Happy Diwali!
It’s the
festival that is celebrated all across India – but in many different ways
For
Gujaratis, Diwali marks the end of the year and the next year is celebrated as
Bestu Varas, or New Year’s Day
No sooner did the Supreme
Court of India declare that firecrackers (and only the ‘green’ variety –
whatever those might be) could only be let off between 8 and 10pm on Diwali
than the protests began. Most of them emanated from outraged firecracker enthusiasts
who could not understand why they had to restrict their passion within a narrow
two-hour band. (Pollution? What pollution? Don’t you know it’s caused by all
those pesky cars and trucks? Not to mention the burning of agricultural waste
in neighbouring farmland.)
But there were some who
had an entirely different problem. These people were from the south of India,
where it is customary to celebrate the festival during the day. In the south
Indian tradition you mark Diwali by having an oil bath in the morning, getting
dressed in new clothes, doing a puja, and then setting off all the firecrackers
you can lay your hands on. How could these communities possibly celebrate
according to their traditions and not fall afoul of the Supreme Court ruling?
Especially considering that they celebrate Diwali the day before north India
does.
And those are not even
the main differences between a north Indian and south Indian Diwali. For
starters, it is called Deepawali (not Diwali) in south India. And it marks –
no, not the victory of Lord Ram over Ravana – the day Lord Krishna killed the
demon Narakasura after a fierce battle. It is believed that after Lord Krishna
vanquished the demon, he had an oil massage and then a hot bath. So, in
emulation of the Lord, south Indians begin the day by oiling their bodies – or
ritually anointing their heads – and then having a bath just as Krishna did.
Only after this ritual Ganga Snanam is over, and they have donned new clothes
for that day, do the festivities and fireworks commence. And yes, they take
place over the daytime. Surely, the Supreme Court could have made provision for
that?
The truth is that while
popular culture revolves around the Diwali rituals and celebrations of north
Indian communities, there are as many different ways to mark the festival all
over India as there are different communities.
In Maharashtra, for
instance, we see an interesting amalgamation of south Indian and north Indian
traditions. The day before Diwali is celebrated as Narak Chaturdashi to mark
the defeat of Narakasura by Lord Krishna (just like they do in the south). The
day starts with an oil massage but here a special ubtan (scrub), made from
sandalwood, camphor, rose, orange skin, turmeric, etc., is used before the
ritual bath (called the abhyang-snan here). On Diwali day, however, Maharashtra
falls in line with the rest of north India to worship the Goddess Lakshmi, and
then set off some – you guessed it! – firecrackers.
In Bengal and some other
parts of eastern India, however, the goddess who is worshipped on this occasion
is not Lakshmi but Kali. In fact, the festival is described as Kali Puja rather
than Diwali in these parts, and is dedicated to the fierce goddess who killed
all the demons in her path (and used their heads to fashion a garland she wears
around her neck). When the gods wanted to stop her killing spree, they sent her
husband, Lord Shiva, who lay down in her path. In her fury, Kali stepped on him
too before realising her mistake. Which is why she is pictured with her tongue
out and her foot on Shiva’s chest. It is this fierce incarnation of the Devi
who is worshipped here at midnight, not the benign Lakshmi.
In Gujarat, on the other
hand, it is the Goddess of Wealth who reigns supreme on this day. For
Gujaratis, Diwali marks the end of the year and the next year is celebrated as
Bestu Varas, or New Year’s Day. So, while Diwali is marked with a Lakshmi Puja
in the evening, in which the whole family gathers to propitiate the Goddess,
the following day is devoted to welcoming in the New Year. It is heralded by
the bursting of firecrackers at 4am (wonder what the Supreme Court will have to
say about that!) because of the Hindu belief that the new day begins as dawn.
And then begin the endless greetings of ‘Saal Mubarak’ as Gujaratis across the
world call to wish each other a Happy New Year.
In Punjab, while the
Hindu community follows the standard north Indian pattern of celebrating Diwali
with Lakshmi Puja, the Sikhs mark this date because this was when Guru
Hargobind, the sixth Guru, was released from prison by Emperor Jahangir in 1619
along with 52 other princes whose release he secured. The occasion was marked
by lighting up the Golden Temple in Amritsar, and that tradition continues to
this day. So, when you see the Golden Temple all lit up, remember it’s not
Diwali they’re celebrating, it is Bandhi Chhor Diwas (Prisoner Release Day),
yet another example of the triumph of good over evil.
But no matter which
community is doing the celebrating, fireworks seem to be mandatory on this
occasion. So, will the Supreme Court ruling make any difference to how people
mark the festival of lights – and increasingly, noise – all over India?
Well, give it a few days
and we’ll find out one way or the other. Until then, I wouldn’t hold my breath
– unless, of course, I am forced to by all the pollutants in the air.
·
seema goswami
HTBR4NOV18
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