The Asian Independent 01 - 15 Nov. 2019

4
01-11-2019 to 15-11-2019 ASIA
www.theasianindependent.co.uk
The festival season is not
over yet now. Something is
today and will continue for next
six days till the Chhath comes.
A careful analysis will tell you
how we celebrate male
supremacy during these festivities.
Just a few days before
Diwali, you have Karwachauth
and now in next one or two
days, you have Bhai dooj and
then Chhath too will give you a
glimpse of celebrations for
sons. India is a continent and
therefore will have more festivals
than anybody else. There
is cultural crisis and cultural
hegemony through festivals
too. Patriarchy too is enforced
through them. Now, lots of
researches and narratives to
justify them.
Many people dont want to
celebrate it because they feel
this is not their identity. Others
suffer in continuous confusion
as to what do you say when
some body ‘greet’ you with ‘
Happy Diwali’. Friends are
confused in it. ‘ How do I
answer their happy diwali
greetings when I am not a
Hindu, said a Buddhist friend.
There are number of them who
are now suggesting that there is
a reference to Deepdanostsav
in Buddhism while other suggest
that such festivals dont
exists in Buddhist countries.
Lots of debate should we be
celebrating Hindu festivals or
not or shouldnt we ?
Now, this crisis is not with
Muslims or Christians as they
are clear about their identity
and hence they participate in
Diwali and Holi in the similar
way, as we might participate in
Eid and Christmas. The issue is
so much in our mind that if a
politician greet people ( who is
not expected to celebrate
Diwali), we get disturbed and
blame him as ‘sold out’. I think,
we need to ponder over a few
things on these issues and save
ourselves from tensions and
isolation.
One no festival in India is
celebrated with one narrative
and if you have traveled across
the country and seen how
things are celebrated then you
will find out that most of our
festivals are actually Bahujan
Adivasi festivals and not really
brahmanical as being projected.
The brahmanical forces
hijacked them and build their
own narratives around them
otherwise a God like Shiva can
never be a brahmanical god.
Dusshera festival have different
and diverse celebrations
across the country. In Bengal it
is Kali Puja, in Gujarat it is
Durga Puja, in
the north it is
Ram leela and
among the
Adivasis and
many places, it is remembering
Mahishasura. While, the north
Indians dont eat non vegetarian
food during the Navratris,
Bengalis rejoice it. Similarly,
Dipwali is not celebrated in the
same way. In many places in
Maharashtra Diwali is people’s
wish to have ‘ Bali ka raj’.
Most of the festivals had local
cultural practices.
Celebrate or not :
WHOSE FESTIVALS
ARE THEY ?
While people may practice
same religion, it is not necessary
their festivals and cultural
practices are same. Islam and
Christianity too have these
diversities according to regions
and languages. In India,
because all the non Muslims
and Non Christians are termed
as Hindus hence we confuse
this diversity as Hindu festivals.
Most of our festivals have
relations with seasons or crops,
whether it is Diwali, Makar
Sakranti, Baishakhi, Holi,
Dusshera, Basant Panchami but
all these festivals are celebrated
in diverse ways and narratives.
There are no homogeneous narratives
in relation to this and
therefore we need to be careful
when we analyse them.
The Dhamma Chakra
Pravartan Diwas is celebrated
on October 14th but equally
important is that a huge number
of people remember it on
Dusshera day which is termed
as Ashoka Vijayadashmi day.
Festivals were used by political
leaders for reaching the bigger
masses and it is true that
Hindutva leaders reached it
first. The counter narrative that
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat
social and human rights activist
was built by Dr Baba Saheb
Ambedkar was not repeated by
politicians who swore by his
name.
Every Indian religious
places that has brahmanical
links today, has a Buddhist or
Jain past. Dig any place and
you will find it. Similarly,
every brahmanical festival
today is somewhere a Buddhist
past too. The bigger reality is
that diyas and lighting of lamp
was a common way of celebration
in the past the only thing is
the narratives. It is important
for all of us to delink ourselves
with all the brahmanical narratives
and rituals of these festivities
by completely rejecting
them and celebrate them in a
much more rational and egalitarian
way.
Even if you dont want to celebrate
it there is nothing wrong.
People like us move out of
Delhi and be with communities
we love, share our happiness
with them, enjoy moments with
your near dear ones.
Brahmanism have destroyed
the good spirit of the festivals.
Today Diwali Dusshera and
Holi impact our environment
more than anything else but
now the Banias too build up the
narratives with the help of
brahmins and you see the vulgar
display of wealth during
this period. All the campaign in
the name of swachch Bharat
a n d
clean
India
i s
brought to naught by the same
elite which happily pose with a
‘glossy’ ‘jhadu’ in their hand.
I know Delhi must have
become a gas chamber today
and our ‘messiahs’ will be
quiet. he wont speak on this
biggest non-sense that we do.
He he wont speak against how
all these festivals are choking
our lonely planet.
No festival should be
allowed to destroy our lonely
planet. We cant have celebrations
decided by the market
today.
Protection of environment as
well as health is more important.
Destruction of environment
in the name of ‘celebrations’
is ‘unique’ to brahmanical
culture of India. It is time
we wake up, reject these dangerous
practices and enjoy festivities
without bringing God
and god-men in between.
Celebrate festivals without
Gods and their rituals and I can
say, you will able to protect
nature and human race as well.
Vidya Bhushan Rawat is a
social and human rights
activist. He blogs at
www.manukhsi.blogspot.com
twitter @freetohumanity
Email: vbrawat@gmail.com