Religious Festivals for Brotherhood, Joy and Peace

TRANSCEND MEMBERS, BRICS, 28 Mar 2016

Dr Ravi P Bhatia – TRANSCEND Media Service

On 24 March, we celebrate the festival of Holi in North India.

India is a country of innumerable diversities– religious, cultural, linguistic and economic to name a few. We have the principal religions of the world — Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism flourishing In India. We also have some smaller faiths with relatively fewer followers — Baha’i, Judaism, Brahmo Samaj, Arya Samaj, Dev Samaj and others. Then there are several sects of most principal religions — Christianity, Islam and Hinduism each with their distinctive beliefs and cultural manifestations.

All this diversity — cultural and religious is represented by differing festivals and belief systems.  The founders or representatives of the various religious faiths are celebrated with gusto and devotion. Public holidays are declared on these occasions — Christmas on 25 December, Buddha Purnima celebrating Lord Buddha’s anniversary, Mahavir Jayanti for the Jain faithfuls and similar festivals and holidays for the other faiths.

Hinduism which is followed by about 80 percent of Indians has several festivals and holidays to celebrate its many Gods and Goddesses. Lord Ram an embodiment of truth and devotion is remembered especially on a day known as Ram Navmi and the story is narrated in the epic Ramayana all over the country and even in Bali in Indonesia. Lord Krishna, around whom several enchanting stories have been written, is celebrated on Krishna Janamashtmi.

Krishna is known in his many incarnations — his naughty antics when he was a child, his romantic interludes when he was a young man while playing beautiful and soulful melodies on his flute. These are all part of the rich and varied saga of his life that makes him perhaps the most beloved God in India. Of course he is also known for his philosophical advice which he gave on the battlefield Kurukshetra to Arjun the principal character of the vibrant Bhagwad Gita or just Gita (for short). Written originally in Sanskrit Gita is a well-known epic that talks of the meaning of life and ponders over questions of attachment and duty of right-minded human beings. The epic has been translated from Sanskrit into several languages and has enriched many philosophers of the world including the German philologist Max Mueller. Swami Vivekanand, Gandhi and several other eminent persons have been inspired by Bhagwad Gita which is an endless source of learning and contentment for so many of us.

Another joyous festival is Holi which this year falls on 24 March. This festival always occurs on full moon day and the date varies somewhat because the date of the full moon also changes from year to year.

People celebrate Holi by sprinkling coloured powder called gulal and coloured water on each other. Songs, dances and merrymaking mark this day. Farmers are happy after harvesting the winter wheat crop. This festival also marks the end of the cold season in north India and the beginning of spring.

These and other similar festivals and anniversaries are occasions for sharing and participating together in friendship and amity. They are celebrated with songs, dances, religious discourses and coming together in a spirit of brotherhood, joy and peace.

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Dr Ravi P Bhatia – Educationist and Peace Researcher. Retired Professor, Delhi University.  ravipbhatia@gmail.com

This article originally appeared on Transcend Media Service (TMS) on 28 Mar 2016.

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