INDIA - Turn Your Whole Life Into A Celebration

We have chosen an article from the Times of India entitled „Turn Your Whole Life Into A Celebration“, which was published on October 21st by Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev. The article deals with a cultural and religious issue. It compares the way Indian culture is celebrated nowadays to the way it was celebrated in the past. The author attempts to show this with the help of the festival Diwali, which started a few days ago on 23rd October. This festival celebrates the good that prevails the bad, for example the negative things in ourlives. The bad doesn’t necessarily have to be caused by demons, like the story in which the Hindu god Krishna eliminates the bad in form of the evil king Naraka Chaturdashi. The text states that bad can also enter people’s lives in form of desperation, depression and frustration. It then goes on to compare the differences that Indian celebrations and rituals are approached between the past and present day in India. Not only the number of celebrated festivals has gone down due to people being “too busy”, the attitude and way they are celebrated has changed too. Festivals are viewed as holidays; people get up late and eat a lot. The author reminds us that in the past festivals were celebrated more frequently and very differently, being days of activity and coming together as a community. The author wants Indian people to remember the true meaning of festivals and to approach every day in a celebratory way in order to gain positivity and forget about seriousness in life.
 
What we have to say about this:

The main issue the article wants to show us is the real meaning of festivals/rituals and the way in which they are celebrated today. We think that this issue is quite present here in Basel, too. We might have a different main religion and mentality here, but we still have traditions and an idea of what they mean. In India festivals have a different meaning compared to the festive days that are celebrated here. Festivals in India are more numerous, unique and colourful than the ones we have in Basel. They are supposed to celebrate life and community. They are celebrated differently according to region and each of them takes place to celebrate a different legend from Hindu mythology. The example given in the article is the festival of Diwali, also known as the Festival of Light. Diwali celebrates the Victory the Hindu God Krishna over the demon Naraka Chaturdashi (There are other legends too but we chose this one as it is mentioned in the article) light and positivity overcoming darkness and negativity. Indian people celebrate by cleaning their homes, wearing their best clothes. They also light many lamps which are called diyas inside and outside. Fireworks are set off and feasts and sweets are eaten too. The festival usually consists of five days, although changes in its length may occur in different regions. Diwali is considered one of the important festivals in Indian/Hindu culture and it is a holiday in many countries outside of India, for example in Mauritius and Singapore. One of the most important festivals that can compare to the ones in India here in Basel is Fasnacht, which takes place annually in February. It basically is a festival that is supposed to chase the winter and evil spirits away. It is not religious, but it’s celebrated by many people all ages so we thought that is a better comparison than religious occasions like Christmas or Easter. In Basel, Fasnacht is celebrated during three days: It starts with the Morgestraich, the first parade that starts at four o’ clock in the morning. There then are many colourful parades over town, people dress up and there are many parade floats with Waggis on them. A Waggis is a type of costume that is supposed to represent a Frenchman from our neighbouring French province Alsace. During the parades the Waggis hand out sweets and goodies, flowers and leaflets with rhymes on them that criticise or make fun of political or social issues in a sarcastic, funny way. Very loud music is played by different groups that take part in the parades. Fasnacht is celebrated differently throughout Switzerland, but the Fasnacht in Basel is considered the most special, since it plays such an important role here and brings people together. In conclusion, both India and Basel each have their own festivities that are celebrated very differently. We can see a link between Diwali and Fasnacht, since both of them are here to chase bad things away by coming together and having a great time. We think that celebrations like these two are important for us to be less serious about life and having fun, coming together to celebrate and enjoying the moments we can share with each other. /M.P./ M.A./ S.H./.