Group Discussion- Do we really need religious celebrations in public?

Celebrations should be like that no one gets disturbed. I had a temple nearby my rented house when I used to do a job in bhiwadi and I know how disturbing it was when they used to turn on bhajans and loudspeaker on in early morning. I complained but was of no use as no one else supported me. I don't know if people there were afraid of pujaris or they were too religious and not used to get disturbed like I used. 

I think religious celebrations should not be in public, it should be in specific areas like for one area one place is allocated to accomodate the celebrations. In this manner it will be easy for the public to commute, not get disturbed.

For this the only drawback that can be is that there will be a lot of rush in the celebrations as the area people are concentrated over there.

The solution could be that there can be different timings for different sections of the same area to visit. Though it may sound impractical, I think this is a better way to celebrate than celebrate in every street for Vinayaka Chavithi, Navaratri, Dusserah, etc which causes huge inconvenience to the public, old or young alike.

Celebrations like Sankranthi (Kites Festival), Diwali need no restrictions in terms of area of celebrations except for the timings (restricted timings for celebrations, like upto 10Pm celebrations). 

As on today this is the first Idea I can think about for festivals to go smoothly. I think it is a very relevant & useful topic & am awaiting for some more thoughtful responses from our Community members.

Karl Marx rightly said that God and religion are opium of the masses. There is no logic nor analysis when it comes to the subject of religion and religious structures. I have witnessed several cases where everything including personal relationships get sidelined because of religious beliefs. People , especially Indians somehow feel the need to advertise their beliefs in the loudest manner possible , without caring for the impact it might have on other people's lives. In a multi religious society like ours it can also lead to dangerous and unhealthy precedents. Since religion has become a powerful tool in the hands of our leaders , it is understood that they would never take any religious issues head on..

 

 

 

 

 

Religious beliefs are very personal to any human and it is a personal choice. In an Indian society it is very related to emotions and sentiments of the people. But everything in the society should be practiced with a civic sense. In our society people go overboard with all religious practices and it at times causes a lot of inconvenience to public life. People should have the freedom to follow their religion but they should be well aware that they live in a society and have social responsibility too. Moreover, we pass on the same to next generation. A peaceful practice  of religion is more preferred in a civilized society. 

Confining the festival celebrations of India in room or locality would take away the true essence from them. This is what separates India from any other country where you don't have the freedom to celebrate any festival openly. Since India is the biggest democracy in the world and is also one of the most liberal country in the whole world, putting restrictions on religious celebrations will surely hamper the democratic image of India. The way people play Holi in groups, the way people celebrate Deepawali & Dussehera brings out sense of brotherhood among all and it also gives people break from their mundane life. But discipline should be observed in all celebrations, for example in Ganesh festival,Ramadan, Eid or Durga Pooja huge possession are carried out which might cause traffic jams. Even at all religions possession are carried out they should be carried out in proper lanes, leaving place for traffic and emergency vehicles such as ambulances.

Religious beliefs are personal matters. But to expect devotees to confine their celebration within their homes would take away the essence of celebration. Celebration of any festival is not only a matter of sharing religious beliefs but also an opportunity to socialise, to spread joys and festive mood around. That's why people visit each other, exchange sweets and gifts in many of the festivals. If everyone were to celebrate every festival at home, it would take away the fun of celebration. 

But at the same time such celebrations in public places should not cause nuisance to others.

I have visited different countries due my professional requirements including Asian, couple of European (now mostly the part of the then Russia) and Canada (for a short business tour of 5 days) 2 African countries (having the same signal system what our PCO equipment have). Now I am living in a city of Australia for at least 6-10 months every year since 2013 where people from 80 different cultures and countries including Arabian, Chinese, Indiaan, American, European live but have yet to see a single religious procession, listen firecrackers, loudspeakers except the public announcement system on rail stations. Yes, I have seen and heard low sound firecrackers on certain occasions in Diamond Harbour area organized by local government. You will be surprised to note that I have not yet seen a dead body being carried because all the formalities of last ritual are carried out at funeral homes which arrange and manage everything including carrying a dead body to cremation or burying, or even repatriation if desired so.

I would like to give you more of my views on religious and personal celebration in public in my future posts if required, thank you.       

Basically religion which is a man made institution evolved to regulate human behavior. What a contradiction , to see that it has become a dividing force in recent times. I have seen the large scale celebrations of Ganesh Chaturti in Mumbai when the city almost comes to a stand still , blaring music and noise from every side , and the Pooja celebrations in Calcutta. Now there is politics even over that with the leaders favoring one community's celebration over the other thereby creating unrest. In my own place the dasara celebrations are enjoyed by all because of the manner in which it is organised. Traffic is directed through alternate routes and it is brought to the notice of people through local news paper and pamphlets. The main issue is making sure that the public is not inconvenienced

 

 

We must not compare India with any other country. India is country which  cluster of different religions. What happen is European countries and middle east it is not question. I listed about tomato festival, I don't remember name of country. Tell they celebrate this festival in rooms. They spread to much filth in this festival. Our constitution give us right to follow of religion. Every religion have some ritual. Some of them can celebrate inside but some at outdoor. Burning of Rawan's manikin is not possible is houses. It is opinion celebrate festival in this way that it may not disturb and hurt others. In many cities of India, using of sound system after 10.PM is prohibited.

India has so many religions and so many festivals. Imagine if we let all festivals interrupt with the regular day to day life then how much inconvenient it would be. Sometimes people go overboard with their celebration and many people suffer. One should keep in mind that our freedom to celebrate should not cause harm or loss to anyone. Moreover, every religion teaches about being grateful to environment. So one has to be mature enough to see if their celebration is damaging the environment and quality of life of people around it. If it is so, it beats the real purpose of celebration and actually demeans it.

Arunima has rightly pointed out that there are many religions and festivals in India. But I would like to remind that all these festivals are celebrated in different manner and only few of them are capable of causing inconveniences to others if celebrated in an undisciplined manner. For instance, I don't think celebration of festivals like Bhai dhooj, Raksha Bandhan, palm sunday, ash Wednesday, cheiraoba or Ugaddi etc would cause inconvenience to others. Likewise, if I am not mistaken, even Id is mostly about offering feast. So its unlikely to cause inconvenience.

But I also endorse the view that certain regulations should be followed so that the celebration of other festivals do not cause inconvenience to others or harm the environment. So use of loud speakers, bursting of crackers during diwali or taking out processions during various festivals should be regulated

@suni most of the European countries follow Christianity. Don't they celebrate Christmas in the same way as we celebrate diwali or any other festival or don't they celebrate new year eve.

The difference is they have lesser festivals than ours. I am against the fire work and loudspeakers but what can be done as we raise our voice for the same then our voice will be suppressed and we will be seen as anti religious person thats the main reason I don't oppose them and let them do what they do. 

 

If we look at the history of the festival that why they came into existence, it was clearly to help humans specialise with each other. Restriction of a festival to one's own home or a particular place will definitely put a bar on the socialising nature of human beings. Not just India , the human race all over the world have evolved same features. Even in European countries there are several festivals where possession are carried out but there are no major problems in those countries because people there are disciplined much more than in India. Only if the people in India start acting more responsibly and show some discipline ,more than half of problems of India will get solved. So rather than putting a bar or restriction, discipline is the key.

@Sanjeev Gupta- Maybe that's true for many countries but countries like Britain, America, Australia, France, Germany, Canada etc where mixed cultures and castes live and celebrate their functions within their homes or specified areas and that too in perfect harmony. As I have mentioned in my previous post that I have yet to watch a single religious function in public in Sydney where people from all parts of the world live with various traditions and way of celebrations. I don't recall anything similar or any function in public wherever I went in other countries too except a few carnivals (on fixed rout and time).

PS- No, they don't celebrate Christmas, Easter or other festivals like we celebrate Holi, Diwali, Dashera, Muharram, Ganesh Chaturthi, Muhharam or Eid like we do. By the way all these festivals are celebrated here but no one sees them in public or streets.

Religious celebrations have lost their significance and soul nowadays , it is all hype,show and noise. Earlier families got together to celebrate festivals and it was a joyous occasion that brought people together and strengthened bonds. Now we have taken it to the streets . Large scale celebrations held by different groups , competing with each other to show theirs is the best has become a way of celebrati festivals. Religion and religious sentiments are personal and meant to be enjoyed by families . If one wants to celebrate it on a large scale , steps should be taken to make sure that it does not inconvenience others .

 

 

It is meaning less to compare India with other small countries. India is big country and its population crosses 125 crores. So here it is not possible to celebrate some religious function indoor like other country which are followers of Christianity. Here in India some festivals are celebrated on public place, like Dushara, Deepawali, morum, Gurupard. I know only about North India. Peoples are became aware for spending money enviornment. 

@Anil- Okay I will not compare India with small countries like America, Russia, Canada etc but let me share my experience of China which is bigger than India and has a rich tradition of festivals. By the way, I have never seen a public gathering for any religious purpose during my multiple visits to China.Here is a list of Chinese festivals-

https://www.travelchinaguide.com/essential/holidays/

 

Although I have never stepped out of India, there are several European countries where local festivals are celebrated. In these celebrations parades are carried out in groups, you can easily find references to these festivals on web. I agree that those celebrations might be done in a disciplined manner so that citizens don't face any problems in commute. The origin of the festival celebrations in group was done so that people get a feeling of belonging to the society. These festivals , parades or possessions act as a source of entertainment for all the people living in society who are burdened by boredom of their life.

Festivals and religious ceremonies are celebrated across all cultures across the Globe. There are Grand celebrations all over the world at some or the other occasions. But we do not hear stories of inconvenience. They are well planned out and celebrated keeping their civic sense intact. We do not have stories of someone loosing their life as they could not reach hospital in time due to some religious procession. They are assigned a place to celebrate and they have rules to follow. Rules have to be followed anywhere is any celebration of a civilized society. 

I totally agree with Usha that celebrations have lost their real soul and has become more of show off.

Today is Ganesha festival and we as an apartment have opted for a nose free celebration. There was no loudspeakers and songs to be played. The pooja was offered with vedic chanting and it went peaceful. We have gone for a small idol of Natural clay to be environment friendly. My neighbor did not check her mail and notice board. She did not realize that the celebration was going on. She was not happy with small natural idol and the silent celebration. She kept comparing it to last year and was criticizing the organizers for the low profile pooja. Throughout the vedic chanting she kept complaining about it. So where is the soul in the celebration. They want grand celebrations.

I just Google out the the top most festivals celebrated all over the world and found that celebration is grand and just like us they also come across the street and celebrate. Its not that we Indians only do that, whole world celebrate their festivals like this. But thats not good. 

Today Ganesh chaturthi is being celebrated all over India and people are thinking that they are pleasing God by singing bhajans on loudspeakers but they are wrong they are unnecessarily annoying people by their act. 

I am really surprise in this age also we are fools. As we feel good by bursting crackers and polluting environment and get happy without thing that we are making it polluted and difficult our coming generation to live in such polluted earth. How fool we are? I laugh at people and myself too.

https://www.pandotrip.com/top-10-celebrations-around-the-world-1937/