A Hindu ritual or cultural festivity

Bangulzai SG

A Hindu ritual or cultural festivity

By Basit Shakeel Hashmi :: www.weeklypulse.org

With the advent of spring and departure of winter the skies all over Pakistan are congested with the most colourful and adorned kites of all kinds. On the other hand people, especially the youth, get dressed in yellow to celebrate this 'festival' with great fervour and enthusiasm.
This popular festival of Basant involves kite-flying with people celebrating the event on the rooftops of their houses with loud music, firing in the air with automatic weapons and holding competitions of 'kite-hunting', using a lethal string or 'Dor' which can injure passers-by.
Millions of rupees and plenty of wealth is 'put on fire' during this practice of doom, which claims many innocent lives and damages private and government property. Now a new kind of metallic string has come into use which can prove fatal to the kite-flyer or passers-by if it comes into contact with high voltage lines. With the onset of price-hike, inflation and increased poverty in Pakistan, the event of Basant is mostly celebrated by the effluent only and even high ranking government officials also take part in this festival in the name of culture and 'innocent' festivity.
It goes without saying that mixed gathering of both genders has unleashed an era of moral degradation and cultural deterioration which has eroding effect on the Muslim cultural norms and Islamic traditions.

History and Origin

The popular 'cultural' festival, Basant, celebrated in Pakistan has its religious roots in the worship of Hindu goddess Sarasvati or Saraswati. Basant or 'Vasant' is completely narrated as 'Basant Panchami'. Vasant or Basant Panchami also includes the worship of Sarasvati known as Sarasvati Puja. Sarasvati is the goddess of education, art, fertility, intellect, literacy and culture (Hindu). She is the first goddess to be worshipped in Hinduism and she is also considered as the holy of holies in Hinduism because she is the consort of the Lord Brahma and in this respect takes an edge over the goddesses Durga and Lakshmi. As it represents 'flowing water' literally, it has an association with the unabated flow of art, culture and intellect in the society.
The Sanskrit word, 'Vasanta' or 'Basanta’, means spring because Vasanta Panchami is celebrated on the advent of spring, i.e. on the fifth day of Magh (between January and February) and marks the first day of spring.
The season is accompanied by mustard yellow colours of the fields of brasica, which are ripened. The yellow colour represents Hindu spirituality. Therefore on the occasion of Vasant Panchami the worshippers are dressed in yellow and worship Sarasvati with yellow Ganda (marigold) flowers. Sarasvati is also painted as surrounded by yellow flowers. So the colour ‘yellow' has its meanings in Hindu religious culture. Sarasvati is worshipped in spring because it is thought that she likes the colourful, grandeur and mysterious fragrance of spring season and therefore presents herself in this world in the spring season. Sarasvati is also known as 'Sharada' (giver of essence) and it is thought that Sarasvati, by her supreme powers, adds to the essence and the fragrance of spring.
Since Sarasvati is the wife of Lord Brahma (the creator) she is worshipped by other gods and goddesses of Hindus also.

The kites of Hinduism

The ritual of Basant Panchami has gone through evolution with the passage of time. Kite-flying is an essential part of Basant Panchami in most parts of India. Kites are also flown with religious fervour on the rituals of 'Raksha Bandhan' and ‘Makar Sankranti'. Some people say kite-flying remains a compulsory religious ritual as decreed by Mahabharata (the Hindu religious epic).
The event of kite-flying is undertaken for dual purpose, pleasing the goddess Sarasvati and to gain access to her rewards of creativity, knowledge, art and culture.
During the Basant Panchami, other gods and goddesses are also worshiped like god of love 'Kamadeva', and the ancestor gods (Pitri-Tarpan) etc.

The bloodiest of Hindu rituals 'Holi'

Holy is observed in March i.e. in the beginning of spring along with Basant Panchami. Its celebration is attributed to Hiranyakashipu, described in Hindu mythology as the king of demons. He tried to kill his son Prahlad who was a worshipper of The lord Vishnu and he refused to worship his father. In an attempt to kill Prahlad, Hiranyakashipu accidentally killed his sister Holika, and now 'Holi' is observed in her remembrarnce.
According to another story, it is observed in the remembrance of lord Krishna, who was dark in colour compared to his love Radha who had a fairer complexion. Since lord Krishna used to play pranks on the gopies, and because of the fairer complexion of Radha he requested his mother to apply colour to her (Radha) face so as to darken her colour also. The festival of holi ushers in spring, the season of love and affection, in the memory of love between lord Krishna and Radha and between Krishna and gopies.

During the observance of this festival (Holi) people drink liquors and a fun drink popularly known as 'Thandai' or 'Bhang (Cannabis Sativa) with addition of Marijuana so as to make the ritual more enjoyable. People throw colours at each other and because most of the people are in a state of hang over, they kill people out of excitement and many die due to accidents and overdrinking. This explains why this festival is considered the bloodiest of the Hindu festivals, as Holi embodies violation of laws, murders, accidental casualties and sometimes communal clashes.
The decorated pitchers (Dhulandi) are exchanged on the rooftops between two groups standing on opposite rooftops containing gifts, the two pitchers are fixed with two sets of ropes extending across the neck of the pitcher in opposite direction. The pitcher is pulled by the opposing groups to win the gifts inside. Exactly the same practice is observed by the people in Pakistan on the occasion of the Basant, the exact replica of the ritual of Holi.
Practically speaking the rituals of Basant Panchami and Holi are celebrated together in spring season and their rituals practically overlap making them part and parcel of each other.

The 'wake up' call for the Muslims

There is a hadith by the prophet Muhammad (SAW) that “The one who will impersonate another nation (non-believers) be considered one of them” (Musnad Ahmad).
It is clearly evident from history and origin of the Basant that it is not merely an innocent 'cultural activity' but the anchor ritual of Hindu faith and religious cult and originated from pure Hindu philosophy and religious dogmatism. It represents the Hindu philosophy of existence of millions of gods and goddesses which has nothing to do with Islamic culture and religious ideology. In fact Islam is a religion of peace and brotherhood which prohibits extension of loss to anybody whether in terms of material or life.
Moreover the Muslims have their own religious festivals of Eidul Fitr, Eidul Adha and so on, which encompass universal brotherhood, mutual cooperation in good deeds, sympathy, compassion and fraternity. They (festivals) teach us social harmony and integration.
Moreover, the observance of Basant ritual is a satanic practice also because it causes tremendous amount of loss to the ordinary citizen in terms of material and even life, which is against the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) who said:

“Muslim is the one whose tongue and hands are harmless for other Muslims.” (Bukhari and Muslim).

Muhammad (SAW) said at another place,

“The one who kills a Muslim with his will; he will be punished with hellfire.” (Bukhari)

When we know that the observance of Basant by us can kill somebody, isn’t it that we kill others by our will? When the lethal string of the kite cuts the throats of the innocent and when the stray bullet fired by us kills so many humans and when fireworks burn humans and their property, who stands responsible for all these killings and material loss? And will we not be punished for these satanic and illegal acts on the Day of Judgment and do we want the final recompense in terms of hellfire?

Allah says in Qura’an,

“Know that the life of this world is only play and amusement, pomp and mutual boasting among you, and rivalry in respect of wealth and children….But in the hereafter (there is) a severe torment (for the evil doers) and (there is) (forgiveness from Allah for the good doers). And the life of this world is only a deceiving enjoyment.” (Al-Hadid, 57: 20).

The Muslims have to understand that the religion of Islam is not merely a system of rituals but it is a complete way of life, and gives a perfect code of conduct for living a productive and useful life for its followers. Islam is total submission to Allah and His teachings, it is a mission and resolution to serve humanity, it teaches justice and equality, it reveres sacrifice and self-giving for the fellow human beings, it is religion of peace and serenity and it bestows upon his followers with a mission and ambition and that is to help the fellow Muslims in good deeds and forbids them from bad deeds. Allah says in Qura’an,
‘You (Muslims, the true believers) are the best of people ever raised up for mankind, you enjoin good deeds (Islamic monotheism and all that Islam has ordained) and forbid, bad deeds (polytheism and all that is bad and forbidden) and you believe in Allah.( Al-e-Imran, 3: 110)

So in the light of the verse of Allah, Muslims carry a divine responsibility to guide all humanity towards the right destination and put them on right track of upholding the code of strict monotheism and enjoin upon them with a mission and ambition to serve humanity and submit themselves to the Quranic decrees of unleashing peace, justice and equality for the people of the world.
So instead of wasting time, money and inflicting harm upon the people, their property and their lives which is totally unIslamic i.e. inhumane and absurd, a true Muslim is supposed to act as a saviour and as sympathizer of the whole humanity and especially of the Muslims (his brethren), a true Muslim is a constructor and not destroyer, a saviour and not a killer, he is just, compassionate and lawful.

The Muslims should realise that Basant and other ritualistic festivities like this lay in the realm of the mythological plethora of alien cultures, especially Hindu culture and to establish their own and independent identity, Muslims should focus on their own religious festivities, their own cults, which is completely different set of practices and which are, unlike alien festivals not haunted by the undesirable effects of loss of life and innocent lives, because Allah says in Qura’an,

“That if anyone killed a person not in retaliation of murder, or (and) to spread mischief in the land – it would be as if he killed all mankind, and if anyone saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of all mankind.” (Al-Maidah, 5: 32)

Now it is up to us that to which group of people we want to belong to, the killers or the saviours?

Please make a correct decision right now to avoid any repentance in the life hereafter.