I just went out on a drive. Late night drive. In a city like Mumbai that is perhaps the only time when one can enjoy a peaceful drive. At least that is what I thought. As you can guess by now the peace of the night was broken into pieces. Tonight was unique. While idd was coming to an end, holy celebrations had already started. Young chaps were in full gear on bikes and fluttering their flags ( every sub segment of society as one these days. Wonder whether our national flag has any place left). To me it appeared to be a show of strength. Besides bikers there were larger gangs in trucks screaming and shouting. I was wondering what they were doing and what sentiments resided in them. While at one end the idd celebrations were in full swing, our "holy "revelers too were fully charged up. The bon fires were lit in the middle of one of the road that I was planning to take. I chose to divert. An this was not because of the bon fire. I could have perhaps negotiated that but the animated gathering there put me off. Even before the time had come for the colors the play had started. The point I am making is whether this is the right way to celebrate? Is this inclusive enough? Can decent people feel safe when people get animated for no reason. Celebrations of festivals has its source in God. I always thought Godliness was in cleanliness or rather in decencies. If so what is the need for such boisterous behavior. Another festival completely hijacked by the unruly is Ganpati . Instead of expressing joy with some decency and restraint what we have come to witness over the years is what I call "nearly goondaism". I often wonder to what extent our people will denigrate the sanctity of religious festivals?When will decent people enjoy the joys of our festivals in a manner it was meant to be? When will our leaders stop using religion as a tool to segment people for their own purpose? At the threshold of elections these questions are even more relevant. Can people share their perspectives on this?
