Opinion National Interest PoV 50-Word Edit

ThePrint On Camera Videos In Pictures

Society & Culture Around Town Book Excerpts Vigyapanti The Dating Story

More Judiciary Education YourTurn Work With Us Campus Voice

Opinion National Interest PoV 50-Word Edit

ThePrint On Camera Videos In Pictures

Society & Culture Around Town Book Excerpts Vigyapanti The Dating Story

More Judiciary Education YourTurn Work With Us Campus Voice

What Vishnu’s Kurma avatar teaches modern India about labour

After nearly 40 years, there is an attempt to align India’s labour ecosystem with the realities of a modern, formalising economy.

Mayday, mayday, mayday—you have likely heard this dramatised phrase in aviation and nautical disaster movies, delivered with urgency and a sense of impending catastrophe. The term originated from the French m’aidez (“help me”) and is used by pilots and sailors when things go terribly wrong. Think not of “minor inconvenience” but more “we absolutely need to get out of here right now!” 

May Day is also observed on 1 May every year as International Labour Day. Originally a celebration marking the arrival of spring in Europe, the date was later designated as Labour Day by the American Federation of Labor to commemorate a general strike in the United States in favour of an eight-hour workday. The movement culminated in the Haymarket Affair on 4 May 1886. There was a violent clash between the labour protesters and police, resulting in many deaths. 

The first day of May this year was significant for Buddhists and Hindus alike. The auspicious Buddh Purnima fell on this day, commemorating the birth of Lord Gautam Buddha, who is also believed to have attained enlightenment under the Bodh Tree and achieved moksha on the same day, albeit in different years. 

This year, 1 May was auspicious for another reason: Vaishakh Purnima. It marks Kurma Jayanti, a deeply spiritual and symbolic festival dedicated to Lord Vishnu’s second incarnation, the Kurma or giant tortoise. 

It is pertinent to note that this full moon was the convergence of the birth dates of two avatars of Vishnu, as many believe that Gautam Buddha was the ninth avatar of the preserver. 

On the face of it, Labour Day, Buddha Purnima, and the Kurma Jayanti may have nothing in common. But it is said that there are no coincidences and there is always a deeper meaning attached to life’s events. The three events on 1 May represent a certain spiritual meaning and alignment of thought to the seekers. As we all live in the material world, yet dharma or righteous path defines our existence. 

We keep seeking liberation from economic or social........

© ThePrint