HOW MUCH DO WE UNDERSTAND ABOUT FESTIVALS?

[KANNA KUMAR SIRIPURAPU]

We observe festivals and celebrate them with much fervor but I wonder how far do we really understand their essence, purpose and the science hidden behind those festivals. This is my interpretation, learning or hypothesis (whatever you may call it) but I think this is what they are meant for. I dont know, but this is how I see these two major festivals in India.

If you think Hindu festivals like Ganesh Chaturthi and Durga Puja is all about huge colourful idols and immersion of those idols in the nearby ponds, lakes, rivers, oceans, then think again. Since, environmental movement gained momentum, people started to label these two festivals as hazardous to the environment, especially the water bodies. But people who care for the environment has a point, because idols that are immersed in the water bodies are made of plaster of paris and painted with paints that are loaded with lead and other harmful chemicals. The making of huge idols and immersing them in the water bodies is a mere distortion of an otherwise eco-friendly ritual, which was actually aimed for nutrient recycling. (If you don’t know what nutrient recycling is then google it before you proceed further, thank you).

Ancient India was predominantly an agriculture based country/economy. A little online search provided information that there were two crops in the ancient India. My best guess is that people perhaps used to shift nutrient rich silt from the nearby ponds, lakes, rivers, to their fields during summers, to improve the fertility of the soil. However, they must do two things to ensure constant supply of nutrient rich silt. Replenish the silt and replenish the nutrient. How do they do it? By adding clay and by adding litter (leaves, flowers, twigs, etc) to water bodies (although it happens naturally too).

Perhaps it was only idols made of clay (without any toxic chemicals) and litter (leaves, flowers, twigs, etc) were used as a part of the ritual and then immersed in the nearby water bodies, in order to replenish and recycle the nutrients. If the silt was dug out of the ponds, lakes, rivers, during summer for agricultural purposes, then the observation of these festivals immediately after summer, ie (Ganesh Chaturthi – August – September, Durga Puja – September – October), and immersion of idols made of clay and litter in the nearby water bodies makes perfect sense. This is still my hypothesis and further intense study has to be conducted to confirm this. But I’m very much convinced so far with this.

On the other hand, any person who understands the ecological functions and cares for the environment may still argue about the credibility of such rituals, especially when the water bodies in India are already suffering from sever pollution, siltation, excessive nutrient runoff and eutrophication. In this given context is it still necessary for us to blindly continue polluting our water bodies in the name of rituals or educate ourselves about the main reason, why such practices have come into practice in the first place and act accordingly?