A festival is an event celebrated by a community based on religion or tradition. There are many types of festivals in the world and most countries celebrate cultural events and traditions as well.
For making public participation easier, the list of festivals have been published and most of them are associated with National holidays. The historic Hindu festival Holi is also known as the “festival of colors”.
The message of Holi is a global in nature, signifying the victory of good over evil. It carries the message of forget and forgive and signals the arrival of spring and the end of winter. It is a spring festival celebrated as a thanksgiving for a better harvest.
This festival is popular within as well as outside India, celebrated in few parts of Europe and North America with a message of love, peace and brotherhood. It is celebrated by both Hindus as well as non-Hindus in the country.
We are missing those golden days with our dear Kashmiri Pandits, when we would celebrate all festivals altogether. Muslims in Kashmir used to celebrate Diwali and Hindus Eid.
Religious tolerance, secularism, morality and humanity have taken a long holiday in India. Every ‘aam aadmi’ wants peace, love and tranquility to be returned to the valley. No one is happy over the killings and the constant suffering. Everybody has a right to celebrate festivals and other auspicious days.
The situation has changed our days into ones filled with mournings and miseries. Nobody feels safe and secure here. Sometimes, our days, weeks and months are completely spent inside our houses.
There is a wise saying that ‘violence begets violence’. Kashmir has changed a flush point between India and Pakistan. We want justice, peace, love, development and brotherhood among all the communities living in Kashmir. Nobody is concerned and serious enough to understand our deteriorating conditions, problems and sufferings.
Enough politics have been played on the Kashmir issue. Time demands dedicated and sincere steps from all the stake holders concerned to find a best possible way through dialogue and progressive discussions over Kashmir.
Let us pray to Allah to protect us and bring back the days of love, peace and colours in Kashmir.
Syed Karar Hashmi is a social activist and political commentator from central Kashmir, Ganderbal. He can be reached here.