And actually my village people place Dharma, and what they should do, more centrally in daily discourse than what they should claim !! They feed every mendicant, but have still not claimed Right to Food.
"Ancient Rishis saw rights and responsibilities as two sides of the same coin and decided to emphasize responsibilities and duty over rights whereas other civilizations emphasized rights. They knew that when responsibilities and duties are fulfilled, people receive their rights. For example, when parents fulfill their duties and responsibilities for their children--their children receive their rights. The same principle applies for a nation and its citizens. Where people live in conformity with their dharma, the individual rights of all others are naturally granted. A culture that emphasizes rights over duties only results in a competitive clamoring where each group and sub-group organizes itself to lobby and fight for its rights. Whereas in Sanatana Dharma, one is taught to live consistently with one's dharma (swadharma), and leave the rest to Ishwara or Bhagwan"
Nityanand Misra -
To me, the UNESCO recognition of the Kumbha Mela does not matter. Having personally been at three Kumbha melas (Mahakumbha at Prayaga in 2013, Kumbha at Nashik in 2015, and Simhastha Kumbha at Ujjain in 2016), I can attest that it is an unparalleled heritage of humanity.
I still remember the sadhu in the biting cold of Prayag in 2013. I was returning with Ajay Verma from Prayag to Lucknow to catch a flight to Mumbai. The sadhu had nothing with him except for a dhoti, an uttariya, the sacred thread, the Vaishnava tilaka, and a kamandala: not a single rupee. He asked us for a lift from Prayag to Lucknow, as he had to catch a train to Haridwar. Our driver dropped him at Charbagh station in Lucknow. The sadhu just kept singing the Sundara Kanda of Ramacharitmanas. He gave me prasad and blessings as he alighted. What connected us was humanity.
I still remember the cool morning in Nashik when I took a dip at Ramkund in 2015 with Apurv Agarwal. Boys, girls, women, and men bathed in the Godavari side by side. No woman was conscious and no man was ogling. Everybody was helping each other. What connected us was humanity.
I still remember the heat of Ujjain in 2016 when I shared a cycle rickshaw with a septuagenarian old man and his six year old sweet granddaughter from Ujjain. After knowing I was travelling from Mumbai, the girl asked me, “Aapke Mumbai mein Simhastha hota hai?” (Is there a Simhastha festival in your Mumbai). Her grandfather smiled. He then proudly said that he was witnessing his seventh Simhastha at Ujjain (it occurs once every 12 years), and his only desire was to live to witness his ninth Simhastha, as his late father had. I prayed that it will happen. What connected us was humanity.
This is Chennai. My daughter pointed it out to me, otherwise I would have missed it. And since then I have been seeing these everywhere. A tree, anoited with turmeric and kumkum, and worshipped with flowers and a lamp. Divinity acknowleged.
India, village or city, is a land rooted in a sense of divinity, as every non-overeducated person of this country will assent.
This I learnt first in my village, where the anthill, the well, the tank, the plough, the neem tree, the amla tree, the peepul tree, the chigara tree, all are deemed worthy of worship, and are worshipped.
...
My India is Religious. And Religion is Fun and Entertainment.
The old lady at the pavement who sells flowers is my friend. Every day I buy a length of jasmine flowers from her because she needs to sell them, and I see few people buying for her. We also chat. Yesterday she told me that in this festival month she was going to all the Murugan temples in the evenings. That tomorrow she would be at the Kapaali temple, and she cannot be sitting and selling flowers through this month ! And at these temples the rich and poor rub shoulders.
Like my village people. When the month long Bharatam - the Mahabharatam harikatha by day and drama by night - goes on, my village people make that the priority, and are least interested in going for coolie work daily. Except maybe twice a week simply to earn enough for the very basic needs. The Kamma farmers fume and fret at the 'irresponsibility' of the SCs ! The SCs could not care less. Their priority is the gods, and the stories and the fun and the socialization therein. And the Bharatam is an epic - with various rituals interwoven, and full night dramas, and the most detailed rendering of the Mahabharat over 18 days. Fully locally funded and organized. With each willingly contributing the most they can. The Kammas, the SCs, the Doras. All all sitting and working shoulder to shoulder through all the requirements.
India is too complex for simplistic categorizations. And her religion also.
Ever flower seller, every sweeper on the street, every vegetable vendor on Chennai streets has the vibhuti or chandanam on his or her forehead.
Every deracinated modern upper class person even if he puts it on, wipes it off surreptiously before going out. Afraid of looking traditional. Of looking Indian.
Rama Navami wishes to all.
Ram Ram.
The cobbler before starting stitching my slippers bows and prays to the small stone he sharpens his knife on. The auto driver, as we chat on the journey tells me, ' Kadavul has set each person's share in life, and thats what he gets finally'. The bus driver says, 'Kadavul has given me this van, and I earn my living.'
My country is deeply religious. And the faith in god and acceptance of the results, goes hand in hand with a deep and sincere effort.
The Left does not understand the very gods of our land, the 'devudu unnadu', the 'kadavul kai le irukku', the 'bhagwan ke haath mein hai'. The humility, the faith, the strength one in roots. In Dharmam.
The Todays Right is on an agenda rooted in hate. And homogenization.
And yet we will reach there. The paths will be thorny though.
I remembered all the patronizing comments from leftists and atheists. On how our gods are crutches for poor people ...And i wonder at the height of arrogance one needs to stand on, to look down on an entire country, an entire civilization.
One friend who had gone past a temple was commenting, "So many poor people. With so much devotion. They must be coming to god to pray for succour. They lead such difficult lives. If this gives them peace, so be it ..."
How could I explain to her.
The role of god in the lives of people of this land.
Where religion is simply a way of being.
Where temples. The small village temple. And the larger pilgrimage sites. Are part of the very being of oneself. Of the personal and social.
It is not 'poor superstitious helpless people praying for succor'.
It is people, rooted in the ethos of this land. To whom god and goodness, devudu and dharmam are one.
And who pray for succour. For oneself and for all. For the well being of creation.
To whom god is that which gives courage to give away ones last glass of rice to him in greater need. Dharmam.
Dharmam. From the root Dhr. That which sustains.
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