Time to herald our very own Ganpati Bappa; be it Ganesh Chaturthi, Christmas, Diwali, Eid or Dussehra, in multicultural India everything is celebrated with much pomp and enthusiasm.
But times have changed and the young are taking charge…
We spoke to a cross section of people to understand the relevance of tradition and festivity in today’s time. Does all this really matter any longer ?
Shivam Chetwani: Ganesh Chaturthi is basically a Hindu festival but it connects all the people irrespective of caste and creed. Although being a Sindhi, we too worship Lord Ganesh and keep the idol for eleven days, celebrating the festivities with our family and friends. We have a lot of get together at this
Sandhya Kumari: Now-a-days, unfortunately, a festival means getting a holiday and waking up at twelve noon. We eat too much, go for a movie or shopping or else sit back home and watch television. It wasn’t like that earlier. A festival meant the whole town would gather in a place and there would be a big celebration. A festival meant getting up early, sometimes at four in the morning, preparing for the festivities and enjoying them the entire day with loads of activities happening throughout.
Daaud Khan: India is a country of diverse culture and festivals are integral part of it. But since large part of the youth stays away from their home now, somewhere we have lost that charm. Also, many extravagances have taken place in name of celebrations which is unwanted. Festivals do give us a break from monotony but instead of unnecessary spending we can donate it to the less fortunate and help them live a happy life with their families.
Ritika Kaur: Traditions and Festivals should be celebrated with more openness and tolerance which is not the current scenario. People should be more focused on enjoying the cheerful moment rather than taking offence in any tradition that is being followed. Now I think the festivals are more about playing loud music, spending huge on mandaps and bringing in special Dhool groups for idol immersion. It was quite simple and pure earlier. Hence, I believe the relevance and importance of celebrating festivals is lost now.
Ankit Yadav: Festivities need not be celebrated in an over the top and extravagant manner. They do hold deep roots in our culture and it is necessary to hold on to them as their importance is slowly decreasing. But it is also not a bad idea to get rid of redundant practices and adapt to more modern and simpler ways of celebrating them.
Aakash Makhija: Celebration is good to bring everyone together and getting a break from our busy hectic lives. But the rituals performed during the festivals are what needs to be reevaluated. I don’t think we will celebrate it the way our ancestors did with all the animal sacrificing, milk and food wastage, dumping of ashes and other stuffs in the water bodies. Festivals should be celebrated with a more sensible and practical approach.
#All views expressed in this column are those of the individual respondents and Pune365 does not necessarily subscribe to them.
Reach her at loveleen@pune365.com or tweet @KaurKaur18
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