Opinion | Beyond The Noise: Understanding The Meaning Of Hindu Festivals

Hindu festivals, with their exuberance, imperfections and diversity, deserve understanding and engagement, and, where necessary, constructive criticism, not reflexive condemnation

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It has now become a trend to bash Hindu festivals and cultural practices, without any understanding or introspection, as though that alone were enough to earn you progressive credentials among liberals in our country.

Every Diwali, every Onam, every Karwa Chauth, and every Holi becomes an occasion for unsolicited lectures from all and sundry, from Bollywood celebrities and the left-liberal academic establishment in universities such as JNU to the self-appointed liberal intelligentsia on Twitter, Facebook, Reddit and YouTube. They are all eager to tell us why the way Hindus celebrate their festivals is primitive, how these festivals supposedly reek of casteism, and in some cases, why they should not be celebrated at all.

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Interestingly, the same crowd is far more indulgent towards non-Hindu religious festivals, even when the ritual slaughter of large numbers of animals is an integral part of some of the celebrations. The silence is even more striking when one considers how vocal these same people are in criticising Karwa Chauth, yet how reluctant they are to question religious practices and doctrines that prescribe restrictive codes of conduct for women, dictate how they should dress, or insist that they remain confined to their homes rather than participate in public life. These are hardly obscure or marginal questions. They concern the everyday freedom, dignity and autonomy of women. Yet, those who are quick to lecture Hindus on the regressive elements of their religious traditions often have remarkably little to say about such practices elsewhere. Their response is not always limited to silence, either. At times, they even mock the press for reporting objectionable and........

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