Fasting

The picture at the bottom is an improvised lamp, made from clarified butter, remains of wheat dough and cotton.

Today was the occasion of Karvachauth, a festival celebrated mostly in Northern India where wives fast for the well-being of their husbands. The origins of this ritual, as for most others defy logic. It apparently originated from a queen who was deceived by her brothers into breaking a rigourous fast, "as a result of which" her husband, the king died. There are a few other more bizarre stories from folk religion about the way it originated. And so the tradition is followed which dictates that wives wake up before the sun rises and have their meal, after which they shall have nothing for the rest of the day, not even water. At night, only when the full moon is spotted, can they offer their prayers, water and food (to appease the moon perhaps?) and break the fast. Usually dinner is something nice, like a reward.

What I do not like about religious traditions like these are that they are inspired by fear. God and other heavenly powers are assumed to be fickle with their goodwill, and hence unforgiving. These rituals are to appease them and soothe their temper! It is funny that a lot of human-like qualities are attributed to this God.

Fasting in the Hindu religion is commonly practiced by women mostly to perform their "spiritual responsibilities", alter the divine forces, protect loved ones or to fulfill their desires. The modern woman's reasons are that it builds self-control, will power and so on.

But again, for some, it is not about the specious nature of the origins, but simply about a desire to keep tradition alive. As the world gets closer and varied customs mix with one another, a desire to keep tradition alive makes sense. It might give some a sense of "identity", as most people understand the word, or even a sense of belonging. And with people following these customs as tradition, it even creates a feeling of unity. Now as everyone lines up in the evening, eagerly waiting to spot the moon rising from behind the clouds, it creates a sense of anticipation, a feeling of ceremony too. All these combine to keep alive this event.

As we went up to the terrace tonight, there were several couples all lined up, some of them in a style "inspired" directly from Bollywood films. There were coy wives, patronizing elders, and curious and giggly spinsters. When the moon was finally spotted, there was a bit of hooting and whistling by a few and a sense of excitement. Some even tried to use their on-camera flash and "zooming capabilities" to light the moon well for a memorable shot! This can be an event to smile through, I suppose.