A festival is the feast for senses
Once a disciple asked Jalaluddin Rumi, ‘Why are you lighting lamps? This is practised by infidels.” The mystic cried and told him: “Because of benighted souls like you, i light lamps.”
Light outside reflects light inside. Shakeel Badayuni said, “ Hazaron jalwe rakhshanda hain mere dil ke parde mein ” – thousands of lights are effulgent in depths of my heart.
Urdu poet Niyaz Sherwani wrote, “Chiragh faqat baam-o-dahleez pe hi nahin jalte/Chiraghjalte hain dilon mein bhi” – lamps are not lit only on the roof or threshold/lamps brighten hearts of people too. Deepavali brings effulgence all around, beauty abounds and gratitude overflows.
There’s a beautiful word for Deepavali in Persian, ‘ Shab-e-charaghaan ’ – the night of lamps. It’s also known as Jashn-e-Charaghaan , festival of lamps, in Pahlavi.
No festival is Hindu, Christian or Muslim. The festive spirit and ethos can never be confined to the narrow walls of religion. Even hardcore atheists unabashedly look forward to celebratory mood and gaiety so inextricably interwoven into fabric of a festival.
Unalloyed joy, boundless happiness and an atmosphere of cosmic serenity lend an uncanny aura to any festive occasion. Greatness of a culture can be found in its festivals. To celebrate a festival means to live out on some special occasion, in an uncommon manner, universal assent to the world. Linguist and etymologist Suniti Kumar Chatterjee wrote in Wordplay – “The word festival must have originated from feast or vice versa.”
A festival is a feast for the senses; it’s a feast for the whole mankind. It’s a period of bonhomie and togetherness and time of forgiveness. In ancient Rome, no prisoner was ever executed during the festive season, and many were granted clemency. Emperor Jahangir pardoned criminals during festivals, regardless of their community and religion. Exuberance and expansiveness usually associated with a festival is soul-gladdening and warms the cockles of all hearts.
CG Jung noticed that fewer patients visited him during a festive season. And who doesn’t like a festival? However rational a person may be, festivals never cease to cheer up his spirits and boost his drooping morale. The universality of festival can never be underestimated. Its all-encompassing spirit is transcendental and forever undiminished. But remember, a festival is latitudinarianism. It’s not ruckus; it’s a resplendent manifestation of our shared humanity.
Every festival is a symbol of boundless universal joy. Festivals promote diversity, they bring neighbours into dialogue, increase creativity, offer opportunities for civic pride, improve general psychological well-being. In short, they make cities better places to live. Festivals are beyond religions and rituals. They’ve a universal essence with the common ethos of humanity and humaneness. Festivals are bookmarks of our life’s happiest stories. Keep the spirit of festival alive in your heart all year round. Life is a festival to be enjoyed rather than a drudgery to be endured. Our earth is one big festival venue, and it is possible because man brings all that is needed to transform this earth into a paradise.
So, immerse yourself in the ensuing festive mood. Don’t refrain from celebrating any festival. Light up lamps in hearts of those who genuinely need light.
Disclaimer
Views expressed above are the author’s own.
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