THE REAL SIGNIFICANCE OF FESTIVALS LIES IN BEING COMPASSIONATE

In West Bengal, Durga Puja is celebrated with much fanfare. A couple of years ago, as I was approaching a pompous puja pandal in Kolkata at midnight, I noticed a bare-bodied boy, hardly 10 years of age, sleeping on the hard surface of a street. Perhaps he was an orphan who went to sleep on an empty stomach. One could see so many people celebrating the festival, oblivious to his existence. That heartless scene still haunts my conscience. Durga Puja is said to be ‘Sarbojonin’ (encompassing all); but the reality is that while those who are privileged have a great time indulging in festivities, the overwhelming unprivileged lot continue their fight against starvation and poverty.

I was reminded of Tagore’s short story Kabuliwala. Though the marriage ceremony is not a religious festival, still it is an occasion of joy, and often an ostentatious show of wealth. In the story, the bride Mini’s father donated some money to the poor fruit-trader Rahmat Khan to help him return to Afghanistan to meet her daughter after several years. In the process, band-parties and lighting could not be organised for Mini’s marriage but her father’s heart glowed with joy. The story carries a lesson for all us: by cutting down on our expenditure and making small sacrifices, we can include the not so unfortunate lot in our joy. This is how festivals can return to their purest divine form and find their true significance.