My Festivals Are Not Pilot Projects for Bureaucratic 'Fatwas'

In their pursuit of curbing the spread of the coronavirus, state administrations within the country have gone beyond the realm of science and rationality and ushered in what one can only term as fascinating innovations.

For instance, in Bengaluru, the spread of the virus appears to have been directly linked to the height of the idol, and therefore, the height has been restricted to four feet.

A link between the nature of prayers and the virus spread also appears to have been established, and therefore, only basic prayers have been permitted for Durga Puja in Bengaluru.

Complementing the above restrictions, there are absolute curbs on sweets and flower distribution, given the sugary and aromatic substances may attract the virus. DJs and drums have been disallowed, given the loud noise might disturb the virus in its dormant state, and a demand for sanitisation of the entire premises has been made. Hail the golden age of Indian bureaucracy.

The bureaucratic activism is not restricted to Durga puja alone.

In Delhi, Dussehra celebrations have been permitted but effigy burning has not been allowed. Thus, the Delhi Chief Minister wants people to celebrate the festival without actually celebrating the festival.

The political 'wokeism', for another year, has been extended to crackers in various states, including Delhi, parts of Haryana, Odisha, and Rajasthan, weeks before the festivities are underway.

A little more than a week before Dussehra will be celebrated, the festive mood has been dampened by such restrictions. Do not burn effigies this way, the idols must be of this height, do not distribute sweets, do not have flowers, do not have stalls, do not invite more than 50 people there or 100 people here, do not burst crackers, do not crowd the roads, and so forth.

A note must also be made of the real world, outside the purview of over-enthusiastic bureaucrats and politicians.

Masks are out, yes, but markets hardly witness any social distancing. In Delhi Metro, crowding is common. In Mumbai, densely populated areas are going about their businesses as usual. In the smaller towns, Covid norms are as ancient as the lockdowns. More than hundreds gather in vegetable markets each day, more than hundreds are seen walking through the city streets, without an ounce of Covid stress.

Truth be said, people have embraced the vaccine and moved on from Covid, so why this pretentious behaviour on the part of our administrations?

Two things are happening on the ground, especially in the vicinity of New Delhi.

One, the people are sick and tired of the hooligans masquerading as farmers choking roads of critical importance and causing economic damage, and two, they are sick and tired of the government treating these goons with velvet gloves while irrational restrictions are placed on people merely wanting to celebrate their festivals.

Why must the 'farmers' occupying national highways for more than a year now get the attention and efforts of the top brass in the Centre while tax-paying citizens are hounded for only wanting to burst some firecrackers after 18-months of pandemic? Perhaps, the tax-paying citizen is only allowed to feel foolish and irrelevant, for there are no restrictions on that.

The negative sentiment amongst the general public is also a testament to the weak agenda-setting capabilities of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Yes, the restrictions are being implemented by various state governments, some led by the BJP itself, but if the Centre could advise the states on the lockdowns, what stops them from doing the same when it comes to festivals?

For a long time, since demonetisation, the general public has stood with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the most dire circumstances.

People queued up outside ATMs because they genuinely believed black money must be eradicated from within the system, and rightfully so. Businesses cooperated since the early days of goods and services tax (GST) implementation because it was for the betterment of the nation, and rightfully so. Traders shut shops for weeks without any complaints because the nature of the virus or the threat from it was relatively unknown, and rightfully so. However, what justifies the curbs on festivals after a stable period of infection spread and the world’s most successful vaccination drive?

The BJP must be blamed, especially in Delhi, for failing to set an agenda on the question of pollution with the smog imminent in the next few days. This was the best opportunity to take the political fight to the opposition, guilty of aiding farmers who indulge in stubble burning at this time of the year.

The party should have been on the offensive, explaining how farmers, guilty of vandalising the capital on Republic Day earlier this year, are also guilty of plaguing it with smog while having the blessings of the Congress and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Meanwhile, the entire festival economy is in danger too. From Navratris to Diwali, the month-long period is a make or break phase for many businesses. Formal and informal, large and small, all sorts of economies thrive in this period. Ease of doing business matters to a street vendor or firecrackers trader as much as it matters to a South Korean giant, wanting to set up shop in India.

From food to jewellery, and from clothes to household appliances, every business looks forward to this one month, and after 18 months of pandemic, this Diwali will be the beginning of resurgence for most of them. However, the scientific irrationality and cluelessness of the administrators threaten this resurgence.

In some places, temples were barred from hosting the Janmashtami celebrations. Ganesh Chaturthi came with its set of restrictions, from idol height to crowding, and now, Durga puja, Dussehra, and Diwali have rules that festivals of no other religions were subjected to.

Restrictions that were an exception before are now being made a routine in the garb of virus control and environmental activism.

Most Hindu festivals have now become lab experiments for everyone, from convent schools to bureaucrats encouraged by selfish politicians and parties.

The Centre must call out the hypocrisy of the states, including the ones governed by the BJP, and stop the Talibanisation of Hindu festivals.