Media beams images of celebrations of Dussera, Durga Puja and Navratri as festive celebrations of individual communities of India, overlooking the underlying common thread of unity that defines the unifying spirit of India. Here is a alternate view.

I WAS watching almost all TV channels broadcasting images of burning of effigies of Ravana, Kumbhkarna and Meghnaad on the evening of Dussera, as Vijayaadashami is popularly known. There are also vignettes of puja and farewell of Goddess Durga in different parts of India.

The TV presenters make routine cliché comments like victory of goodness over evil etc. etc. They also showcase the festival of Durga puja as a separate festival of Bengalese, Navratri garba of Gujaratis, rush of pilgrimage to Goddess Vaishnodevi and other temples of her different forms all over India; and other manifestation of Goddess that represents power of the nature, elevation of woman power to the highest spiritual levels.

It is not possible that no commentator has the intelligence to see through different manifestations of the common thread of unified spirit of Hindus across length and breadth of India i.e. Bharat running through these various forms of celebrations. Possibly, they shy away from bringing it out for the fear of being labeled a Hindutva fellow travelers or a ‘communal’ person. Many of us may also be overlooking this spirit of unity in the colourful diversity of Hinduness of this nation. So, I thought of bringing out the thread of unity of this great nation even as people with divisive agenda are trying to break it apart in the guise of secularism and modernism.

Vijayaadashami is not just the day of burning effigy of Ravana. Yes, it does remind us that howsoever powerful and scholarly a person may be, he loses all his virtues if he follows the path of evil and is fit to be slayed. It reminds us that a person associated with such evil forces is equally damned, like Kumbhakarna and Meghanaad are. Dussera, as we all know, is a distorted word of ‘Dashhara’ – i.e. defeat of the ten headed, i.e. Ravana.  This lesson is perennial, and as relevant today as it was thousands years’ back.

Vijayaadashami is also the day that is celebrated with worship of weapons, tools of livelihood by millions of citizens of India in all corners of India. It is celebration of valour. Mysore Dussera is famous all over the world. In Maharashtra there is a custom of ‘seemolanghan - transgressing one’s borders’. Again, a custom that fosters and celebrates valour with people from one village crossing the borders of neighbouring village and having friendly fights. There is another custom that celebrates love, brotherhood and respect. People exchange a leaf named ‘sona’ i.e. gold that is shaped like a heart with their friends and elders.

It is interesting is that this day is the culmination of nine days of spiritual practices and religious rituals in the period of preceding pious nine days, called Navaratri. The common thread is celebration of power of almighty Mother Nature – mother of all creation who nurtures her children well, symbolized as Mother Durga who slays evil forces and blesses her children. She has fearsome powers but she also showers unconditional love on her offsprings. Though, celebrated in different styles based on local customs, message and submission to Mother Goddess is of the same nature. People fast in entire North during these nine days. People in Gujarat celebrate with devotional music and dance. People in Bengal celebrate it in most warm way and it the biggest festival of Bengalese, wherever they may stay in the world. Ramlila i.e. the heavenly play of God Ram is played in North showcased as a play based on Ramayan and Ram Charitmaanas. In Tamil Nadu and Karnataka people celebrate these nine days as ‘Golu’, wherein women dress of Goddess in fancy attires and visit each others’ homes and foster brotherhood.

There are possibly more ways these pious nine days or Navraatri culminating in Vijayaadashami are celebrated around India. I would welcome my friends to share them with other readers. Let us celebrate the spirit of Unity of India i.e. Bharat. Let us rise above petty politics and petty thoughts. Only then can we destroy the evils that bedevil this great nation.