Rituals cost us dearly?

By Chinnaa

Greetings from Chinnaa!

Come the summer month of May, there are plenty of celebrations in India. As for celebrations there is no difference between rural and urban Indians; caste wise celebrations are certain to be observed with minor variation between different castes.

Whether for majority Hindus, or minority Muslims and Christians, the celebrations are many and more in this land of mysteries. Poor or rich, literate or non-literate, educated or not so educated, employed or unemployed, domestic celebrations are given highest priority in India. Celebrations are a must, but the rituals and the quantum of money and time spent is only different.

Different types of celebrations are there between umpteen numbers of castes and their unique rituals. For the understanding of my non-Indian friends, there are four varnas or castes, the top most or the purest in the hierarchy is Brahmins, the priestly class (born of the forehead), the second in the ladder is Shatriyas, the ruling or warrior caste (born of chest), the third is Vaishyas, the trading community ( born of thighs) and the fourth is Sudras, the menial or serving class to the above three castes (born of foot). Below these four varnas are the dalits(born out of the system)

Under each of the above four categories there are thousands and thousands of sub castes. Hold on to your breadth, even the Brahma the God of creation does not know the number of sub castes falling under each category. Each sub caste has its own ritual in birth, puberty, marriage, pregnancy, and death. In addition to that, there is house-warming ceremony, sixtieth marriage anniversary and so on and so forth.

Nobody claims that celebrations per se are unwelcome, unnecessary and unwanted. When these celebrations are converted into rituals that demand a big money, lot of time and energy and a heavy burden on the exchequer, one will have to dump it as a non-developmental expenditure.

The habit of pompous spending starts in the home as ‘charity begins at home’. Conducting a family or domestic ceremony is a prestigious issue in India. It speaks of the prestigious tradition of the family of the sub caste of the caste of the State.

‘Celebrate or perish’ is the slogan. If you don’t have money, borrow heavily and become a debtor for life time. It is better to be ‘a debtor with rituals than a miser without rituals’.

Even the so called atheist and rationalist Indian is no exception to ritualized celebrations. Their common excuse is that they are celebrating these functions because their other members of the family demand such things.

Stating with the prime minister and down to the ordinary citizen of India, this infectious disease is unavoidable and inevitable.

‘Spend more than what you earn’, is the coveted slogan in this country. With only one exception, that is, the country is repaying the loan with interest to World Bank with the people’s money, whereas the citizen is repaying his loan with interest to another citizen. Long live India(ns) with a ‘borrowing attitude’. With warm regards, Chinnaa.