursed that his entire lineage would vanquish. Yet, despite all these extremities he maintained his grace, fought for righteousness, helped all those who came to him and ensured that he kept his promises. In fact it was to enable the reign of righteousness on the planet that he imparted the knowledge of Bhagwat Gita to Arjun and impressed upon him that his duty was to fight a war with his own cousins. It was this war that got him cursed by the mother of slain Kauravas, who while in the wrong all the while were nonetheless a hundred dead sons of a mother. The grief of losing a hundred sons pushed Gandhari to curse Krishna that the Yadu dynasty would perish and so it did. Krishna paid a price for his life's mission from infancy, a price that was too steep. If only we could stick by our ideals and our values to even ten percent of this, the world would be a better place...

Closely following Janamashtami is Ganesh Chaturthi, a beautiful celebration of communities and families coming together to pray and bond. To be honest this is more of a tradition in Maharashtra, Goa, Andhra Pradesh and to some extent in Karnataka and Gujarat. In rest of the country it's a low key pious festival. This fourth day of the Shukla Paksh (waxing moon phase) of the Bhadrapad month marks the birth of Lord Ganesh, the God of clearing all obstacles and the giver of all joy, intellect and spiritual powers. In 1893, the great Lokmanya Tilak or Bal Gangadhar Tilak, organised the large public celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi as an attempt to unite Indians in the fight against the British. So on Ganesh Chaturthi, Ganpati idols were installed in large pavilions and for ten days communal prayers were performed and a strong atmosphere of oneness was formed. On the tenth day, a day before full moon, the idols were immersed in water marking the disappearance of all obstacles. 

This tradition has continued and expanded in the states mentioned above to the extent that no political rally, no other procession, no celebrity and no occassion can ever see the huge disparate crowds as those that gather for bringing of Lord Ganesh into the pavilions and then taking the idol for immersion. Today the idols are made of clay once more after less environmental friendly materials ruled the roost till a few years ago. Climate change is foremost on minds of those celebrating and it's not just Hindus but people across religions who invite people home as their special friend graces homes on his annual retreat! There is no other festival that exemplifies unity even today more than Ganesh Utsav. There is no other festival that gets people to pray and thank together like these ten days. There is no other festival that humbles the soul with devotion as this. If only we could stay as united, grateful and grounded the whole year round, the world would be a better place...

Soon after we bid goodbye to Ganpati with a promise to see him next year, the time to celebrate the nine form of feminine supremacy arrives. Navratri, literally the nine nights, is the most important festival in the east and the west of the country where the Goddess is the prime deity. Nine forms of the Goddess are prayed to over a nine day period with nightly dance offerings, cultural events and food being cooked, served and eaten in large public gatherings. This time these gatherings are colossal and grand in West Bengal, Gujarat and Delhi with some grandeur being seen in cities with large Gujarati and Bengali population. Each day has a colour that goes with it and devotees attempt to adorn finery in these colours. Preparations for cultural performances in West Bengal and with Bengalis across the world start months in advance. In Gujarat and with Gujaratis it's time to buy their best ethnic wear and win in the large dandiya (a traditional dance) competitions held across the globe once again. In Mumbai I have seen large markets selling traditional wear in a range of colours and all dandiya revellers buy these anew, each year, every year! 

For a country that the world sees as not women friendly, this season is the season when we not only worship the feminine but also acknowledge that without the feminine the masculine is incomplete. That it's Shakti (the feminine, energy) that nourishes Prakriti (the masculine, nature). That while the feminine can procreate and sustain, it can also challenge evil and destroy. There is nothing that the feminine cannot attempt and succeed at. Each of the nine forms of the Goddess are prayed to provide the devotees with the nine boons to live a complete and fulfilled life. It's true that we have come a long way in our appreciation and empowerment of women, but it's equally true that a lot still needs to be done. If we could only see ten percent of the Goddess in the women around us, the society would be a better place...

The day after Navratri ends is the day of Dussehra, a day that marks Lord Ram's victory over Ravana and hence the day that celebrates a victory of the good over evil. Through Navratri, while the east and the west have their celebrations, in the north of the country there are preparations for Dussehra that are also underway. One of the biggest features of this is the enactment of the story of Ramayan at large public gatherings on open stages, called Ramleelas. Contrary to the ethos of Navratri, the Ramleela troupes have men playing the role of women. Of course this too is slowly evolving. As the troupes are not professionals most often the Ramleela rehearsals once again bring communities together, and even where professionals perform families go together to view the play through out the nine days. On the tenth day the character of Lord Ram burns an effigy of Ravana, marking the demon's defeat. This is an event where as children we would clap, jump, hoot and celebrate. Candy floss was eaten at the Ramleela ground and story of Ramayan told again and again. 

Ravana was amongst the most intellectual beings of his era. Whether it was the scriptures or music, whether it was the art of war or economics, whether it was architecture or medicine; he was a know it all. He was the foremost devotee or Lord Shankara and so accomplished that the Lord entrusted him with composing the Vedas to ragas. Sadly, his accomplishments were shadowed by his lust, arrogance and greed. It was this that led him to kidnap Goddess Sita who was married to Lord Ram. While the Lord made attempts to convince him to release the Goddess, Ravana believing that he was immortal challenged the Lord and that led not just to his downfall but that of the entire Kingdom of Lanka. If only we could all recognise our shortcomings and just ten percent of the times not give in to avarice, cravings and our ego, the world would be a better place...

The season of festival finally ends with the grandest of all festivals, Diwali or Deepavali. This is the festival of lights which marks the return of Lord Ram to Ayodhya with Goddess Sita after a fourteen years exile at the end of which Ravana was killed. It is celebrated twenty days after Dusshera and falls on the no moon night of the Hindu month of Kartik . In the south of the country the day is celebrated one day prior to mark the victory of Lord Krishna's consort Satyabhama's victory over the demon Narkasura. While both underlying reasons are different, the festival is celebrated by lighting of lamps, cooking feats, buying of new clothes and cleaning of homes. Gifts are exchanged both personally and professionally, and this is a public holiday across the nation. Offices and homes in the north also start their new financial year with prayers offered to the Goddess of wealth Laxmi. It's my absolute favourite festival and one that since childhood has involved flower garlands, rangoli (colourful patterns created on the floor outside homes and temples), lots of diyas and best of traditional Marwari food. I wait every year, even today, for Diwali to arrive. 

Diwali to me marks the day where the Lord kept his promise to his father at great personal discomfort and suffering. It marks the day when his younger brother relinquished overseeing the governance of the kingdom as the rightful ruler was back. It marks the day when all personal differences are forgotten and families come together. If only, through the year we could have ten percent of the integrity, honesty and dedication that Lord Ram and his brothers had, the world would be a better place...

These festivals are not just learnings and celebrations but they define a way of life that has been handed down generations. There are underlying deep associations with each one. In our more modern lifestyle we choose to overlook this and get consumed in our own materialistic pursuits. I do believe that a step back and a thought given will help us realise the value that we have been handed. It definitely will help us enrich our lives and in the process maybe leave a better planet for generations to come. 

On that hopeful note, this is an end to a long post and wishing everyone a happy weekend.