God and the small things

Balancing ritual and rationale in our festivals is delicate work.

Balancing ritual and rationale in our festivals is delicate work. A large hoarding was seen advertising a lovely Ganesh puja set before the festival this year. The idol and its accompanying effects were all made of pure silver the long-stemmed lotus,durva and even a tiny silver modak. It looked to be a lasting and elegant alternative to buying various puja ingredients in the bazaar on each of the ten days; a task often more perfunctory than pleasurable for the time-pressed.

More people now invest in a permanent decorative idol that is brought out into the spotlight on Ganesh Chaturthi,much like us mortals enjoy special status on our birthdays and are just nodded at on other days. This resident deity then returns to a quieter corner at the end of the festivities while his more transient brethren dissolve before the censorious gaze of environmentalists elsewhere.

While its a savvy example of convenient and eco-friendly behaviour,it does take us a step further from figuring out the roots of our traditions. A recent conversation on this subject prompted a question on the origins of rituals,something for which my grandmother always had a sensible answer that would appeal to even the staunchest nonbelievers.

When asked why all the deities were to be decked with different flowers,(for instance,red hibiscus for Ganesha and yellow flowers for Saraswati),she said it was merely a way to get everybody to either grow various plants or go on long morning walks to find the flora they needed. Since most people would not take a diktat to plant hibiscus bushes too seriously,making it a religious duty backed by arcane explanations (a.la. different fragrances travelling on unique frequencies to reach different Gods in space) would encourage society to live in sync with nature.

Whether or not there is any shred of truth to such simple wisdoms,there is certainly no trace of them in the modern carnival of public festivals. Now all those who still perform traditional pujas at home,make a beeline for the marketplace where piles of cleaned and sorted flowers,leaves and whatnot are ready for the picking. The preparation and practice of rituals involves a long string of middlemen – an entire ecosystem of farmers,vendors,idol makers and craftspeople. A short visit to Mandai and youre good to go. There is no further thought put into where these ingredients have come from and what their initial purpose was. In a sense,then,presenting your ‘fresh’ puja samagri list at a one-stop shop is little different from using beautiful,synthetic accessories made of precious stones year after year.

Theres no doubt that the intellectual market for ritual-based faith is contracting with each passing decade. But for those who still want to hold onto tradition,it could be an interesting experiment to start asking some questions and rediscovering (or re-interpreting?) its roots. For Generation Y,at least,our parents and grandparents beliefs might be easier to digest if served with a side of logic. Whether or not you believe,its always nicer to try and understand.

(The author is a chess grandmaster and former national champion)

Click here to join Express Pune WhatsApp channel and get a curated list of our stories