Navaratri and Durga Puja are both upon us till tomorrow. Two significant observances associated with both utsavs are diametrically opposite: fasting and feasting. So, who is wrong? That would be like asking, ‘Is it Gandhi Jayanti on October 2, or Lal Bahadur Shastri’s birth anniversary?’ It’s both. So, why is the answer seemingly less obvious for how festivities are observed by two cultural variants of the same faith?
It would be equally myopic to consider feasting as ‘celebration’ and fasting as penance. Both are happy choices made with both eyes open – mouth closed in one, mouth very much open in the other. Abstaining is as stress-busting as indulging – ritual (read: controlled) fasting has proved to encourage calmness, relaxation, mental sharpness, not to mention purging the body of excesses; while ritual (read: binge) eating gives more-obvious instant pleasures. So, depending on what your poison is, you can partake in Navaratri-style staying-off-the-stuff, or puja-style stuffing-your-face-as-much-as-you-can. Or you can alternate both.
Related posts:
A searing critique against govkitsch
Opinion | A Newsy Spin on Popular Songs and Poems
Daniel Ricciardo, Yuki Tsunoda Chosen for AlphaTauri Team Next Season
Opinion | Nikki Haley Was an Illusion. It Just Shattered.
Twitter wants to become a martyr but the cost of it will be too high
Mamata is not going to be the CM for sure. And now it is highly likely that she won’t even...
Opinion | What Jordan Neely’s Death Tells Us About the Subway
china: China, learn from us to laugh a little
Sorn Bangkok - The Economic Times
Winners And Losers Of 2020 Formula One Season