THE FESTIVAL FRENZY

We , the people of India are endowed with a unique mental faculty of fervent veneration of the different forms of The Almighty , easily shifting our loyalties with the same devotion from one to the other as per Their allotted time of deification. From Shivmay to Rammay to Hanumanmay to Krishnamay , the transition is smooth and we transport ourselves with the same devotion and dedication to the deification of the concerned Lord ! The festival periods or holy months come in quick succession with one leading to the other. No wonder India is recognised as a land of festivals ! With 33 crores of Devis and Devtaas we are bound to have this phenomenal characteristic . The Hindu calendar begins with the month of Chaitra and Goddess Durga is propitiated in all Her forms for nine days in the Chaitra Navratri culminating in Ram Navmi the birth of Lord Vushnu's 7th avatar, Shri Ram .After 8 days of veneration of Goddess Durga , comes the 9th day and the chanting and idolisation of Lord Ram rent the air. However, It is the holy month of Saavan ,with the chanting of Har Har MAHADEV that heralds almost six months of nonstop festivals , back to back ! One ends and the other begins ....ceremonies , celebrations and festivities continue unabated! The devoted chants of Bum Bum Bole that seem to reverberate in our beings brings with it other crlebrations like Teej , Naag Panchami , Rakshabandhan ! As soon as the Holy month of Shrawan is over we immediately switch to the incantation of Hare Krishna , Jai Shri Krishna ,Radhe Radhe with the onset of the Bhadra month . Vatsalya --- the unbounded love for the baby Krishna and all the stages of His growing up are venerated ! So after the Saavan fervour we are in the grip of Krishna Leela .Temples are decked up with mesmerising Jhankis of the Lord and His journey through this human life , several householders get into the frenzy of beckoning the Saviour, Lord Vishnu's 8th avatar , through beautiful jhankis , innumerable varieties of sweets are prepared to offer Krishna . Janmashtami is celebrated with frenzied fervor and ' 'bhakti ' which continues till the 6th day of Krishna's birth , again celebrated in the traditional manner. Just after a brief gap of 4/ 5 days comes the Ganesh Utsav beginning with Ganesh Chaturthi .Lord Ganesh , the 'pratham pujya', the benefactor , the One who alleviates all the sufferings and hardships of mankind is invocated in the grandest of manner possible. The ten day long festival is marked with devotion and utmost surrender to the propitiation of The Vighnaharta! However, the end of the Ganesh Utsav ushers in a more sombre pitra paksha. The 16 days of pitrpaksha are devoted to the reminiscing of ancestors , parents ,and all near and dear ones who have left for their heavenly abode . Tributes and homage by way of food offerings and ' ' 'tarpan' , the ritualistic mode of paying respect to the revered is customary. No auspicious events are organised during this period . It is a time of the year for offering obeisance to the departed souls . With the pitravisarjani amavasya , enters the most auspicious Devi paksha, as it is called wherein Goddess Durga is invoked and a nine day long span of hectic festivities commence . Some of Her devotees believe that this is the time when SHE descends from Her Heavenly abode and comes to Her Parents' house for nine days .Lifelike idols and statues are installed in huge pandals in Her adulation, adoration and worship. The tenth day Vijaya Dashami is of great significance as it marks the triumph of good over evil with the ten- headed Ravan 's slaying and his golden Lanka doused in fire putting an end to his evil intentions and doings. Karva Chauth fast observed in some parts of the country is celebrated with great fanfare just after ten days of Dusshehra with ladies leaving no stone unturned in appealing to the Gods for the longevity of their dear husbands. Ahoi Ashtami on the fourth day after Karva Chauth is observed as a fast to propitiate the gods to be merciful and benevolent towards their children .Besides these there are other similar fasts that wives / mothers observe from time to time for the wellbeing of their husbands and children . Not a week passes and the Festival of all Festivals , Diwali , the festival of lights is ushered in wherein the Goddess of wealth is venerated ! Every house and every householder is absorbed in the festivities from the massive cleaning sprees to welcome Goddess Lakshmi to the late night card playing sessions signifying the inflow and outflow of wealth , all due to HER Blessings and so on. This is again a five day long festival with Dhanteras , Chhoti Diwali , Badi Diwali then Govardhan puja and finally Bhaiya Dooj . Chatt puja and fast follows a week after Diwali and is celebrated in some selected states. Just about 9 days after Diwali , Devutthan Ekadashi marks the arousal Lord Vishnu from his deep slumber heralding the wedding season . The month of paush brings a brief cessation of festivals . The month of Maagh with Makar Sankranti marks the winter solstice and is dedicated to the Sun God that further initiates the auspicious period . Basant Panchami which evokes and venerates the Goddess of Learning ,Maa Saraswati is closely followed by Shivratri . Lord Shiva is deified and glorified in all His forms . Finally the last but not the least important , the festival of Holi in the month of Phalgun is the last festival of the year . Holi , the festival of colours is a riotous , fun- filled event which promotes camaraderie among fellow humans as all come together to participate in the victory of good over evil and is marked with gaiety and revelry . What is remarkable is that all these various festivals ,wherein different God's/ Goddesses are propitiated , are celebrated in various ways in different states of the country. Each has a distinctive traditional way of worship toward the festivals. This variety is a very interesting feature indeed ! It is common knowledge that there is One Supreme Omniscient , Omnipotent Omnipresent Power who is revered and worshipped under several names and forms . Dwait and Adwait are two ways of worship .Since it is difficult for mortals to venerate the abstract form of God , the physical form of deities bind us and inspire us to deify them. What is imperative is that we remember our Creator always , everyday , every minute of our lives for that alone can lead to Oneness with Him and our salvation. However, since we are so engrossed in the material world that this perenially important memory of The Almighty generally takes a backseat 'Yes , adversity and the slightest of misfortunes make us immediately turn to Him for help and succour! For me the the substance and import of these varied festivals throughout the year in continuation are , effective in making us recollect ,reinforce our faith , commemorate and venerate The Supreme Being in His / Her various embodiments and incarnations . Amidst all the chaos that envelops the physical , material world it is these festivals when we invoke , worship , glorify , beg for atonement of our sins and express our gratefulness to our Creator that I feel certainly redeems , relieves as well as uplifts us to a more exalted state and frame of mind !