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FESTIVE WATCH
Twin Festivals
of India
By Abhimanyu Das Gupta
ORIGIN
Nobody sums up the essence behind the two Indian festivals of Dussera
and Diwali better than noted Afrikaner author, journalist, and the late
infl uential friend of Prince Charles, Sir Laurens Van Der Post, who says,
“In a profound sense every man has two halves to his being; he is not
one person so much as two persons trying to act in unison. I believe
that in the heart of each human being there is something which I can only describe
as a ‘child of darkness’ who is equal and complementary to the more obvious ‘child
of light’.”
India is a melting pot of cultures, religions, traditions and festivals. Each festival has
its own unique fl avour. Dussera and Diwali are two such signifi cant festivals in this
country that symbolize the ‘child of light’.
Dussera literally means the tenth day. It is a nine day rejoicement of Goddess Durga.
In Northern India, it commemorates an epic king, Lord Ram’s victory over his enemy,
a mythological epitome of evil, King Ravana. In the Eastern part of the country, it
celebrates the victory of Goddess Durga over the half devil half buffalo monster
Mahishashura, over ten days. Down South, people worship the ‘woman power’, with
rituals centred around Goddess Saraswati – the goddess of education, Goddess
Lakshmi – the goddess of wealth and Goddess Durga – the goddess of strength.
Burning effigy of Ravana
Diwali comes in quick succession as the
‘Festival of Lights’. This marks the return of
Lord Ram to his kingdom, Ayodhya after 14
years of exile in the forests. Legends say that
the kingdom was decorated with thousands
of clay lamps, (called diya), to welcome Lord
Ram and his exiled family. Today, people
not only decorate their homes with lamps
but also burst fi re crackers in a glorious son
et lumiere. People are in a mood of merriment,
forgetting and forgiving old enmities
and forging new friendships, with a variety
of sweets as the catalyst.
Dussera Celebrations across India
Dussera usually falls sometime between
September to October.
In North India, the celebrations include
a play, the Ram Lila, showing the victory
of Ram over Ravana. Huge effi gies of Ravana
are built in open areas, and as dusk
transcends, they are burnt up, showing the