Monday, October 15 2018, Maa Durga is welcomed amongst her devotees on Sashthi (the sixth day). Along with her, she brings in the greatest festival for the Bengali people -- Durga Puja. The ceremonial worship of goddess Durga continues for a week. The tradition has been going on for a very long time and people from all religions take part in this joyous event. However, amidst the festivities, we are often greeted with rude and insensitive remarks that are uncalled for, ruining the celebrations for all.
Harassment
There has been a rise in eve-teasing and even sexual harassment and violence at these events over the last couple of years. Regardless of our religion, whichever it may be, as humans we ought to respect one another. We all have different attire for religious events. White and red saris, draped in the traditional Bengali style, are popular puja attire. Whether a woman is wearing a sari, salwar kameez, a kurta or even western clothing, it is not our place to judge. Instead, when we take part in the celebrations, we should appreciate the love and loyalty of the devotees. Engage yourself in the noise; experience the essence of Maa Durga.
Drinking alcohol
No one can imagine a puja without some booze. Not only during puja celebrations, in this day and age, most of us cannot think of any religious festival without consuming alcohol. Although alcohol is forbidden in all religions, Hinduism does not strictly ban its consumption. Hinduism divides food into three categories -- Sattwic, Rajasic and Tamasic. Alcohol, tobacco, meat, onions, garlic, fermented foods and stale leftovers are known to be tamasic food. Like any other religion, it is advised not to consume tamasic food according to the Shrimad Bhagwat Gita. Also, one has to be pure in order to perform the rituals and you cannot claim to be pure when intoxicated.
Ridiculing idol worshiping
It is not mandatory for Hindus to worship idols. The purpose behind building sculptures is to help the believers focus on the concepts, rather than just focusing on how the statues look. Unlike other religions, creating a form and labelling it is not banned in Hinduism. Being a part of a secular system, we should respect and support other people’s beliefs, instead of arguing about the fact that worshiping idols is not right.
Making obnoxious remarks
The sculptures for the puja are made by artisans throughout the country. They put in a lot of effort to make realistic figures. None of the religions permit disrespecting others’ beliefs. Making lewd remarks about Maa Durga is equivalent to checking out a woman on the street and passing a bad comment. We really need to understand the fact that puja is a very sacred ritual for Hindus, we are only belittling ourselves by being mean and insensitive and disrespecting others’ beliefs.
You wouldn’t expect someone to discredit your practices at a festive occasion, then how can we expect others to accept such norms? The puja traditions have changed over the past few decades. Drinking alcohol, playing loud irrelevant music, not participating in the worship, eating non-veg during puja are some of the commonly practised norms that we need to put an end to. We should not indulge in such activities which disrespect the deity. Cleanliness should be maintained and we should be fully pure while entering a temple. Sometimes a few small steps go a long way.