Aasha’s eyes swiftly scanned the kitchen shelf; she wanted to roast those cashews whilst the pan was still hot. Her kids loved them in their kesari. When she finally located it, she went back to recollecting a presentation she had to give at work that day. Aasha had two hours to be done with the auspicious rituals and go seal that business deal.
India is beautiful in her diversity—with varied landscapes, diverse weather conditions, many religions and countless customs. Nevertheless, only if the beholder understands the underlying commonality binding them together, could he perceive the true magnitude of her perfected beauty. Religion has given us a code of living, thereby presenting the society with structure and guidelines to fall on.
We abide by the rules of religion quite rigidly as we still fear sin and karma a little more than our laws. With our multifarious religions and customs, our harmonious cohabitation for several decades has been an object of wonder to many foreigners. What facilitates this is the fact that all our religions are driven by the same fundamental principles—to love, share and do good.
Our deities, our food and our ways differ, but not this core axiom.
Nuclear families, working parents, migration to other countries, developing technology and increasingly competitive corporates have revolutionised our lives and in turn, inevitably rearranged our priorities. In many Indian households, a common topic of discussion among the condescending older generation is on how the youth are rapidly losing touch with our customs. The teachings of our religions have always been far ahead of time and science. Our customs are put in place mostly for scientific reasons and comprehending them will instil in us a want to practice them.
However, religion is more than a routine or fear of punishment; religion, in its unadulterated form, is its core principles. Not being able to perfect our religious practices does not make us a sinner as much as a tainted conscience does. Stressing and fretting over fulfilment of rituals blindly, denies us of their true spirit of joy and celebration.
So, to those of you who choose to skip a prayer or worship to finish an assignment, or catch up on lost sleep, you are merely human. With time and a changing environment we need to look beyond rituals and understand the ideals with which our religions were framed. A good, generous and loving life lived by a man true to his principles is as high as humanity can go.
Shivani Sridharan
Email: shivanivsridharan@gmail.com