We Indians need an excuse to celebrate! – Time to grow out?

Indians:

Dusserra, Diwali, Ganesh Chatrurthi, Ram Navmi, Makar Sankranti, Baisakhi to name a few, besides countless regional festivals associated with local gods and legends and traditions are all meant to either rejoice the death of some demons that do not exist anymore, or acclaim mythical heroes who never existed,

or honor legendary figures who can never be certainly tagged with a date, or celebrate the annual harvest when at a time we are reaping five crops a year, or mark a geographical event which no two calendars agree on the same date 🙂
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When it is high time to grow out of all these festivals and rituals which have no significance whatsoever to our lives today, people are actually getting more and more into it.
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That they are all symbolic in nature, and hence highly relevant to even this day is such a clichéd and insincere explanation. We rape women every ten minutes and celebrate the victory of Durga over Mahishasur. We lynch people on one hand and celebrate Ram Navmi again.
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Or let’s not get so worked up – it’s just that we Indians need an excuse to celebrate! 🙂
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Otherwise, a lot of lower-caste people who move to become middle-castes due to their new found wealth are compelled to prove their status. And middle-castes who are perpetually in a me-too tug with the upper-castes. And fellow middle-castes overdo the festivals and religious ceremonies and temple visits.

Indian People

It is these people who form the bulk, the muscle and the money behind all this.
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Added to this socio-psychological compulsion, the television has become the new advertiser and peddler of religion and culture. News channels because they have to fill-in their otherwise boring schedules with low ratings. And entertainment channels in their daily slew of soaps which have exhausted all conceivable storylines.
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Whatever, business is brisk. And nothing can promote religion and ritual than business – and ultimately politics.
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But why complain when a holiday pops up every now and then, and for whatever reason 🙂
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Across race and caste, across region and religion, we Indians love to wear new clothes and jewelry, and eat lots and lots of tasty food. 🙂 So, fine, enjoy the festive season! 

-By Sarat Kasyap