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Monday, September 28, 2009

DUSSEHRA: IT’S FUNNY, I NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT IT BEFORE (28th Sept 2009, 2050 Hrs)

DUSSEHRA: IT’S FUNNY, I NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT IT BEFORE (28th Sept 2009, 2130 Hrs)

I have never thought of it before and it is so funny when I realised the most unexpected thing about Dussehra… Why we celebrate the festival is something every Indian knows very well but have you ever thought as to why no one really thinks about the good Lord Ram, instead everyone remembers Dussehra as the day when we burn Ravan… Funny, isn’t it? The image of evil Emperor of Lanka comes instantaneously and larger than life whenever Dussehra is discussed in any part of India, while Lord Ram takes the second place after Ravan.

Good Vs Evil! That is what our ancestors and Holy relics have always insisted about the significance of Dussehra. While nobody seems to remember the ‘Good’, everyone is ecstatic about burning the ‘Evil’. The fact, however, is quite contrasting and hard to believe. In fact, every Dussehra we burn the ‘Good’ by forgetting how Lord Ram killed Ravan, instead ‘Evil’ is multiplied ten folds by always talking about Ravan. The symbol of Dussehra is Ravan’s ten-head’s image… with no Ram in sight… In fact, the name of the festival Dussehra also denotes the ten-head Ravan’s end rather than Ram’s victory… Isn’t it funny?

Even though since ages we have been burning Ravan’s effigy on this special day, in fact, we have never burned the evil in us… instead we have killed our ‘Goodness’ and multiplied our ‘Evil’ side ten folds… that is why there is so much corruption and chaos in the only world we live in. The age-old celebration of ‘Good Vs Evil’ is totally a farce in today’s modern day society? I often wonder because every year Dussehra arrives, everyone asks only one thing – ‘Ravan ka anth dekhne jayega kya?’ Even though Ravan was the Evil Emperor, his influence over Lord Ram’s image has been dominant since ages… this is what amazes me the most about our mythology.

Why the evil dominates the good? Why the evil characters in our mythology have stronger impact as compared to good ones. In Ramayan, it is always about Ravan, Kekayi, Sufnaka, Khumbkaran etc, who have stronger recall value as compared to good ones. While we have always discussed and talked about Ravan’s evil side, no one really talks or discusses about his good side… Funny, isn’t it?

Well, it is just my opinion as I look at the festival when good overcomes evil… sadly though, we humans have always been powered and influenced by evil doing rather than goodness… will we ever learn?

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