—by Raju Rajagopal, HfHR cofounder

NOTE: THE HINDUS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS BLOG IS A SPACE FOR A HEALTHY EXPLORATION OF IDEAS PERTINENT TO OUR MISSION. THE VIEWS AND OPINIONS EXPRESSED IN THIS BLOG ARE THOSE OF THE AUTHOR AND DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE OFFICIAL POLICY OR POSITION OF HINDUS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS.

It’s that time of the year when communities in South India come together on the streets as well as in their work places in one of the more participatory celebrations: Ayudha Pooja -- literally, paying respects to one’s tools of trade. It’s also a competitive occasion when lorry and bus drivers as well as auto rickshaw owners spend a fortune in flowers and banana plants to decorate their vehicles of livelihood. It’s a time when even elevators and filing cabinets in offices lose their ‘secular’ selves to wear a Hindu look! For those living in places like Mysore, it’s the continuation of the tradition of the grand Dussehra procession, which originated during the erstwhile Maharajah’s time. As a child, I remember wondering why people with brooms and buckets were running behind all those gaily-decorated elephants, until I found out that they too have their urges!

Back inside traditional upper caste homes, people also perform the Saraswathi pooja, to pay their respects to the Goddess of Learning. It is an occasion that we as kids looked forward to, as it was a day of enforced holiday from homework, with our school books dutifully stacked under Saraswathi Devi. Over the years, I have come to appreciate the broader significance of revering knowledge and learning, which are so essential to building a just and equitable society.

As people get older, celebrations inevitably give way to some deeper reflections. So, if I were on the streets of Chennai today savoring the sights of Ayudha Pooja, I might wonder how our modes of worship and celebrations have become so compartmentalized by caste and community. I might even wonder if and how Dalit communities down the street are celebrating. If I were on the streets of Mysore, I might wonder about the ethics of holding elephants in captivity, however affectionately they are being taken care of. And, if I were placing that flower at the feet of Saraswathi, I might just wonder whether moves by the state to force Saraswathi Vandana in schools with diverse student bodies would be consistent with the idea of a just and equitable society.

Happy Ayudha Pooja from all of us at Hindus for Human Rights! May Knowledge and Learning give us the Wisdom to navigate these troubling times.