From celebrating 9 days of Durga Puja to Diwali season, which is just around the corner, we are totally decked up and excited to celebrate these festivals; but are we really celebrating them?
Durga Puja is synonymous with Navaratri, wherein goddess Durga battles and emerges victorious over the buffalo demon to help restore Dharma. In the northern and western states, the festival is synonymous with “Rama Lila” and Dussehra, that celebrates the battle and victory of god Rama over the demon king Ravana. In southern states, the victory of different goddesses, of Rama or Saraswati is celebrated. In all cases, the common theme is the battle and victory of good over evil, based on a regionally famous epic or legends, such as the Ramayana or the Devi Mahatmya.
But, and there is a big but! Even in the modern era, the female child is aborted in India. Goddess Saraswati is considered as the goddess of knowledge, music, art, wisdom and nature, yet females are struggling to get an education in many parts of our country. An endless number of women are victims of physical abuse, rape or domestic violence.
Problems like acid attacks and honour killings are still taking place, and I am not talking about issues that are a decade old, I’m talking about the present situation in India. Praying to Goddess Durga for 9 days and harassing the women around you – doesn’t make sense, right?
Going to Ram Lila to watch Ravana Dahan but what about the real Ravana inside you? Every year, Ravana Dahan is done in order to spread the message of good over evil but, in my opinion, rather than killing our ego, jealousy, and bad thoughts, we are becoming more corrupt every day. Terrorism is at its peak. In the name of religion, riots are taking place and not just this, there are endless concerns.
Will there ever be a a day when everyone can walk freely on the road, even at 1:00 AM, when there will be no physical abuse or dowry report, when two brothers will fight only for each other, not with each other, when no money/property will come in between the relations and love, when no child will be differentiated on the basis of gender and colour?
Rather than opposing each other’s religions, we should support and respect each other and that will be the day when it will be a real victory of good over evil!