Sunday Reading : Bonfire ( Holika Dahan )

 Hello friends,

“Festivals promote diversity, they bring neighbors into dialogue, they increase creativity, they offer opportunities for civic pride, they improve our general psychological well-being. In short, they make cities better places to live.”

- David Binder

      These are the interesting thoughts on Festivals. But if we want to deconstruct the very idea of happiness in a festival that is not similar to each and every person. Now in this capitalist world if you don't have enough money then you can't enjoy the festivals. There are some exception like their are seasonal changes in atomosphere. Each and every festival have it's own logic benifits and all the things

            So here in this blog I am talking about the Bonfire festival that is celebrated world wide.in india we celebrated as Holika Dahan. So let's see what are the rituals and importance of the holika Dahan.

Holika Dahan at Bhavnagar ( 2021)

Holika Dahan ceremony is an integral part of the Holi festival. A night before Holi. The story of Holika Dahan (Holika's death) signifies the triumph of good over evil. Holika is associated with the annual bonfire on the night before Holi. Holika's mythology is connected with that. 

What Vaishnavites myth on Holika Dahan :--

     There is one demon named Hiranyakahipu, he was very much arrogant. He was against the god Vishnu. But his own son is the great bhaktas of God Vishnu. So Hiranyakahipu tried to convince his son don't pray to Vishnu. But Prahlad didn't listen to his father. Then his father resided to kill Prahlad.  He made many plans to kill Prahlad but he didn't succeed . Then at last he was telling her sister Holika to burn Prahlad on fire. But what happens is that Holika burns down and Prahlad is saved by Holika's garments.

               This is how the Holika Dahan is celebrated to mark the death of Holika representing the victory of good over evil. “Holi actually marks the end of Spring and beginning of Summer.” The crops, trees, in general the atmosphere heats up throwing out various types of bacterias and viruses. These germs get killed due to the bonfires across cities in India wherever Holi is celebrated.

What Shaivites myth on Holika Dahan :--

 Each and every religion finds its own logic and stories to tell. Another story behind Holi that involves a burning sacrifice for the sake of love. The story of Shiva and Kamdev. Before Shiva was married to Goddess Parvati, Kamadeva (God of Love) and his wife Rati (Goddess of love) tried to help Goddess Parvati win Shiva as her husband. Kamadev and Rati shot their arrow at Shiva in order to disturb his meditation and to make him marry Parvati. But the disturbance caused Shiva to open his third eye and its powerful gaze burned Kamadev into ashes and his wife Rati was broken-hearted. Although the arrow did not work (itself got destroyed in the process), Shiva and Parvati did marry later. At their wedding, Rati begged Shiva to bring Kamadev back to her. Shiva agreed, and restored Kamadeva as a Virtual image with true emotions.

   So this is the one more myth about the Holika Dahan. But generally the myth of Holika and Vishnu is a famous one. 

     

      There are many countries also celebrating the Bonfire festival.  Of course there are several differences and similarities. 

  Let's see how other people celebrate Bonfire and what the rituals and significance are.

Guy Fawkes Day, Bonfire Night :-

              Guy Fawkes Night originates from the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, a failed conspiracy by a group of provincial English Catholics to assassinate the Protestant King James I of England and VI of Scotland and replace him with a Catholic head of state. In the immediate aftermath of the 5 November arrest of Guy Fawkes, caught guarding a cache of explosives placed beneath the House of Lords,l. 

       James's Council allowed the public to celebrate the king's survival with bonfires, so long as they were "without any danger or disorder". This made 1605 the first year the plot's failure was celebrated. The present-day Guy Fawkes Night is usually celebrated at large organised events, centred on a bonfire and extravagant firework displays.

Gunpowder Treason Day was exported by settlers to colonies around the world, including members of the Commonwealth of Nations such as Australia, New Zealand, Canada and various Caribbean nations.

Alpine and Central Europe :--

      There are many similarities in celebration of bonfires in India or in Alpine and central Europe. Bonfire traditions of early spring, lit on the Sunday following Ash Wednesday (Funkensonntag), are widespread throughout the Alemannic German speaking regions of Europe and in parts of France. This festival called "Burning the Witches" takes place on the night between 30 April and 1 May.

 This bonfire night is considered magical. The festival was probably originally celebrated when the moon was fully closest to the day exactly between the spring equinox and summer solstice. People believed that on this night witches fly on the Sabbath, and indeed this is one of the biggest pagan holidays. People also believed, for example, in the opening of various caves treasures were hidden. The main purpose of this old folk custom was probably a celebration of fertility. To protect themselves against witches, people lit bonfires in high places, calling these fires "Burning the Witches".

Turkey  :--

        In Turkey bonfires lit on Kakava are believed to be the awakening day of nature at the beginning of spring. Celebrated by the Romani people in Turkey, on the night of 5-6 May.

After slaughtering muttons, they light the Bonfire and jump over it. Music playing and Belly dancing is performed. The official part ends after the distribution of rice dish pilaf to the around 5,000 attendees.

Daizenji Tamataregu Shrine’s “Oniyo” - Fukuoka, Japan :---

          Oniyo is one of Japan’s largest cities and hosts one of its oldest fire festivals. Daizenji Tamataregu Shrine’s “Oniyo” (Fire Festival) is a ceremony to drive away evil spirits that has been practiced for 1,600 years. It’s held in early January each year. A “devil fire” that has been guarded at the temple is transferred - at around 9 p.m. on the seventh day (January 7) - to six massive torches measuring one meter in diameter and 15 meters long. The torches are transported around the grounds of the shrine by a group of men in loincloths. It sounds like a potential health-and-safety issue, but it’s considered to be good luck if embers or ash from the torches fall on them.

In short, all over the world people celebrate bonfires. Though it's rules and regulations are different but that goes to the last result is almost the same. Whether they celebrate bonfires for religious matters , or something great happens, victory of some, win over evil spirit or celebrating seasonal changes or it's fertility. So it is not one country's privilege to celebrate Holika Dahan or bonfires but the whole world is connected with that. For their own happiness and health and fertility of nature. In India we have several myths around one festival like Holika Dahan. As one Gujarati proverb mentioned that " બાર ગાવે બોલી બદલાય". At the Same way  if you are travelling when you may across the various stories and logics on any single myths. So what to believe or what not to believe that is the question for many.

        This Bonfire celebration is for fighting against evil spirit but it may happen that we are inviting evils. You may think how ?  Because people are using domestic waste in a way likely to cause pollution of the environment or harm to human health. In practice you should not burn waste that is likely to create excessive smoke or noxious fumes. Also we have now a solution to recycle the waste. 

Citation :--

Rogers, Nicholas (2003), Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night, Oxford University Press, pp. 38–39, ISBN 978-0-19-516896-9

The Meaning of Holi Parmarth Archived 9 September 2012 at Archive.today Retrieved 26 October 2007.

Walters, Guy (1 November 2011). "Is it anti-Catholic to celebrate Guy Fawkes' Night?". The Daily Telegraph. Guy Fawkes' Nights – which are, after all, more commonly just called Bonfire or Firework Nights)

Thank you...

Sunday Reading task : Arundhati Subramaniam : "When God is a Traveller

Hello friends, 

         Here  in this blog I am talking about the author who won the Sahitya akademi award 2021. The name of the author is Arundhati Subramaniam.  The work is "When God is a Traveller" got the Sahitya Akademi 2021 award in English Language.

      Whenever any award is given to anyone, we have curiosity to know which type of work is written by him or her. What is the theme and the subject matter of the author. Which type of metaphor is used by him or her. This blog is the answer to all curiosity.

The given below poem  is a titular poem from the collection.

When God Is a Traveller

Arundhati Subramaniam

 (wondering about Kartikeya/ Muruga/ Subramania, my namesake)

 Trust the god back from his travels, his voice wholegrain (and chamomile), 

his wisdom neem, his , sweaty-plumed, drowsing in the shadows.

 Trust him who sits wordless on park benches listening to the cries of children fading into the dusk, 

his gaze emptied of vagrancy, his heart of ownership.

Trust him who has seen enough— revolutions, promises, the desperate light of shopping malls, hospital rooms, manifestos, theologies, the iron taste of blood, the great craters in the middle of love. 

Trust him who no longer begrudges his brother his prize, his parents their partisanship. 

Trust him whose race is run, whose journey remains, who stands fluid-stemmed knowing he is the tree that bears fruit, festive with sun.

Trust him who recognizes you— auspiciousness, abundant, battle-scarred, alive— and knows from where you come. 

Trust the god ready to circle the world all over again this time for no reason at all other than to see it through your eyes.

So let's discuss the poem in detail… 

               If we want to talk about the title of the poem. Then Perhaps the title of the poetry collection " When God is a Traveller"   suggests the god kartikeya. Because in the first line of the poem we come to know that trust the god back from his travel. If we know about the journey of kartikeya then and then we come to know the context of the poem.  He was also known as Murugan, Subramania, Skanda and Kumara. He is the  Hindi god of war. He was the brother of the god Ganesha. And son of Shiva and Parvati.

          If we know the story of Ganesh and kartikeya then we can understand the Poem in a better way.  Because we listen to the very constructive story of Ganesha and kartikeya. Here it seems like the poet tried to give a prominent voice to the story of Kartikeya rather than the story of Ganesha. Here the poet might deconstruct the story of Ganesha and try to give a greater position to kartikeya. Simply the story is that once goddess Parvati had a divine fruit wanted by both her sons Ganesha and Kartikeya. Lord Shiva decided that the one who circles the world three times and comes back first would get it as a prize. Kartikeya swiftly got on his peacock and embarked his voyage. Ganesha was well aware that his enormous form and his vehicle, the mouse, spoiled his chances of winning the race. After a little thinking, Ganesha started walking around his parents, Lord Shiva and Parvati. When they asked him why he was not circling the world, he answered My world is at my parent’s feet. He not only won the fruit but also earned the admiration of other gods.

        In the story we can say that Kartikeya proves himself, instead Ganesha circling his parents like it is an excuse. Because if we go by the rules then kartikeya was the winner. He fulfilled the condition of his parents. Here Ganesh plays with words like he used to say like my world is at the feet of my parents. Surprisingly parents were also impressed by him and his answer was not a work. It's a wrong decision of the parents isn't it ?  ( This is my way of looking, perhaps that is no so)

         The very beginning lines Trust the god back from his travels, and his voice is Chamomile. It represents 'may all your dreams and wishes be fulfilled. The plant represents humility. ... Chamomile plants are a symbol of relaxation and rest today. However, the flowers are also used to signify 'energy in adversity'. So this is how he was feeling after his journey of the world. 

            Moreover, what Subramaniam does is that she uses these figures but challenges the canonical religious stories through her representations. She tries to highlight the personal side of one’s religious beliefs.

              This poem is trying to praise the god kartikeya in various ways. She also mentioned that trusting him also has faith in him. 

Trust him who has seen enough— revolutions, promises, the desperate light of shopping malls, hospital rooms, manifestos, theologies, the iron taste of blood, the great craters in the middle of love. 

   Here in this line we come to know which kind of situation is seen by the god. But what is noticeable is that all the situations mentioned here are modern and  one. It is because the poet is a modern one and she included day to day life experience in her poem like the desperate light of shopping malls, hospital rooms, manifestos.

Trust the god ready to circle the world all over again this time for no reason at all other than to see it through your eyes.

       In the last part of the poem we can see that the poet tries to say that trust on the god who is ready to circle the world. There is also no reason at all other than to see it through your eyes.

Central Theme of  the Poem :--

According to me in this poem the central theme is Faith in God or you can say religion. Through the description of the poem we come to know that the god is kartikeya. Here the poet tries to convey a message that keeps faith in the god.   There are lines like…

Trust the god back from his 

travels…

Trust him who sits wordless…...

Trust him who has seen enough……

Trust him who no longer begrudges…

Trust him whose race is run…..

Trust him who recognizes you….

Trust the god ready to circle the world….

       So in this way in the whole poem we come to know that she is trying to give a message One should trust in the god. Who has done great things like to circle the world.  Some of the lines give a glimpse of modern time also.

Through the eyes of Indian Poetics :--

        If we see through the lenses of the Indian Poetics. Then in the Indian Poetics we find the famous Bharatmuni and his Natyashashtra. Bharatmuni talks about  nine Stayibhava. In which one of the sthayi bhav is utsaha ( ઉત્સાહ), and that through the heroic (વીર ) rasa came.

       So here the whole poem is about one character and his praises. Here the poet tries to remind us of his great deeds. So I think it is a heroic poem.

Alex. (2020, April 27). All about Chamomile (MATRICARIA Recutita) – History, Meaning, Facts, care & more. Retrieved March 17, 2021, from https://www.littleflowerhut.com.sg/flower-guide/all-about-chamomile-matricaria-recutita-history-meaning-facts-care-more/

 Thank you ...

The Da Vinci Code : Thinking Activity

 Hello friends

      Welcome to my blog, here in this blog I am talking about  one of the famous texts by Dan Brown. That is The Da Vinci Code , published in 2003. This is a mystery thriller novel and it explores an alternative religious history whose central plot point is the bloodline of Jesus and Marry Magdalene. The Da Vinci also provokes an interest in speculation concerning the Holy Grail.

This book is extensively denounced by many Christian denominations as an attack on the Catholic Church, and consistently criticized for its historical and scientific inaccuracies. The novel nonetheless became a massive worldwide bestseller that sold 80 million copies as of 2009 and has been translated into 44 languages.

Brown states on his website that his books are not anti-Christian, though he is on a 'constant spiritual journey' himself, and says that his book The Da Vinci Code is simply "an entertaining story that promotes spiritual discussion and debate" and suggests that the book may be used "as a positive catalyst for introspection and exploration of our faith."

             Here in this statement, Brown wants to say that he was not against the Christan realign at all but here he wasn't to say that he  wants to promote spiritual discussion and debate. If we are looking for the text in which also we get several clues that realize that this is not an anti Christian text.

Because Robert Langdon argues fiercely in favour of Catholic church with Leigh Teabing. Because Robert Langdon kneels at the Sarcophagus of Mary - and turns out to be yet another Secret Keeper rather than revealer. Because Robert Langdon decides not to destroy the faith.

But In a Way it is not a Christian text at all. Because in the text we can see the various lies there.

           There's a lot of debate going on about the text and its historical facts so here I would like to give a review of Marcia Ford. What he was telling ..

" Regardless  of whether you agree with Brown's conclusions, it's clear that his history is largely fanciful, which means he and his publisher have violated a long-held if unspoken agreement with the reader: Fiction that purports to present historical facts should be researched as carefully as a nonfiction book would be. "

- Marcia Ford.

 

      So the movie isn't a Christian or anti Christian movie. But we have to debate on all the aspects of the movie's portrayal. It should not be banned. We should accept it as a creative art. 

                  So the text is the Speculative fiction. What is Speculative fiction ? " Speculative fiction is a broad category of fiction encompassing genres with certain elements that are nonexistent in terms of reality, recorded history, or nature and the present universe, covering various themes in the context of the supernatural, futuristic, and many other imaginative topics." So the text is also like certain elements that are non-existent in terms of reality and recorded history.

 “Although it is obvious that much of what Brown presented in his novel as absolutely true and accurate is neither of those, some of that material is of course essential to the intrigue, and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman has retained the novel's core, the Grail-related material: the sacred feminine, Mary Magdalene's marriage, the Priory of Sion, certain aspects of Leonardo's art, and so on[1].” How far do you agree with this observation of Norris J. Lacy?

     I agree with the observation of Norris J. Lacy. Because whatever things we find in the movie  is not absolutely true and accurate. But here we can see that the screenwriter Akiva Goldsman has retained the novel's core, the Grail-related material: the sacred feminine, Mary Magdalene's marriage, the Priory of Sion, certain aspects of Leonardo's art, and so on. That all the things make interesting narratives.

(If)You have studied ‘Genesis’ (The Bible), ‘The Paradise Lost’ (John Milton) and ‘The Da Vinci Code’ (Dan Brown). Which of the narrative/s seems to be truthful? Whose narrative is convincing to the contemporary young mind?

               Here would like to say that if we talk about the truthfulness of the narrative of  ‘Genesis’ (The Bible), ‘The Paradise Lost’ (John Milton) and ‘The Da Vinci Code’ (Dan Brown), then no one narrative seems to be truthful. Because we can't be reliable on the one way of looking at the story. If we talk about which narrative is convincing to the contemporary young mind. As such any story is not convincing the young minds, because each and every story has blind Faith and lots of lying. But John Milton's Paradise Lost is more convincing than the other two.  Because John Milton gave a voice to the Minor characters like Eve ,Adam and Satan. Whether in the Bible they all discriminate by the character of the God. In the Da Vinci Code we find a situation like what to believe or what not to believe that is the big question. Because the lying also comes up with accurate figures and faulty evidence.

Milton gives a voice to Eve but that through he tries to say it should not be done. If women are speaking for herself then that will be a disaster for mankind.

             To some extent we can see that Milton's The Paradise Lost is a story of god's punishment to the women So it keeps people in fear while The Da Vinci code tries to prove Jesus as a man in a logical way. So probably the  Da Vinci code is more convincing in this era. Because it's tried to prove it's point, only not telling that this is this or that but instead of that in the Da Vinci Code tries to prove some of the process which leads us towards knowledge.

What harm has been done to humanity by the biblical narration or that of Milton’s in The Paradise Lose? What sort of damage does narrative like ‘The Vinci Code’ do to humanity?

              According to me, if I considered these three books as creative arts then there would be no problems. But stuck with the book for a very long period of time and following the rules and regulations bliendly then, that is the dangerous thing. Then that definitely does damage to society. In the majority it's damage to the identity of women. Because of this type of text women suffered a lot. 

       The Da Vinci Code is the religious narrative. So there are many of the complaints centered on the book's speculations and misrepresentations of core aspects of Christianity and the history of the Catholic Church.

                   If we talk about Mary Magdalene being labeled a prostitute by the Church. But in other references we also come to know that Mary, who was considered a saint to whose honor churches were built. She is also respected as a witness to Christ's resurrection as written in the Gospels. So that is how it damages the mind of the people who are religious. Those who rational think they can understand in a better way.

          Let see what the Christian response to the novel is. Archbishop Angelo Amato, the secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, a Vatican curial department, specifically called for a boycott of the film version of The Da Vinci Code, characterizing the film as "full of calumnies, offenses, and historical and theological errors." The film was rated as "morally offensive" by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. 

(Paul Maier)

What difference do you see in the portrayal of 'Ophelia' (Kate Winslet) in Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet, 'Elizabeth' (Helena Bonham Carter) in Kenneth Branagh's Mary Shelley's Frankenstein or 'Hester Prynne' (Demi Moore) in Roland Joffé's The Scarlet Letter' or David Yates's 'Harmione Granger' (Emma Watson) in last four Harry Potter films - and 'Sophie Neuve' (Audrey Tautau) in Ron Howard's The Da Vinci Code? How would you justify your answer?

      Generally If we see the women Character in the movie then we come to know that they are treated women as an object. Camara is mostly focused on the women's body, more attention given to sensual body parts.

    So here I am comparing the character of 'Ophelia' (Kate Winslet) in Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet, 'Elizabeth' (Helena Bonham Carter) in Kenneth Branagh's Mary Shelley's Frankenstein or 'Hester Prynne' (Demi Moore) in Roland Joffé's The Scarlet Letter' or David Yates's 'Harmione Granger' (Emma Watson) in last four Harry Potter films - and 'Sophie Neuve' (Audrey Tautau) in Ron Howard's The Da Vinci Code. So the character of Ophelia is portrayed in a traditional manner. Like not to speak against anything or anyone else. Living for others or do whatever they Father and brother wants. In a way the director portrayed her in traditional sensual women.  In the movie we find the sexual scene of Ophelia Weather in the play Ophelia is not like that. Hester Prynne and Elizabeth also  in the same way as traditionally focused on the body. Whether in the character of Hermione Granger and Sophie Neveu portrayed as an intellectual and intelligent woman. In the character of Hermione we can sometimes see the camera rounding the body intentionally. But in the movie The Da Vinci Code we couldn't find any single shot where Sophie's body part shows intentionally. And she was looking more bold than other women characters. Her portrayal in the movie was very good and effective. 

Work cited :-

Ford, Marcia. "Da Vinci Debunkers: Spawns of Dan Brown's Bestseller". FaithfulReader. Archived from the original on May 27, 2004. Retrieved April 29, 2015.

"New novel from Dan Brown due this fall". San Jose Mercury News. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved January 4, 2011.

Maier, Paul L. "THE DA VINCI CODE: TOOL FOR EVANGELISM?". Christian Research Institute. Retrieved July 31, 2011.

Wyat, Edward (November 4, 2005). "'Da Vinci Code' Losing Best-Seller Status" Archived October 12, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. The New York Times.