Navratras –A Tribute to the ten-armed Contemporary Indian Woman:
India is rightly called the “melting pot” or cauldron of diverse cultures and traditions. A country with a carte of 330 million Gods and Goddesses personifying an idea from ancient India , when it was believed that there were 330 million living beings. These deities were given names and forms, each personifying a special quality that was supposed to be imbibed by humans.
The ancient puranas speak of the festival of Dussehra preceded by the nine days or the Navratras, followed by the tenth day of Dussehra, dedicated to the ten manifestations of the Mother Goddess. This has become a multi-cultural extravaganza spanning the length and breadth of India, as well as the surrounding Hindu nations of Malaysia and Nepal. The diversity of rituals in the celebration are steeped in the confines of individual cultures of the states, and provide a vivid collage of traditions, from feasting to fasting, vegetarianism to sacrifice of animals and delicious non-vegetarian dishes! Such age-old festivals are losing their essence in modern India, and have been reduced to either another opportunity to celebrate and holiday, or limpet-clinging to enforcement of staunch, short-sighted rituals , endorsed by the ravings and rantings of the cyber-oriented dictums decreed by the modern holy sages. The local print media further enhances the import of abiding by the framework of the rigid rules, under the threat of dire divine repercussions, framed by our ancestors. The deeper philosophy and spiritual aspect of this festival seems to have been swept under the carpet of Time.
Navratras honour the contradictory qualities exemplified by the manifestations of the Mother Goddess – The power of Destruction, War, Fierceness , Action, Energy and Benevolence. Material and Spiritual Wealth, Light, Luminance , Peace, Learning, Knowledge, Fine Arts and Wisdom. The 10th day, called Vijaydashmi or Dussehra is celebrated as the victory of Wisdom and the light of Knowledge, over the Demons of Ignorance, Superstition, Illiteracy and Darkness (“good” over “evil”). Are not all of these values and qualities the essence of the contemporary woman?
The harnessing of all these strengths within our persona is the true tribute to the varied manifestations of the Mother Goddess. The dawn of knowledge and the dispelling of the darkness of ignorance , that serves to free us from the bondages of the evils within our society, is the true tribute to the Navratras The people here believe in “fasting” not “feasting”. The code of ritualistic celebrations is strict and binding amongst the devotees, who throng the temples in search of salvation. What people forget along the path is the intrinsic “reasoning” behind the celebration. Keeping nine days of strict fasting, subjugating oneself at the feet of the Mother Goddess, while desecrating womanhood within the confines of hearth and homes, defiling the female persona by wanton destruction of the girl-child, before or after her birth, and throwing intelligence and self-respect up at the altar of becoming the “good’” Indian woman, who sacrifices her name, fame, abilities, hopes, aspirations, dreams and careers willingly, is hardly the emancipated way to salvation!
It is a familiar sight in every street and lane of North India, to see traditional ladies with bright-coloured pallus covering their head and thalis decorated with assorted items slated for worship of their Goddess. Glamorizing our inner fears and superstitions, celebrating our age-old ignorance, throwing all our deeper, finer qualities at the altar of blind faith, is hardly suited to the women of India of the space age. Celebration of our festivals is commendable, but only if the very reasons we attribute to them are part of our day-to-day life, and not limited to just these nine days. The Goddess Durga is worshipped with maniacal fervor, but her very qualities are far removed from most homes and hearts. The shame of gender discrimination raises its ugly head within our society in despicable ways, and our society instead of condemning , condones these vagaries . The unwanted daughters, the secondary status of women within the family, the lack of pride, self-respect and independence taught to the girls from birth- are they not a direct insult to the very goddesses we try and emulate? The ease with which our society drags our “Gods” down to the very dregs of humanity, is incredible to witness! Feeding “kanyas” on “Ashtami” and depriving them of the right to hold their head high and live, is hardly the right way to commemorate this festival dedicate to womanhood!
Does it make any sense to cling on to the suffocating vine of mindless traditions... and glorify the “co-creators” of all humanity just nine days a year? And that too with penance and fasting-as though it is more a punishment to don the mantle of womanhood than a cause for celebration? Isn’t the contemporary woman the epitome of the ten-handed Goddess, juggling her home, children, siblings, husband, in-laws, parents, career and all their collective futures ably and efficiently?
Today, Navratras and Dussehra need to become a celebration of the true strengths (shakti) of the contemporary Indian woman, as she has over the centuries, imbibed all the qualities of the nine manifestations of the Mother Goddess. She has the strength, determination and will power or shakti of Durga Shailputri, the ability to sacrifice for the needs of her work/family and remain cheerful in the wake of problems and difficulties of Brahmacharini, the bravery of Chandraghanta, the capability of holding her own world and that of her loved ones in her hands like Khushmanda, the fire of determination and leadership qualities to reach the pinnacle of her dreams , like the deity Skand Mata, the recognition and appreciation of her womanhood in herself and her daughters like Katyayani, the fearlessness of Kalratri and the calmness and peacefulness of Maha Gauri. She is truly the ten-armed caretaker of the present and future of herself, her family, society, sect, and her country.
Is it not apt then, to celebrate Navratras and Dussehra as a tribute to the New Woman? Let the country awaken then, to the new dawn of victory of the light of knowledge over the darkness of pointless tradition, ignorance and superstition. Let each of us find sanity in the insanity of compulsive fasting and feasting. Let the pealing bells ring out the fear within us. Allow the auspicious lights of the festival to give us freedom from all these shackles of minds, and bondages of souls. Let us commemorate the “co-creators” of all humanity, and hear the refrains of their wisdom and strength in the sound of the conches blown on the tenth day of the festivities. Let Dussehra actually be an enlightenment of our minds and a victory of good over evil, in the true sense!
Dr. Seema Tyagi
