WHEN HOLIDAYS WERE MEANINGFUL

 WHEN HOLIDAYS WERE MEANINGFUL

Those were the days when there would be holidays for every small or big festivals . Those were also the days when they were celebrated as per the rituals/ worship / revelry . Children being at home observed these varied festivals and participated in them too. For them it used to be a happy and fun - learning environment wherein they keenly witnessed rituals and how their parents , siblings   eders invoked and propitiated Gods and goddesses . Seeking blessings by touching the feet of elders after the puja  likewise impacted the young too.
All this  thus had a deep and everlasting  impact on their impressionable young minds . And that is how sanskars were imbibed.
So whether it was  Vat Savitri Puja or Teej or Savan ka Somvaar  or Harchhat , the apparently smaller festivals in comparison to Shivratri , Holi ,    Janmashtami ,   Navratra , Dusshehra , Karva Chauth followed by  Dhanteras , Chhoti Diwali then Badi Diwali  to name a few  they were marked with customary worship making children realise their significance . This strengthened their belief systems and faith.Likewise every province across the nation has its own similar festivals that are observed as per their customs and rituals.
         Festivals are an integral part of Indian culture acting as a vehicle for the presentation as well as preservation of our values and sentiments . They serve to  unify the masses  urging them to come forth and celebrate. Every festival in India has seasonal  , scientific  and religious   connotations  .  Holidays for festivals are an assertion of their importance.
           In the yesteryears when holidays were just not indulging in leisure or other pasttimes....every holiday was spent as the festival occasioned. With the ever building  pressure of  lenghthy syllabi to be completed  and extracurricular  and other functions  to be organised,  educational institutions were made to minimise holidays . Even long summer and winter breaks were the prerogative of the earlier more fortunate generations.
      Nevertheless there is no dearth of celebrations even now ...every festival is done so with fervour and a lot of fanfare. Even "visarjans " be it Ganesh Visarjan or Devi visarjan it is accompanied with a lot of opulence . What is deplorable is ,what has now become ritualistic , ie the consuming of liquor by the revellers that leads to unpleasant and sometimes untoward incidents. This ruins the sanctity and evidently manifests the lack of sanskars .  Moreover it is an insult to the Deity worshipped. We cannot entirely blame the youth for this lapse . It is their parents and elders who are more at fault in not being able to firstly drive home the seriousness and significance of each festival  and instil in them  reverence and regard  . Parents have to lead by example and celebrate festivals in the right spirit to make it a learning and enjoyable experience. At the school level just giving the students  routine  essays on particular festivals or festivals in general is not enough.  Institutiins have to share this responsibility by imparting to  the youth the required information about festivals and their sanctity.
Besides daily practice of prayer in the morning  after the morning ablutions   , even if  it is just  going to the mandir at home and bowing to the images of the deities must be an indispensable part of the morning schedule of children . For this parents have to make the effort . This will soon inculcate in them not only the habit of praying daily but also of surrendering to The Almighty as well as being respectful and accommodating. Ego can also be bridled then .That is how values and sanskars can be imbibed in young malleable minds.
         It is a myth that our holy scriptures    are meant to be read and practised in the latter half of one's life . If only The Ramayan , The Gita and their tenets for example are frequently made accessible to them through books or  verbal communication  , automatically young minds will be channelized and diverted to observe and practice the lofty ideals . Listening is an easy and effective means of learning. for children  . 'Shrawan' , 'Manan ' and 'Adhyayan "have been universally acclaimed as the pillars of pedagogy. ie listening , pondering and studying . Television channels , books like The Panchantra and the scriptures are all available that interstingly portray and narrate the noble ideals . Caretakers have to introduce them and motivate them in that direction.This will not only keep them away from damaging material that is so easily accessible in a click  albeit it will benefit them and society at large and be an effective tool in  minimising if not mitigating  aggression and violence.
         We delight and swell with Pride when our 4 year old recites an English or Hindi  nursery rhyme or The Alphabets . It is definitely something to be proud of .Together with this if these toddlers are taught and urged to memorise some shlokas / mantras and can recite them ....that would  truly promote holistic growth in them .
         The new generations will then be firmly rooted to their age-old and time-tested cultural heritage.