Happy Diwali

As I write this, we are in the middle of celebrating the biggest festival of India – Diwali, the festival of sound.

It is a really festive season for us between September and November. In the first week of October, we celebrated Dussehra, symbolising the victory of sound over silence. Before that, in September, we had Ganesh Chaturthi, where we welcomed noise to our houses and societies for 10 days.

Seriously, what is this?

Festivals have lost their original meanings and have become a means of out-shouting one another. Collection of donations is no less than extortion. No festival is complete without loudspeakers blaring at record decibel levels, and mindless beating of drums and other assorted objects in the guise of music.

Had he known what it would lead to, I am sure Lokmanya Tilak would not have started the concept of community Ganesh pandals. Because what started off as a means to mobilise people against the British has now degenerated into an abject noisy show of political power.

I remember in the 80s when any such procession accompanied by sound or music used to pass by a religious place of any other religion, they automatically used to stop playing music from a distance till they passed it by respectfully. Nowadays, the volume actually increases!

Dussehra has lost its original relevance of the triumph of good over evil, and has become a symbol of might is right.

And there is more noise and pollution in Diwali. The louder and more polluting the firecrackers, the better; seems to be the new motto. The original concept of diyas or earthern lamps is now restricted only to photo-ops.

Happy Diwali, folks!