It’s been a hectic few months, with all the major festivals occupying the calendar.
Each has its own uniqueness, its own charm. The beauty lies in how differently each one is celebrated in different parts of the country. There’s an invisible energy coursing through the land.
Yet, somewhere amidst all this festivity, something seems to be missing. What exactly is that I can’t quite put my finger on. The participation or anticipation or the sense of belonging? Or just the warmth of human connections.
And this isn’t an outsider’s observation. It’s an insider’s experience.
From Participation to Convenience
Take any festival and the pattern is much the same. So much of the preparation has been outsourced. From making the sweets to creating the rangolis, to even stringing simple flower garlands.
Of course, with changing lifestyles and work commitments, it isn’t always possible to spend hours preparing everything at home. Convenience has its place.
But surely, we can still find ways to participate, to involve the family and create moments of togetherness. That’s the least we can do to keep some of the traditions alive.
I miss those times when family kitchens would buzz with activity from daybreak. Everyone available would pitch in to make the laddoos or string garlands of yellow and orange marigolds.
The more artistic ones would help create the rangolis. Today’s designs may be more colourful and complicated, but I still miss the soul of those simple yet intricate muggus made with rice flour.
All the sweets and savouries were homemade. I can still see and smell those huge steel containers in the store. The huge, impersonal hampers reeking of commercialisation were never part of the celebrations.
The preparation itself was a celebration. Everyone had a role, however small.
From Experience to Optics
Today, everything seems to be about the optics. The hundreds and thousands of pictures and selfies have almost become a validation of our celebrations.
Buy dresses in the designated colour for each day of Navratri, pose for pictures, upload them and move on.
But ask children, adults or even the all-knowing youngsters about the stories behind the festivities, or the significance of the rituals, and you may draw a blank.
While the visible aspects of traditions seem to have been retained, we are gradually losing touch with the stories and meanings behind them.
Knowing what to wear or what to do has become more important than understanding why we do it.
From Community to Spectacle
Remember bursting crackers with neighbours? Everyone would step out with their bags of crackers and plates of sweets. It was as much about spending time together as it was about the fireworks.
It certainly wasn’t about whose crackers were bigger, brighter or louder.
Today, the walls shiver and the window panes rattle with every explosion outside. The noise continues through the night, but somehow, the excitement feels missing.
If we are moving with the times, then celebrating responsibly should also be part of the festivities. Encourage sustainable practices, keeping the spirit alive without harming the environment.
What Exactly Are We Celebrating?
I guess this is an inevitable outcome of the times we live in. Some changes are difficult to accept, and this is one of them. At least for me.
Perhaps we have become better at organising celebrations, but less involved in experiencing them.
The celebrations are getting bigger, louder and more dazzling. Yet, behind all that spectacle, there seems to be a growing sense of disconnection.
We have the decorations, the food, the photographs, the outfits and the noise.
But do we still have the conversations, the stories, the shared effort and the simple joy of being together?
Makes me wonder what am I celebrating. Or for whom.
