I had almost given up the plan to write on this.
However, this prompted me to chin up and share my thoughts.
Just a disclaimer - If you are an overly devout follower of any religion and are ritual bound, you might not like the content of this post. Feel free to click the X on the top right of this page.
It was good to read the information on Bakri Eid and its significance, collected from various sources.
My friend is keen to point out that people should be more open minded and not add to communal tension. He specifically mentions Right Wing parties and organizations that raise a hue and cry every year during this festival.
Just to add my bit to his knowledge, from what I know of BJP and other Right Wing parties, the only animal that they truly care about is the cow and most of their efforts have been aimed at stopping cow slaughter.
Infact, a lot of the leaders from the party are hard core Non Vegetarians, the most famous example being that of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He enjoyed his share of mutton and was known to sample all sorts of non vegetarian delicacies. Even from the younger slot of party representatives, Smriti Irani is another example of a hard core non vegetarian who loves her bacon and sausages.
I have had an opportunity to get a close glimpse at several Jan Sangh members and again, let me add, a lot of them enjoy experimenting with non vegetarian variety of food.
So really, this whole thing about BJP and other such parties hampering Eid celebrations is a concoction of overactive minds in the Indian media who would like us to believe that the BJP is a party from the stone age. Well, yeah, where non vegetarianism is concerned, they are from the stone age and do enjoy their chicken !
As far as our Indian media is concerned, well, just shoo them away and watch Rakhi and Elesh rearing a bunch of kids !
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Now I start with what I truly think of animal slaughter in the name of religion.
Just saying that it is unjust and brutal would be an understatement. But for now I would settle for that.
I have never been in favour of animal sacrifice during Durga Puja. I remember reading somewhere that all animals that are slaughtered and offered to God, actual end up as humans in their next birth !
Just for the un-initiated, according to Hinduism, there are 84 lakh life forms and one needs to pass through all of them to finally be blessed with a human form.
So a lot of "learned" men feel that sacrificing animals at the altar will actually cleanse them of all their sins and help them get a human form.
Well, personally, I think such men are just trying to rid themselves of their guilt of such mindless slaughter.
Who am I to decide which animal needs to die and when?
Also, where is it written that Durga would be happy with all the sheep and chicken being butchered?
Understand that such practices were common during ancient times when superstition was rife and the most appealing and fastest method to the Lord's heart was through animal sacrifice.
However, education is supposed to make us kind hearted and wise. Isn't it?
Let's take two other festivals - Diwali and Ganesh Chaturthi.
Now, Diwali is a personal favourite. I love the lights and the sentiments attached to this one.
As a kid I have had a whale of time bursting crackers. But there came a time, when my father sat my brother and me down and explained that most crackers were being produced by kids our age, the noise created was giving lots of asthama attacks to the older generation and really, the noise and air pollution wasn't what the festival signified. Since then, all I ever do is burn a shagun ki fuljhadi and my brother doesn't even bother with that !
Not to say that we were model kids. Nope. Just that ultimately, it is we who have to decide that our source of happiness and fun shouldn't make someone's heart burn.
About Ganesh Chaturthi - the point really was to bring people together and help unite the region. I don't think Lokmanya Tilak wanted us to wrestle and compete about kis Mandal ki Murti sabse Badi and Mehengi hogi.
I think all of us know about the prostitutes of Kolkata. Why not, during every Durga Puja, help rehabilitate their kids and ensure a better living environment for their families?
During Ganesh Chaurthi, why not get baby sized idols and immerse them in our bath tubs and help the fauna stay alive for a few more months?
Similarly, during Bakri Eid, which stands for sacrificing one's dearest possession to show our love for the Lord, why not give up an addiction which we can't live without ? Why sacrifice a sheep, which anyway isn't dear to us? And about distributing and sharing food with the needy, really, there are a LOT of people who would like to have the home-made Kheer and Malpua :)
Well, methinks this is the ideal way of celebrating a festival.
Tomorrow might not be like previous years.
I shall miss my sister Anshu. She is back to her hometown after staying with us while studying.
Both of us love this fest of water and colours and always had a blast during celebrations.
The day always started with lots of excitement and anticipation.
Mukund and Anshu would often team up and make sure I would be the first one to be thrown off balance with truckloads of water and all the colours.
Fir aati Mummy, Papa aur Chotu ki baari. Baari baari sab ko gulal lagaya jaata.
With my mom, it's very formal...just "shagun" ke liye, since she hates colours.
But with Papa, it's the exact opposite ! He loves to play Holi and has always been a favourite amongst relatives for his cheerful celebration of the festivities...
Even as kids, when Mukund and I weren't allowed to venture out on Holi, lest we be thrown in water drums and spoil our skins with oil colours, we satiated our desires by using the pichkaari aur balloons on Papa.
As we grew, I always invited my closest friends for a Holi celebration to my house.
It was an annual function which we all looked forward to !
Lots of water, music, Colours followed by a sumptuous meal and lots of sweets prepared by my mom.
So much was our fascination and love for the festival that after the day was well spent and all were supposedly clean and bathed - we prided on the pink and red hues that covered our skin and hair.
Jiska rang pheeka pada, usne Holi kheli hi nahi !
Holi also reminds me of a very close friend, one I have known and grown with since the age of three and the one who today refuses to see me.
Lack of time is her reasoning.
Lack of inclination is my retort.
It's strange, how in this age of hi-fi technology, cell phones, instant messengers, networking sites and VoiP, people can't "manage" to keep in touch.
I say, it's not technology that makes the twain meet. It's the bond, the love.
Anyway, I hope if there are people you have kept waiting - the time to end the wait is now !
Go out, celebrate, play, chill out with your near and dear ones.
!!! Happy Holi !!!
