Religious tamasha and rampant insensitivity

Yesterday some people in this country were celebrating a religiously auspicious day and some were making sure that everyone else gets to know that they are celebrating. The crackers kept on bursting till well past midnight. We could not sleep and my kid kept on waking-up. If that was not enough then drums kept beating throughout the night. Considering that the next day was the first working day of the week, we had to struggle to sleep and more than that ensure that our kid has a good night sleep. But then that’s nothing compared to hundreds wanting to celebrate the day as loudly as they would like to. Individual should be sacrificed for the group, right!

Morning we were greeted by large bursts of crackers again. Complimentary wake-up call! Nice, nice…only problem was that there was not electricity supply in the morning. A little research would tell you that the neighbourhood community place that had taken most of the power using mechanisms that may be illegal in the rulebook, the power failure was anyways expected due to overload. No power, no hot water, no induction cooker. Simple morning chores became herculean tasks. But should that be botheration for anyone? After all, the individual should be sacrificed for group’s vanity, right!

Then in the morning, my usual route was jammed much more than the normal day. The vehicles were literally crawling and then the demonic public transport buses were trying to overtake from all directions. They were not even sparing the sidewalk of the road, making it worse, where even a split second lapse in concentration might result in one getting hit by a rowdy bus or a cab. At that slow snail pace physical damage is ruled-out, until and unless one is on a two-wheeler. However a bad dent on the car was definitely on and that would mean a couple of thousands to get the damage recovered later, besides the harassment.

Anyways I was wondering why the usual rascal road had turned into an even bigger devil. My puzzle was solved as I reached (better read dragged) little ahead in the maddening traffic – a rath (chariot) stood outside a religious place, blocking a good part of the road, decked in flowers. The rath was obviously being readied for a procession of the divine elements and definitely this was a continuation of the yesterday’s special day. The already narrow road had been made narrower by the rath that stood unrepentantly. No one except the ones stuck in their vehicles seemed bothered. Even the custodians of the traffic standing nearby seemed amused and were seen cracking jokes, apparently. Anyways why should anyone be bothered? After all no one really cares on such occasions what happens to few poor souls!

Well, did I celebrate this special religious day? Yes, I did but in the quite confines of my home, without bothering anyone, without bursting crackers in the dead of the night, without beating drums, without pulling a chariot on a busy Monday morning. I do not think I failed to please the divine any lesser than those insensitive people (although they would vehemently differ from me and even perhaps lynch me for my audacity). But then was I even trying to please or just saying my prayers…I think the latter is more correct description of my practice.

Then all around the city, there were posters of some leaders who were at the forefront of these celebrations in their localities (read constituencies later on as elections would come closer). In all such posters the image of the mortal leader, with hands folded, was bigger than the images of the god’s and goddess’s. The truth of all such over-the-top screaming celebrations was some clever political sponsor who was trying to create a guarantee for future amongst masses. And we most readily give-in to such pampering done at the cost of public inconvenience and comfort. But who cares, when things are coming free and then religious fervour is taken to dizzy levels.

What we forget in all this religious tamasha is that we could have treated our fellow human-being, whom the almighty created, a little better than trying to please the same God. That would have given the divine more happiness then all the ado that we mortals do. After all, what can we give back to the ‘one’ who has given everything?

But then the restraint and sensitivity that I am talking-off is most unexpected. So called leaders are equally insensitive and idiots as most people. Individual needs are always sacrificed on the altar of collective hooliganism in our society. The result, the ones who really matter, those who can make a difference, add value & productivity are made to suffer and are severely disengaged, likewise in society, as in the many organizations. Insensitivity and lack of wisdom is damn common!

So, the best thing is to shut-up and take it as it comes. It is really good to pose as an idiot sometimes! You guessed it right; I would not do anything different.