THE BUSINESS OF EDUCATION - International Indian

[ DIWALI ]
The Changing
face of Diwali
“Less emphasis on rituals, but more ostentatiousness. That’s the hallmark of the
modern, affluent India. There are more lights, and electric ones.”
[ By NITA JATAR KULKARNI ]
When Mrs Sayantara
Purandare went to
perform pooja of a
cow and calf on the day of Vasu-
Baras (the first day of Diwali for
Maharashtrians) she was surprised
to see a lone cow standing under
the tree bereft of calf. As the
presence of the calf is equally
important (to venerate the mother
for sharing her milk with human
children), Sayantara was upset, but
saw that a lot of women were not
too concerned. After all the man
had a glib answer: “The cow is
pregnant,” he told them, extending
his hand shamelessly for the dakshina. This
would have been unthinkable a few decades
back…no tout would have dared to mess up
with an age-old tradition. But this is the face
of Diwali today. Rank commercialization,
and conmen able to make a fast buck because
people are less finicky about rituals.
Less emphasis on rituals, but more
ostentatiousness. That’s the hallmark of the
modern, affluent India. There are more lights,
and electric ones. And not just in homes, but
in neighborhoods and shopping complexes
as well. Fireworks have got louder and more
organised. So has the music. There are Diwali
dances, Diwali beauty queens and Diwali
shows. Diwali cards and Diwali gift packs.
Rangolis are not the pretty decorations that
one slaved at in one’s own courtyard but are
now the subject of neighborhood competitions.
Sweets and savouries are bought not made,
and the well to do often exchange expensive
gifts even if tradition dictates that it’s sweets
and savouries that need to be exchanged.
Chocolates are in fact the new fashion and
ghee laden sweets are getting the go-by. Maybe
diseases like high blood pressure, cholesterol
and diabetes are restraining factors!
Other rituals like decorating houses with
rangolis, taking the ritual oil baths and
performing aukshans are becoming optional,
particularly amongst the younger lot. As for
spring-cleaning (used to start a good 15 days
before Diwali) it has become a superficial
exercise, if done at all. All this leaves people,
particularly elders, with doubts about
whether the spirit of Diwali is intact.
What do we mean by the spirit of Diwali
anyway? Diwali signifies the victory of Good
over Evil (return of Rama from
a 14 year exile for north Indians
and defeat of Narkasura by Lord
Krishna in the south). In most
parts of India Laxmi (the Goddess
of Wealth) is worshipped. People
purchase gold and remain at
home to welcome Laxmi. It’s a big
day for those in the northern and
western parts of India and if one
has to test the sanctity of Diwali,
one needs to test it on this day.
What one sees is heart-warming.
The majority of people stay at
home to celebrate Laxmi pooja
as it is considered inauspicious to
travel during this time or even
leave the house. Fifty year old
Sarita Poha doesn’t even party that day as the
thought of locking up the house is anathema
to her. “It’s not superstition,” she insists. “It’s
religion, and I believe in it and so do my two
grown-up daughters.”
On the other days of Diwali, rituals are
not adhered to as strictly. People may not go
out and buy new utensils on Dhanteras but
they do lights lamps and there is a festive
atmosphere at home. People come and go
and there are get-togethers. “The days are
not unnoticed. I think faith is intact in spite
of the dilution of ritualistic practices,” says
Usha Vaidyanathan, a traditional Tamilian,
and she doesn’t think that this change is a
bad thing. “With the younger generation
festivals are becoming less associated with
religion and rituals and becoming more
like social events and occasions for get-
14
THE INTERNATIONAL INDIAN