All homes were embellished with scores of lamps. Every corner, every street was illuminated. From somewhere atop a hill, the entire city seemed to have donned a garb of glitter and light. The air resounded with the sound of crackers and fireworks. Within the homes, people engaged in elaborate rituals to pray to the Goddess of Wealth for prosperity. Fancy, many of them were consciously burning it up in flames outdoors. Perhaps people take symbolism literally and too seriously.
A festival to celebrate righteousness and goodness ends up being limited to a couple of days of splendor and gala. The prayers and rituals are just for the sake of following custom and tradition. How many do really understand the message or the lessons this occasion is trying to convey?
Again, in a few days, everyone will be back to one's doings with no change in conscience whatsoever. The fireworks, that gave immense pleasure to some eyes and ears; pleasure that I fail to understand, will only make the air around less fit for inhaling for weeks to come. Oh, and boycott Chinese goods they say. What a brilliant idea to disrupt the Chinese economy by bringing a 40% dip in cracker sales for one day! Kudos to our rationale!
A festival to celebrate righteousness and goodness ends up being limited to a couple of days of splendor and gala. The prayers and rituals are just for the sake of following custom and tradition. How many do really understand the message or the lessons this occasion is trying to convey?
Again, in a few days, everyone will be back to one's doings with no change in conscience whatsoever. The fireworks, that gave immense pleasure to some eyes and ears; pleasure that I fail to understand, will only make the air around less fit for inhaling for weeks to come. Oh, and boycott Chinese goods they say. What a brilliant idea to disrupt the Chinese economy by bringing a 40% dip in cracker sales for one day! Kudos to our rationale!
Is this festivity? Or a colourful farce? All the sparkle and shimmer is absolutely fine and in fact must for celebration but it's wasteful and meaningless if we fail to celebrate the very spirit this festival is for. Diwali, is a happy celebration, a chance, a day that helps us make a good beginning by inspiring us to ablute our souls of negativity. To lighten the dark and ignorant minds of ours. To spread light in lives of those who have been living in a darkness of deprivation, discrimination, injustice and perennial gloom.
This diwali, celebrate the good in you and burn the evil that misguided you. It's never too late to repent or make changes. Any other day is just as good but this festive and positive energy could just make it easier.
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