I remember reading in one of the history books, I guess. It was during the freedom struggle in India that many of the festivals came to origin. One of them was Ganesh Utsav, started by Lokmanya Tilak. Am not sure how true or how well I remember but its not hard or bad to believe this. The main idea behind was to give people an opportunity to come together inspite of all the odds and bans created by British. I am sure all the festivals, celebrations and holidays even before Independence had the same purpose behind. For me that's the beauty of it all than the religious orchestra attached. This Ramzaan I have been revamped with this feeling.
The oldest bytes of Ramzan in my memory disk is of school days, our maid coming for baksheez. The fun part and why it stayed back in memory probably is, she never came alone, there were always around 7-8 grandchildren who would tail along. My mom and other neighbor aunties used to get big times irritated with this. Their loud animated discussions in the common staircase were kind of a celebrations. We kids got an opportunity to get together and have fun.
It was during my stay in Kerala I witnessed a different perspective of the purity in Ramzan. It amazed me, how people could fast for the whole day. How they methodically did their namaaz 5 times a day, without fail. How with all the norms and restrictions, it was still a celebration. Its a celebration when they break their fast together with family and friends. Its celebrative when a whole community comes together in the mosques and bows down synchronously for the namaaz.
Back in Mumbai I have seen and felt Ramzaan as never before. Mumbai, a place where no one has time for no one and nothing, decades past festivals serve the same purpose. Get people together. One of these days I visited a mall where the most of the staff were of Mohammadein origin. It was amazing to see how amidst the whole chaos and space constrains they sat together, shared to break their fast. The metropolitan life doesn't give the leisure to be home but then it doesn't grow above to break the spirits. Any celebration in Mumbai would be half said if one doesn't mention the loud speakers, mandals and the mandaps. It is amazing to hear religious songs tuned to the modern beats and young lads dancing to even those tunes. When such thing happens on the streets, there is a huge crowd to watch the action happening. Including me, most of the time with family and friends I too look over from the window.With all the rights and the wrongs, from all the breeds, kinds and age spectrum, everyone some how comes together under one mandap. Apart from the relaxation of a holiday, the relief of a bonus, the scare of expenditures and visiting relatives, the festival brings in the pure essence of being together.
