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On this eve of Diwali, my mom was lamenting about the price hike of chicken and it prompted a conversation between her and my brother and it is as follows:
My bro,"Why do we celebrate Diwali?"
My mom,"To commemorate the slaying of Nargasura (demon) by Lord Krishna."
My bro,"Why did Lord Krishna slay Nargasura?"
My mom, now a little bit annoyed,"It's because Nargasura tortured and killed lots of people."
My bro,"What do we cook and eat on Diwali morning?"
My mom,"Chicken curry and idly (Indian steamed rice cakes)"
My mom,"What do you mean son?"
My bro,"Lord Krishna slayed Nargasura because he tortured and killed many people. We celebrate Diwali remembering the sadist being killed but then we kill other lives and eat their meat on Diwali day. We are no different from Nargasura."
My mom grew silent.
This conversation above begs the question. Are we really aware of Diwali's significance and adhere by it?
The real way Diwali should be celebrated according to the Hindu scriptures is everyone must observe vegetarianism on that day, as per ahimsa (non violence tenet in Hinduism) and be quiet in piety and spend time in the sanctum sanctorum of the house.
No booze, no glutton, no fire crackers, no overspending, no partying, no non vegetarian food, no gossiping and strictly no self serving agendas.
Is the above the case now? I am afraid not.
Diwali is now an excuse for some to splurge on clothes, house deco items, fire crackers and food, some even taking debt to fulfill their Diwali celebration contained in a skewed obligation.
Drinking on Diwali day has become a near Diwali tradition when one can have the licence to drink themselves stupid.
Taking excess food on Diwali and the dumping of food simply because there is no more place in one's stomach to stomach more food is a common scene nowadays. There are a lot of hungry mouths and empty tummies who will gladly eat up the food you just dumped into the trash can.
And Diwali is perhaps the most commercialized festival ever.
Nowadays, Diwali is not Diwali unless you have at least 3 new clothes added to your already bursting at the seams wardrobe.
Before you buy that expensive silk sari to join your collection of other silk saris in your wardrobe, spare a moment of thought of those who can't even afford to have one new piece of clothing to wear on Diwali.
And then there are Diwali advertisements, some featuring half naked women and film stars wishing Happy Diwali.
Diwali is not about keeping everything, in the form of niceties only to yourself and your family.
Diwali is about counting your blessings and share the blessings you happen to have with those who are not-so-fortunate-as-you-having-a-family-who-cares-and-loves-you-for-365-days. You can't give such units of society a family for a lifetime; at least give them a family once a year and spread cheer.
Diwali doesn't come once in a lifetime; it comes once a year so go easy on your wallet.
Have a blessed and meaningful Diwali everyone.
Don't forget to share with your friends and colleagues
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