UNHOLY HOLI –COLOURFUL BRUTALITY

One can eloquently talk of the quaint and even meaningful origins of many festivals but a more realistic view point will look at the way the festival is now celebrated . By that count Holi would be classified as the most ridiculous celebration we have.
I read several reports of permanent damage to people’s eyes as a consequence of a brutal way of celebrating it—by throwing colored- water filled balloons at passersby. This is politely called holi ‘revelry’. Then there are reports of communal clashes in Rajasthan and , you guessed it right in Gujerat. My uncle was a victim of a balloon incident .The balloon thrown at him from atop a ten storied building hit him on his right eye. He suffered pain for almost six years after which the pain subsided but his eyesight was never the same.
To imagine that what one sees in the media is but a fraction of the mayhem that happens in the name of holi—violence, eve teasing, damage to life and property.
Deepavali is another such ‘ nuisance’ when in the name of a celebration of an ancient event we the Hindus unleash noise pollution on a massive scale.
There is a disturbing pattern in all this—a lack of concern for others ,their lives, their health , their privacy their property and their peace .
All this has been discussed over the years but things have only gotten worse.
One wonders when this will ever end and we will show concern for others..
There is only one ‘comforting’ factor .
HUMANS BEINGS HAVE ALWAYS HAD A GENETIC PRE- DISPOSITION TO DO EVIL.
If we believe that violence, unconcern for others, corruption, genocide religious conflict and other evils are a modern development, think again.
I tried a little trick in one of my training workshops. I gave my trainees in Mumbai a description of extensive corruption in a country made by a distinguished writer and asked the class to identify the country and the author of the piece. ALMOST UNANIMOUSLY THE COUNTRY WAS IDENTIFIED AS INDIA.
No one had any idea who the author was, which is not surprising given that the author never figured in a Bollywood movie, was not a model or cricketer!
When I revealed the truth the class was stunned .The author was Pluto and he was describing ancient Greece !
Author David Smith refers to man as THE MOST DANGEROUS ANIMAL in a book by that name.
He has shown how the noblest or the simplest of folk can under circumstances turn into monsters .Ask the Muslims of Gujerat who will tell you horror stories of Hindus with whom they lunched ,danced, played cricket and did homework together turned on them and slaughtered their entire families.
Ask Germans who even today cannot believe that a people as civilized and industrious as they are could slaughter millions of Jews. Ask Catholics who are otherwise believers in non violence—perhaps the most important teaching of Christ— how the then Pope colluded with Hitler in n the genocide of six million Jews.
I can go on but to no avail. But something can be done about these stupid festivals That is to teach our kids to celebrate them the civilized way . On Holi day for example we can tell kids to leave those people alone who do not wish to participate in the festivities, not to throw balloons at all, not to use harmful chemicals or colors, Maybe applying a small mark of the forehead of a willing person might be the right way. As for Deepavali ,lighting of lamps is the most beautiful and appropriate way. After all it is more correctly called Deepavali not NOISEAWALI !
Will anything change in all this ? Not likely if David Smith is right .
K.R.RAVI
USA