Harping an old tune. Again!

It is a well known fact that, over a period of time, the reason is forgotten but the tradition is maintained. And as is to be expected from a mind, distinctively capable of higher thoughts, the human progressed to greater extremes. Therefore, it is no wonder that every year, as we celebrate the greatness of good over evil, symbolized by the victory of the prince of Ayodhya over the dark lord of Lanka, much evil is created.

Diwali is about pomposity more that anything. It is a time when an Indian household revels in its greatness (or a sense thereof) by immense spending on material goods triggered by an excuse to indulge. Heaven knows, I wait for the annual sales and discounts just like anyone else. I cannot dispute that in an emerging economy, such spending is good. The fact that there is so much competition helps the consumer and at the end of the day, it is a win-win situation. Just ‘so happy’ as our Western brethren will tell you.

What then of the real reason for celebration?

Like I said, this is a time for pomposity. And we choose many ways of being so. For one, we spend a lot of money on material goods, which in a round about way is good. For another, we create one of the greatest rackets possible and surpassed only by an air raid. I am speaking, of course, of crackers and fireworks. And if that is not enough, it is a prerequisite of being in high society to gamble. After all, we can all afford our respective indulgences at this time of the year. We are happy.

What then of the real reason for celebration?

Well, it is also a time to reconnect with our traditions. We shall after all perform puja and distribute sweets and wear new clothes. We shall entertain guests and visit our friends and relatives. We shall have bonuses given us by our employers. Everyone will wish well. There will be lights and eating outs and celebration. Children will be allowed to stay up late. And there will be that pleasure in comparing our own stock with that of the others and find in some way or another, a peaceful satisfaction of having done well for ourselves (in retrospection) as compared to, say our neighbour, who did not make the right moves in life and career.

What then of the real reason for celebration? The real reason!

The smiling faces. The quiet dinner at home. The great anticipation of goodies that will emerge from the kitchen as forebode by the emanating fumes, carrying the message of good things for the stomach. The laughter. The pride in the happy children. The small gifts and the great excitement they create over the chatter and laughter. And the beautiful light, not from the lamps but from the beaming faces, content. The sharing. And the great, intangible happiness that all these things provide. That is the real reason for celebration. Like the popular advertisement of Mastercard would say, priceless!

We also celebrate humanity. If we were to look closely, we find that all our festivals are built around the family. The unit of society that has the greatest responsibility for ensuring the survival of any civilization. Because in this unit, we find strength to make the human race progress. But, am I correct in saying that we celebrate humanity in Diwali? Let us see…We spend a lot on ourselves but remember to deduct and keep that one day’s salary from the maid because she did not turn up. We enjoy expensive crackers but forget the plight of asthma patients and people with various allergies from air-borne sulphur, phosphorus, magnesium and nitrous fumes. We forget the plight of old heart patients who suffer from palpitations from sudden, loud noises. We forget the plight of mothers nursing little babies who might have anything from a weak heart to one of many allergies. We forget the plight of the homeless, street people who have no windows to close out the noise and fumes. And we forget the plight of the thousand homeless and foodless who live just beside, only celebrating in our happiness and the hope and anticipation that someone might given them something.

And yes, we celebrate humanity by being human. After all, it is human to err. It is human to want more. It is human to compare. And it is human to keep running the rat race. Happy Diwali.