Dussehra Celebrations might turn sour this year

My friend has come all the way from London to celebrate Dussehra and Diwali with us in India. He loves the way festivals are celebrated in India. The pomp and gaiety of festive celebrations in our country is known all over the world.

My friend asked me to visit a nearby Ramlila. I was a bit reluctant in going to Ramlila initially as there is a huge crowd over there but as he pushed me hard, I took him there. I was really surprised to find a lesser number of people over there. At first I thought that it is yet another cause of the latest Mall culture in Delhi where people prefer to go for shopping, watching movies, having dinner or just chilling out. Who has time to visit these crowded, noisy places like Ramlila? But then after looking at the tight Police security in the Ramlila ground, I realised what is the exact cause for this. The number of blasts that took place in different parts of Delhi in last few days have seriously affected the usual Ramlila celebrations. Although, Delhi Police has tightened its security system but people are scared and prefer to stay at their homes only. Since so many years, Ramlila is considered as an important part of Dussehra celebrations. It generally starts nine days before Dussehra. Be it rural or urban areas, people really cherish going to this fare. It is a place full of fun-filled activities such as riding on swings, eating street food, watching theatrical performance based on Lord Ram's life and lot more.

But, this year many people did not visit Ramlila. Terror has taken such a toll on Delhiites that they prefer to stay at their homes than enjoying themselves at such fares. I do not think many people will visit Ramlila on Dussehra too. They will rather prefer to watch the effigies burn on their Television sets. When Ramlila could not bring people out of their homes, who can expect the usual crowd and festive spirit during Diwali too. I am sure it can be a cause of concern for many who do good businesses during Diwali days.

Navratra: Do we celebrate it in its True Essence

As Navratras approach, people can be seen making so many arrangements for its celebration. While big decorated pandals in some big parks become a customary phenomenon, arrangements for “Dandiya” and “Jagaran” get on a full swing mode. Celebrating Navratras is an old age custom and therefore has become an integral part of our tradition and rich heritage. While Dandiya offers full enjoyment to people by giving them an opportunity to sing and dance the whole night, Jagaran allows them to offer devotional prayers at the feet of Goddess Durga. People also do not drink liquor or eat non vegetarian food during the nine days of Navratras.

In spite of all the pomp and show that we get to see during Navratras, I have never felt anything special about it. Although as a

child, I had enjoyed a few celebrations arranged during Navratras, as I started growing, the charm of this festival was simply fading away for me. All I felt was how can a country where Goddess Durga is worshipped in a special way, afford to go on with the prevalent discrimination against women in the society. It is no more a hidden fact that Indian women not only face discrimination, but are also the most vulnerable victims of both domestic and social violence. How can we worship a goddess when women in our country a

re living in an undignified manner? Do we actually celebrate Navratras in its true essence? Well, the answer is a big “No” as can be evident from the rising rape and molestation cases in India.

Back to my hometown, Koltata, where Durga Puja is the most important festival, is also celebrated during Navratras. The whole year we used to wait for those five days of celebration. New dresses and shoes were an integral part of our celebration. As long as I was a small girl, I used to wait eagerly for it. However, as I grew up, I had to face several incidents of eve teasing right inside the pandal where the idol of Goddess Durga had been placed. It did not matter whether I was there with my parents or brothers. As a result, I did not feel like going to pandals any more. My enjoyment during Durga Puja got restricted to only attending the morning puja and eating the 'prasad'.

All I know is that the celebration of Navratras would make sense when every Indian would take a vow to respect womanhood. Goddess Durga will also shower her blessings when she would be worshipped on a land free from all atrocities against women.

Onam - A Festival Full Of Mirth and Celebrations

I think that there can be no better term to describe our country than “Incredible India”. It is a comprehensive way to describe the beauty of India's rich tradition and customs. India-land of different cultures, religions and customs, a country where every state is unique in its own special way. The love and pride for my country gets stronger every time I visit a new state.

Few days back, I visited my friend's ancestral home in Kerala and enjoyed the beautiful festival called Onam. Onam is one of Kerala's most important harvest festivals that celebrates the grace and abundance of nature after a year of hard labour. According to the legends, Onam is the celebration that marks the homecoming of King Mahabali. It is the day when people of Kerala pay glorious tribute to the memory of this benign king who gave his all for his subjects. Celebrated every year in the Malayalam month, Chingam, (end of August and beginning of September), this year Onam festival was celebrated from September 10-16.

Onam ranges from four to ten days, starting from Atham to Thiruvonam, depending on the region. The festive celebrations include worshiping, enjoying music and dance, indulging in sports, boat races and eating delicious food. To celebrate the mirth of the season, new clothes are bought. Women wear new sarees and elaborate jewellery. Children go out of their homes to gather beautiful flowers to decorate the yards of their homes for ten days of Onam. I was surprised to know that there is a different flower to be used for every day of the festival. Together with their mothers; children decorate their homes with beautiful and artistic designs of rangolis and pookkalam. The rangoli is made using coloured rice pasta and pookkalam with flowers. They also make the native flower carpet known as 'onapookalam'. It is the highlight of all these decorations.

Being a sports lover, I personally enjoyed the spectacular snake boat race on River Pamba. Thousands of people gather to witness the exciting Snake Boat races. Each snake boat belongs to a village along the banks of the river Pamba and is named after it only. People take pride in their boats and worship it like a deity. Only men are allowed to board or even touch a boat and that too barefoot. Every year the boat is oiled mainly with fish oil, coconut shell, and carbon, mixed with eggs to keep the wood strong and slippery in the water.

Thus, Onam is the carnival of Kerala and every single person living there looses himself in its celebrations and rituals. I feel lucky to be a part of this merry-making festival.

BPO Culture: Good or bad for Indian youth?

BPO or Business Process Outsourcing has become a common phenomenon in India. Targeting undergraduates and those who are in their late twenties, BPOs are currently one of the major sources of employment for the Indian youth. Even, I started my career as a customer care executive at a reputed BPO for US clients. While working there, I have always felt that BPOs provide a golden opportunity to all those young girls and boys who want to work for financing their future studies. An undergraduate working for a BPO today, earns quite a handsome salary to support his day-to-day expenses as well as studies. I personally know many youngsters who have come from small cities to establish themselves in a metropolitan city. They feel fortunate enough to be able to grab a decent job in a BPO, which allows them to feel financially independent for the time being. They no more need to ask their parents to send them money. But, this is the only positive side of the BPO culture.

Today I am no more working for BPOs. This is primarily because I was working in night shifts, as I had to serve US clients. Today, most of the BPOs are US based as companies there constantly look for an educated human force available at cheap rates. Such an opportunity is readily available in developing countries like India. As a result, most of these BPOs have to work in various odd shifts. In a recent study conducted, it has been established that prolonged night shifts can adversely affect our entire biological cycle resulting in many ailments. So, are we ready to get our young generation entrapped into an unhealthy work schedule? In addition to this, BPOs also bring with them a strong western culture which has made our youngsters accustomed to a lifestyle characterised by fast food, smoking, boozing, branded clothes, expensive gadgets and many more.

There is another crux in the whole matter concerning BPO culture. More and more youngsters are getting attracted to BPO jobs owing to a higher starting salary coupled with various perks and incentives that are not offered in any other industry. As a result, somewhere we are losing a workforce which could have been one of the most productive human resources for India by diverting them into engineering, medical science, economics, and other fields which are crucial for the development of the country.

Relevance of Teachers Day in the Present Day Context

The month of September starts with celebration in its very first week. This is on the occasion of Teacher's day, which is celebrated on September 5 every year. In school, we used to look forward to the teachers' day celebrations. On the day, a large number of students used to perform different plays and dance numbers, and then present each teacher with gifts and mementos. When I look back and remember those days today, I realize that all the rejoicing and effort we used to put in for the celebration came from the deep regard we held for our teachers.

In fact, a tutor plays a very important role in shaping the future of all his/her students. For all the students, their teachers are their idols, whom they look up to in the formative years of their life. Students usually follow their teachers in the manners, dressing style, etiquette and everything else. However, this is not the case anymore. In fact, I am yet to come across any student who respects his teachers as much as we did. A few days back, when I asked my niece (who studies in the same school as I did) as to how she was planning to celebrate Teacher's day, and whether she had bought gifts for her teacher, I was surprised to hear her response. She said that she had no plans for celebration, and completely lacked enthusiasm in even talking about the event.

Such attitude amongst students can be attributed to the decreased dedication amongst the teachers. The new age teachers do not consider it to be their responsibility to shape the lives of their students. In fact, it would not be wrong to say that very few of them are dedicated towards their work, of influencing the personality of their students. This is why they also fail to command respect from the students. This has given a major setback to the student-teacher relationship. As a result of this, the present day students also fail to respect their teachers. In many cases, they do not fall short of disrespecting the tutors and disregarding their orders. This is why; Teacher's Day holds little importance in the present day scenario.

So, presently, all students and teachers who intend to celebrate the day should take this opportunity to make a new beginning and do away with their shortcomings. They should strive to start afresh and give a new meaning to the student-teacher relationship. While the teachers should try and create a congenial atmosphere for the students to grow up in and also inculcate high virtues in the students, the students should also try to give due respect to the tutors. This would be celebrating Teacher's day in its true meaning.

The Art of Bargaining In India

India is a country of many languages, ethnicities, cultures, traditions and customs. And if you happen to live in a metropolitan city in the country, then you also tend to meet people from diverse backgrounds, who are striving to co-exist in one place. They follow different practices, celebrate different festivals, believe in different Gods, and even speak different languages. However, one skill that you would find common amongst them all is the art of bargaining. That's right- to survive in any village or city in India, having the skill of bargaining is a big necessity. And if you do not have it, you are sure to learn it in the formative years of your life.

In my case, ever since I was a child, I would see my grandma haggle with the local vegetable hawker on the prices of veggies. And after a few minutes, she would end up convincing the vendor to accept lower prices. Also, as a child when I would accompany my mom to the different markets in old and New Delhi such as the markets of Lajpat Nagar and Sarojini Nagar, the markets would be full of outcries of vendors selling their ware and urging people to purchase them. Right from the fruit shopkeepers, to the cloth vendors, the crockery owners and most of the other vendors would be ready to bargain and in the end sell the products at prices ranging from are 25 percent to 70 percent of the original values offered by them. And even after so many years, things haven't changed a bit.

As I grew older, bargaining became a recurring activity even for me. Now, every time I need to get an auto rickshaw, I have to haggle with the driver to settle the price for the journey, as their meters are customarily out of order. Also, every time I need bric-a-bracs for the house from Sarojini Nagar, junk jewelery and handicraft items for myself from Dilli Haat, trendy clothes from Janpath or electronics from the underground Palika Bazaar, I ensure to spend enough time in bargaining with the shopkeepers. In this way, I am able to get the best possible value for my hard earned money besides enjoying the experience of bargaining with the shopkeepers, which adds more pleasure to shopping!

Tarnetar Fair - Saurasthra, Gujarat

While traveling to Gujarat last year, I also visited the picturesque area of Saurashtra. Luckily, I got to visit the Tarnetar fair, which coincided with my visit to Saurashtra. Visiting the traditional fair was a truly awe-inspiring experience, which I will remember all through my life. The Tarnetar mela is an popular festival for the natives of Gujarat, which is organized in the month of August or September every year. The site of the fair is the Trineshwara temple and its inception dates back to thousands of years. During my visit, I also got to know about the historic significance of the fair. The mela takes place every year to celebrate the wedding of the two important character in the epic of Mahabharata, namely Draupadi with Arjuna. Before the legendary wedding, Draupadi's father had organized a "Swayamwar", which was won by Arjuna, and culminated in the marriage of the two. Listening to this story from one of the locals brought tears to my eyes, as I was instantly reminded of my childhood times, when my grand mother used to relate stories from the epics of the Mahabharata to us.

During my visit, I saw a lot of local women and men folk, who come in to the place dressed up in their ethnic attire, looking for prospective grooms and brides in the area. The men folk who were looking for brides carry Tarnetra Chhatirs or embroidered umbrellas as an indication of their bachelorhood. The maidens, on the other hand, were decked up in very colorful Gujarati clothes and ethnic jewelery. I also noticed that if a girl would stop by a suitor, this would indicate that she is interested in tying the knot with him. This whole atmosphere of matchmaking was heightened by some commendable performances of folk dances of garba, ras and hudo, songs, devotional music and other cultural aspects. Apart from this, the place was full of exhibitions of handicrafts of all types from different local artisans.

During my visit, I also saw a lot of enthusiastic foreigners who had come to visit the place in large numbers. In this way, the fair also proves to be a great platform to promote the country's rich heritage and culture. It is also a source of occupation to many and at the same time, the mela promotes the Indian tourism across different country. Even this year, I am looking forward to visit the place again and have a blast in the most colorful fair all across India!