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Magazine
Stuff of life
FORGET all that mannakatti about angels and apsaras and poochandis. Religion is basically a device to fill the empty spaces of life. Above all churches and mosques create opportunities for people to come together; give them somewhere to go, something to do. On Easter, or Good Friday for example, or during Ramzaan.
Hindu temples never did play this role, because one of the fundamental jobs of the priesthood was to uphold status differentials. Temples were always used to confer or honour status, and for acts of personal devotion, rather than for community get-togethers. The social or community-creating function of the Hindu religion was and is performed not through vedic ritual but by and through folklore, popular festivals such as Diwali and Vinayak Chathurthi, and pilgrimages to the Kumbhmela and Sabarimalai.
Given the fundamental role played by popular religion in creating a sense of community, it is but natural that the very business of bringing people from each of the different religions together ensures that people from different religions stay apart.
Each religion celebrates different things. But the differences run deeper than that. Comparing Diwali and Ramzaan with Easter or Christmas, for instance, it is clear that Hindus and Muslims do not feel the need to take their celebrations as seriously or solemnly as the Christians. And, unlike Islam and Christianity, Hinduism never felt it necessary to go out of its way to provide people with occasions like Muharram or Good Friday to grieve over. Life was hard enough already.
But things have begun to change. Seeing politicians flocking to iftaar parties during Ramzaan, the VHP has begun demanding that they must publicly participate in Vinayak Chathurthi celebrations as well.
As if we have not already had more of politicians than we can take. In olden times there was one more thing that Hinduism did not share with Christianity and Islam. It did not give people anything to fight over; it never urged them on to jehads or crusades. This is sadly no longer the case. As a consequence, Hinduism too has now begun to provide us occasions for grief.
SUDHANSHU RANADE
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