The dictionary defines the following words as;
Religious :
of, pertaining to, or concerned with religion,
imbued with or exhibiting religion; pious; devout; godly:
Spiritual :
of pertaining to sacred things or matters; religious; devotional; sacred.
As I type this article, my heart beat is racing, causing abnormally high palpitations. It is evident in the throbbing pain in my head that the blood pressure has also gone very high. I am on verge of tears due to frustration, anger, and sheer helplessness. It is Ganesha immersion day!
There is complete mayhem on the road with processions of Ganesha immersion from every corner of the city. The madness is lethal combination of religious (?) fervour and fanaticism which is beyond comprehension for any person with average sanity. The noise coming from the blaring loudspeakers on the road makes it impossible to have normal conversation even on tenth floor with all the windows tightly shut!
People participating in the processions mostly sponsored by political parties enjoy every bit of fleeting moments of glory coming their way, gyrating to the loud Bollywood numbers. If you live in Bombay, perhaps, you may not find anything unusual in the scene I described. Problem is, with each passing year, the competition to flaunt political clout becomes much intense around such festival celebrations. I find this trend deeply disturbing.
Being born and brought up in staunch Maharashtrian Brahmin family, I respect and value all the festivals, irrespective of community. It doesn't matter whether it is Ganesha, Eid or any other festival, our celebrations are becoming louder by the day. Forget the God, I miss the organic experience of simple, innocent celebrations without much fanfare !
It is strange that something as personal and poignant as faith/religion stands threadbare defined by contours of the way we celebrate the festivals! I have been raised in religious environment and have always been in deep awe of peace and spirituality part of it. Unfortunately, nothing seems sacred any more, not even our worship! With each passing day I struggle to find some semblance of religion/culture/ spirituality in high decibel revelry all around. ! Sigh!
Faith in Almighty/God/religion is difficult to put in words and it is a very unique and personal experience. This very faith helps us hold life with equanimity and drive our emotions to surpass worldly boundaries and govern that unseen, infinite power within us. But when this very faith is altered for the sake of carnal, political and commercial gains, does it remain as sacred?
Religion has great powers that open new vistas of learning if interpreted and understood correctly but when the very religion compels us to close doors, the ethos is lost completely.
For a change, I feel sad for my favourite Lord Ganesha. Just like me, he also appears to be searching some trace of religion/spirituality in the mindless revelry all around, in vain!
