Thursday, June 08, 2006

Hindu festival Nirjal Ekadashi

Yesterday was a Hindu festival called “Nirjal Ekadashi” On this day various Hindu individuals and organizations distribute sweet water and other food items on the roadside. Hindus who celebrate this festival, keep a fast and distribute water and food are delivered of their PAAP and attain nirvana. Bhim the Panadava prince in Mahabharta also kept a fast and attained nirvana.

The streets and roads of this town was however littered with plastic cups, plastic and aluminum foil plates and other solid waste. I sincerely hope that all the guys who distributed food and water and celebrated this festival do attain nirvana. I am not sure of the safai karamcharis who will have to clean up the garbage and then inhale all the toxic fumes after the garbage is collected and burnt as these safai karamcharis wouldn’t know what to do with the garbage and will do what they know best. Light a match to anything dead and decaying.

I have a theory on burning garbage. I feel as in the Hindu religion the dead are cremated by burning them, burning and fire is ingrained in our psyche. WE associate death and fire so wherever we see dead/dried leaves, immobile paper/plastic and other solid waste items we cannot resist to take out a match and light a fire to cremate. Strange but everything in nature has a life even after death without being BURNT. The leaves, grass and other biodegradable matter produce manure that brings in fresh life. Maybe humans have a life after death. (they say that in the Hindu religion but it is more in terms of reincarnation) I would say each human has a life after death without being reincarnated. How about starting a garden after somebody who has departed and who you love. How about planting a sapling and naming it after the departed? How about taking care of a water body and naming it after the departed.( Life after death).

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