Monday 24 October 2011

Diwali is best occasion to Take a Noble OATH!!




Lets take an Oath this Diwali!!
"We all must Say BIG NO to wasteful money expenditure on Crackers,enormous Electric lighting & unnecessary exchange of gifts."
Diwali is a Festival which is related to Faith n noble feeling (आस्था,श्रद्धा और विश्वास से जुड़ा पर्व है ये )


Please don't destroy its beauty, its meaning.. 

दीपावली = दीपों  की  कतार.. Row of lamps were lit to welcome Lord Ram! Who had an ideology of good governance- The RamRajya..
Festivals are meant to strengthen social bond.. to enjoy & were associated with social welfare.
"Deepako ki jhilmil is more aesthetic than loads of electric bulbs glaring our eyes". 
Just calculate, how much money, do we waste ; during this festive season on Crackers?How much we add to pollution-both noise & air pollution?Also how much we add to undesirable accidents?? 
See OPD/emergency of hospitals.You can find out, single mishappening caused by being careless with firework or by drink & drive phenomenon-burns many hopes in these two-three days! 
If you don't believe-be with doctors in emergency OPD.
I'm not against fireworks.. If someone really enjoys Crackers.. Then best way is we should do it at common place..on contributory basis.. So all haves n have-nots may enjoy it.. Ensure that,no more, children with less resources in their parents' hands, feel left out.
Just think.. आकाश तो सबका है .. सब आतिशबाजी का मज़ा ले सकते  हैं - फिर यह बड़े crackers  चलाकर, रहीस दिखने की होड़ कैसी और क्यूँ ?
We all run after expensive gifts to express our emotions during diwali time.. Tell me can't we express emotions with words.. by just being there to celebrate the festival together? 
Then, we waste money on expensive adulterated sweets.. Which upset both our stomach & budget.
Can't we prepare few simple sweets at home, ourselves? Whats wrong in traditional sweets..?
Think, How many of us eat sweets, without a feeling of suspicion of getting ill next day.. How many of us don't know about the hiked level of food adulteration during festive season.. Then?whats the use in bringing home Mava etc..  फिर हम क्यों अपनों को यह ज़हर, सुंदर थाली में परोस के देते हैं ? शकरपारे में भी, रिश्तों की मिठास बनाये रखने की ताकत होती है :)
We go through prolonged Power-cuts before diwali time, every year..Our country is deficit in Power sector.. Good, if we save electricity through Power cut.. But whats the use of wasting this hard saved Power over a long period of say 2-3 months on lighting, in just 2-3 days? Why we do that ?
दीपकों की झिलमिल से जगमगाती रंगोली looks more aesthetic than loads of electric bulbs,glairing our eyes. Isn't it?



भावनाए पैसों से, चमक धमक से नहीं व्यक्त की जाती ! भावनाए दिल से, चहेरे की मुस्कान और आँखों की चमक से भी व्यक्त की जा सकती हैं और हाँ उसके लिए - We won't need money!! 



In modern world everything is instant,readymade-many bring sticker & paste on floor.. क्या रंगोली की और मांडने की जगह कभी यह plastic stickers ले  सकते  हैं? यहाँ भी, संस्कृति को सीखने में कष्ट होता है!  दिवाली फिर भी प्रिय पर्व है ! nice!  Why can't we make रंगोली और मंडाना?हम इतने भौतिकवादी क्यूँ हो गए हैं? भावनाए भी कभी बाज़ार से खरीद कर, किसी के या कहिये लक्ष्मी जी के स्वागत के लिए लायी जा सकती है?


Gifts or say(Informal Bribe to maintain relations) is biggest expenditure,most of us do during festive season.. Why?
Isn't this a kind of corruption? If we want to give gifts then why to well off people..? Why to people who hold position/chair? त्यौहार पर gift देना ही है तो किसी needy को,  किसी गरीब को देना चाहिए ना!

Last but not the least ...
झुक कर किसी बड़े से आशीर्वाद लेना हो तो, हम सब hesitate karte hai पर we enjoy sending text messages to far-far off relations.. Why?Can't we be little humble.क्या हिन्दुस्तानी सभ्यता और संस्कार इतने बुरे है ? क्या राम-राम कहने में हमें इतनी शर्म आती है? अगर हम बड़ो का चरण स्पर्श  कर लेंगे, तो क्या छोटे  हो जायेंगे ?Why- Happy Diwali...Why Hi , Hey?
भावनाओ को हिन्दुस्तानी तरह व्यक्त करके देखिये ! भावनाए प्रकट करने के लिए तोफ्हों की ज़रुरत ही नहीं पड़ेगी!
Gifts only create fuss , unless you don't know the choice of the person,you are going to gift something.You are just-going to invite a trouble.
Friends, we may add on to this list-many more useless expenditures we do during festive season..
I request all.. Lets take an oath today! We will not waste money! हम हमारा hard earned money किसी अच्छे  काम में खर्च करेंगे - आडम्बरों और दिखावे में बिलकुल नहीं !
We will save energy & money.. We will enlighten more homes around.. We may spend on medicine,food, clothing, education for poor & have-nots. हम सब मिलकर अपने आस पास के लोगो को भी खुशियाँ बांटेंगे ! 
इस दिवाली किसी गरीब की आँखें,हमारी शानो-शौकत देख नम नहीं होने दे! कोशिश करें की उनकी  आँखों में हमारी वजह से,संतोष की चमक छलक उठे !
Though we can't eradicate all discrepancies but  Atleast we can try to reduce them .बूँद बूँद से ही घट भरता है!
Come & contribute your share to create a beautiful cummunity & world around!
Join hands ! 
Spread the word!
यह ही धर्मं है, यह ही हिंदुत्व है - यह ही सदाचार और मानवता भी!!
सबकी दीवाली मंगलमय हो ! 
सबके घर 'आशा के दीपों' से रोशन हो उठें !!!




9 comments:

  1. well written almost agreed on all points but झुक के किसी बड़े से आशीर्वाद लेना muskil hai , i dont like to bow to anyone other than SHRI KRISHNA but have to touch my kaki's feet due to my mom 's insistence , as my cousins use to get आशीर्वाद from my mom.

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  2. ek ek baat sahi hai aapki. ham hinduo ne pata nahi kyon apni sanskati sabhyata ko chhota manana shuru kar diya jabki sach to ye hai ki duniya ki koi bhi sanskrati hamari sanskrati ya sabhyata ki tulna nahi kar sakti.

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  3. Dear Shuchita,

    Good one, keep on we may get there someday. Have always been in favor of a common place for fireworks display so that its limited & is also inclusive not exclusive.

    Money saved this way can used for other purposes.

    Sincerely
    Anil

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  4. Shuchi, no doubt you have written elaborately on a subject that has, from an austere and noble symbolism once upon a time, promulgated to more of a 'social status' maintenance symbol of current times. The exchange of gifts, the amount of crackers burst, the value of dress worn, the amount of gold worn are all in direct relation to one's economic stature and one's arrogant urge to display.... show off!

    Diwali of olden times was never accompanied by bursting crackers - at least there is no mention of such a system anywhere I researched. Exchange of sweets and gifts were within one's noblest of noble gestures and remained at a token level once upon a time. It rose to become a highly competitive business component affiliated to the present day Diwali celebrations over the years. As variety of sweets increased, so did the volume of gold and dress. Diwali, from what was once a very family oriented affair, has now become more of a established business process with specific monetary interests. Although people try to retain traditions, it becomes increasingly difficult because of the times we live in.

    The traditions of going to a temple, having an early morning bath called *abhyangsnan*, lighting diyas, decorating entrances with rangoli and flowers so on and so forth are all absent these days, and if there be, in its most modern trend. Therefore I for one, resign with a feeling of nostalgia of the once upon a time Diwali that rested on its values and principles than on the commercialism it projects now.

    As to your blog, it is fantastic and corroborates almost all of my emotions. Well done and written with a purpose. Hopefully some, if not all, read it and attempt to understand it.

    Happy Diwali to you and family!

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  5. Suchita, Congrats on your timely post that highlights the dichotomy in our festivities which now stands for everything that it is never meant to be. 'Deepavali' is not bursting of crackers and any festival is certainly not incomplete without exchange of gifts. However the true meaning of festivities have been lost due to crass tokenism and frenzied pampering. You have beautifully brought out the valid points in the hypocrisy of such celebrations.

    Having said that, the opposition to such noble ideas will be from souls who would not want to stop and think but prove themselves right. For eg. the appeal to stop/minimize the bursting of crackers will be opposed quoting children's joy as the reason, whereas they forget that children enjoy whatever is shown to them as enjoyable. Or it happens that the elders themselves enjoy bursting cracker and do not want to do away with their joy! It requires a culture change, which might take time but the onus is on the elders to start practicing and then educate the kids. Given the negatives involved in bursting crackers no sane individual can claim that it is for the better future of the same children. The other usually quoted reason to justify crackers is the loss of employment to the laborers employed by the cracker-making industry. That is a hypothetical question, but even then, if the industry is on the decline there will be other industries that will hire them which may turn out to be more beneficial both in terms of monetary returns and health. Moreover, the cracker-making industry is known for poor working conditions and exploitation. The sooner it stops the better for both the workers and the environment.

    With regards to the gift/presents syndrome that afflicts our people during festivals/celebrations is the worst form of blind impersonation and I completely agree with you on this. I at home have had innumerous heated discussion thanks to the gift/return-gift practice that has become a inalienable part of all our celebrations. As you say, there is no point in gifting to someone who does not require a gift. Would make more sense to keep the allocated money apart and donate it to a orphanage of help a destitute in his/her education. I even dont hesitate to call this practice a 'disease' that has to be eradicated. I also blame the crass commercialization and the who-does-better mentality for this gifting to have become a part of our lives.

    The large scale change begins at every home and from each individual and I am with you on this oath.

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  6. Continuing my previous comment, I forgot to mention that I feel that any opposition to the prevailing practice of bursting crackers during Deepavali also arises from the deep dissatisfaction from the Hindu populace over the double standards in media and elsewhere in preaching changes to be incorporated in festivities/celebrations for a better society. But the fact of the matter is, all such recommendations are directed towards the Hindus alone and adherents of other religions are left to please themselves.

    For e.g. PETA has come up with a stricture on bursting crackers during Deepavali as it may 'scare' the animals and lead to their unnatural behaviour. However, PETA issues no such advisories during Bakrid or id-ul-fitr where lakhs of sheep and cattle are butchered to fend the celebrations, let alone scare the animals. Why such double standards? Why should only Hindus be on a course-correction is the question people ask? That is the crux of the opposition I feel that needs to be addressed, but since it is not really pertinent to the topic you have taken up, another blog post some other day maybe will address it :-)

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  7. Deepwali Celebrations Environment and Seculars
    Soon we are going to see the so called secular electronic and print media will come forward and start educating about polluting the environment due to playing fire crackers and in the effort of suppressing the exuberance and happiness. We may get to see so many messages in public interest, celebrities coming and asking us not to be so enthused in Deepawali Celebrations ….. as we have to protect the environment .. fair enough…

    Now see what happens in Id-Ul-Juha or Bakr-id a Muslim festival where as a tokenism of sacrifice goats, cows, camels are brutally murdered in the name of Allah. Had you ever seen any media raising the same issue where festival of joy is symbol of big killing spree and hurting strong feelings of animal lovers?
    Just imagine a place where the slaughtering of thousand of animals took place in a single day; think of blood stains, residues of fleshes, skin of killed animals and other leftovers.
    Have you ever heard from any print or electronic media about the pollution prevention and protecting the environment? Did any media house ever gather the courage of educating the people of repercussions of celebrating this festival?

    Under Provisions of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 it is illegal even to exhibit the performance of animals in films where no killing takes place but on Bakar Id day it can be seen every where in the country. thousands of speechless animals are brutally slaughtered in name of religion.

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  8. Desperate .. no .. rather impatient to look for similar views on Id-Ul-Fitr because

    Under Provisions of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 it is illegal even to exhibit the performance of animals in films where no killing takes place but on Bakar Id day it can be seen every where in the country. thousands of speechless animals are brutally slaughtered in name of religion.

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  9. I totally second both Prashanth Vaidyaraj and Peter above and do concur with their very pertinent views that corroborates the blogger's noble intention.

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