The Illusion Of Rituals

An innocent young man was sitting in the middle of the road holding a placard. He appeared to be depressed, bored and angry. It was written in big letters on the placard "Forgive me, I am just 50% at fault for my unemployment".

Hundreds of people passed by without acknowledging him or reading the placard around his neck. However, a few empathized and some ignored him.

But one of the passersby went and asked, "Whose fault is it for the remaining 50%, friend?"

He said, in the name of Sanskar, my mother taught me superstitious rituals mixed with genuine love, taught me the lessons of destiny while feeding me good food and told stories and fairy tales while inculcating the tricks of standing on my own feet. However, she most of the times laughed at my logical questions or ignored it flatly.

I don't know why my father's morning sanskari talks used to get converted into tobacco and troubles along with alcohol, abuses and violence by the evening.

The cultural gatherings in the neighbourhood, which used to start in the morning with fragrances, beautiful & pious atmosphere and melodious music used to turn into sloppy songs and filthy dances with loud sloganeering by mobs not caring for the elderly and infants, alike, in the nights.

And then, a direct projection of actions contrary to what was recited in the morning used to take place right before my eyes. 

Almost every day.

In addition to the exploitation of mothers and sisters and their indiscriminate references in abuses used to be in complete contrast to the knowledge conveyed and glorifications celebrated in the mornings.

The same devotion with which the previous night's litter used to be cleaned in the mornings, I don't know why, the morning rituals used to be forgotten by day end and why the cleaning substances for the next day used to be gathered again by the unhappy, disgruntled and destructive elements.

End

This boy doesn't even realize that he has been used as a steppingstone. Someone influential stood on his back, trampled him and moved ahead, and the boy did not even know.

And the crowd again boosted his morale by repeatedly saying, "Whatever is written in your destiny will happen. Be happy!"

Why education, external cleanliness, mutual harmony, public health, environmental protection, brotherhood, peace, respect etcetera do not come under the definition, purview and scope of sanskari values?

Lively Life