India celebrates 60th Republic day amidst high security

Although, India gained independence from the British rule on 15 August, 1947, the declaration of the spirit of independence became a reality on 26 January, 1950. It was this day when the Constitution of India framed by the Constituent Assembly of India came into force. Ever since then, this day is celebrated as a Republic Day all over the country with much fervor and enthusiasm.

In New Delhi, kaleidoscopic images of India's rich cultural diversity and the might of its military forces are displayed on the Republic Day. The spectacular celebrations include march past by the three armed forces, massive parades, traditional folk dances, and aerial shows by the Indian Airforce, and much more. Participants are selected from different parts of India.

However, the celebrations this time, which happens to be the 60th Republic Day, were not as grand as usual owing to the security concerns. Thick security was positioned at all the strategic places across the country and a surface-to-air shield was put in place in the national capital.

Mobile hit teams, anti-aircraft guns and sharp-shooters of the elite NSG were deployed at various locations while paramilitary and Delhi Police commandos kept a tight vigil along the route of the Republic Day parade. Furthermore, nearly 20,000 gun-toting policemen fanned out across Delhi, stepping up the security measures especially in the backdrop of Mumbai carnage. Owing to the security concerns, even the Republic Day celebration programs were cut down. This is the reason why we could see only a few tableaus and traditional folk dances this year.

The Republic Day of 2009 was also different in a way because this is the first time a Prime Minister skipped the January 26 Republic Day celebrations. While Prime Minister Manmohan Singh watched the celebrations from the hospital, Defence Minister A.K. Antony performed all his customary duties.

A complete strike was observed in Indian-held Kashmir (IHK) on the Indian Republic Day, with businesses, offices, banks and courts remaining closed. On the other hand, the tainted promoters of Satyam Computers, Ramalinga Raju and Rama Raju, and the former chief financial officer Srinivas Vadlamani were ordered to stay away from the flag hoisting ceremony and other celebrations of the Republic Day.

Lohri: A festival to be Celebrated with love and equality

Lohri is fundamentally an agricultural festival, and is celebrated on the 13th day of January, a day before Makar Sankranti. Lohri is filled with fun and merry-making. While, it is essentially a Punjabi festival, it is celebrated in many states of North India as well. It also marks the culmination of winter, and people also believe that it is the time after which the biting cold of the winters begins to taper off.

For Punjabis, Lohri is not merely a festival, but is an example of a way of life. People gather round the bonfires, throw sweets, puffed rice, and popcorn into the flames, sing popular songs and exchange greetings. During the day, children go from door to door singing songs in praise of Dulha Bhatti, the Punjabi version of Robin Hood, a thief who helped the poor and fought for their rights.

Lohri holds a special significance for the newly weds and the newborns. The first Lohri celebrated by a new bride or a newborn represents a grand occasion. It is celebrated with great fervor and on a larger scale. Females attire themselves in heavy clothes and jewelry, while men wear attractive clothes and turbans. The festival is then celebrated with traditional dancing and singing around the bonfire. This was my first Lohri after my marriage and the celebrations were huge. Song, dance, fun, frolic, food, decoration, gifts....the list was endless. The entire atmosphere was filled with exuberance and excitement. As for my friend, it was her son's first Lohri and the celebrations at her place were also grand.

There is however, a sad story behind the celebrations of Lohri which tells us the intensity of the still prevailing gender bias in our society. And I became a witness to this discrimination because it happened in my own neighborhood. I was surprised to see that the first Lohri of my neighbor's daughter was not celebrated on a grand scale. When I questioned them, they sternly replied that it was only a girl child, and so it did not demand a big celebration. It is painful to see that people still discriminate between a boy and a girl child. They make their actions so apparent that even a tender mind receives a wrong message. When my cousin's daughter asked me why our neighbors were not celebrating their Lohri in a grand manner in spite of the arrival of a newborn, I had no answer for her question. I did not want to tell her that even a joyous festival like Lohri is targeted by people to display how they discriminate between the two sexes.

If the alarming trend of gender bias against female children is not arrested immediately, it is bound to have dangerous repercussions on the society. So not just a family, these notions need to be changed on a wider scale for creating an unbiased society for women. Let us all pledge on this auspicious occasion of Lohri to eliminate gender bias from our minds completely and make this world equally desirable for both a girl and a boy child.

Muharram: A festival of commemoration of the martyrdom of the good

I did not know the essence of Muharram until one of my Mohammmedan friends helped me understand the deeper meaning embedded in it. The word Muharram, as I have been told, is derived from 'haram' meaning forbidden and is considered the first month of the Islamic lunar calendar – which comprises four months.

And yes there is an interesting story behind Muharram like any other festival. It is said that Muharram festival is celebrated to honor the martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussain, the grandson of the Holy Prophet. The festival begins on the first day of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar and lasts for 10 days. It is said that during this month only, the soldiers of Yazid, a Muslim ruler, surrounded Hazrat Imam Hussain, along with his family and followers at a place called Karbala in Iraq. In the days that followed, they were denied food and water and many of them were even eliminated. It is to commemorate the martyrdom of Hazrat Iamam Hussain that some people of Islamic faith also hit themselves with a sharp metal tied to chain to express their pain and sorrow.

Now, before you start wondering about the significance of this festival, Muharram is one of the four months of the year in which fighting is prohibited. So can it have more significance than in today's times when the Islamic faith is under scanner for all the wrong reasons. Personally, I do not think any faith that propagates hatred would have wider acceptance among the general public – be it Hindus, Muslim, Christianity or any other for that matter. Or else why do we take pleasure in wishing people across all faiths on the festive occasions. Why do we await those get-togethers and the sumptuous meals that are arranged during Id, Christmas or any other festival.

But while on the one hand, we are united by these religious celebrations, on the other hand we are also becoming witnesses to bloodbaths and war crimes that are carried out in the names of religions. The impulsiveness and hatred, that have its genesis in the wrong interpretations of the religious doctrines has led to horrendous and dastardly killings among people across all religions.

The ongoing war between the Israeli forces and the Hamas for instance is over a piece of land that each party claims to be the birthplace of their respective prophets! And how else are we to forget the recent terror carnages that India has been a witness to. And the recurring theme that runs across these carnages is the religious aspect – the terrorists taking pride in their brutal acts of mass murders.

The legends, cutting across all faiths, speak volume of the triumph of the good over the evil and I feel this ongoing tussle will continue and it is upon us to take on the baton of living with the good messages and yet be adamant when it comes to fighting the evil within us as also those outside. Or else that day will not be far when Muharram or for that matter any other religious ceremony will be marked by bloodbaths and fratricides.