Deepavali’s soul lost in glitter and cracker roar

On 18 October, both the metals created a record. The 24-carat gold in Delhi market traded at a whopping ₹1,31,800 per 10 gram and silver, not far behind, was available at a price of ₹1,70,000 per kg. After this unprecedented surge, jewellers experienced a shortfall of gold. They could only provide gold and silver jewellery and coins to those who had pre-booked their orders.

In absence of gold and silver, the common man was content buying brass and steel utensils to fulfil their festival desires. The government made a substantial cut in goods and services tax (GST) rates a month earlier and as utensils weren’t a part of it people couldn’t utilize its benefits. But it doesn’t diminish the importance of GST rate cuts. Its impact is visible in the latest buying blitz in the market.

What does it mean? Are Indians becoming rich? Or our religiosity is on the rise? This year’s festival season is expected to generate ₹12–14 trillion in consumer spending, including marriage-related expenses. During festivals and marriages, an average Indian doesn’t bother about the depth of his resources but is driven by the grandness of his ambitions.

It’s no surprise that the sale of some specific products saw a massive spike. According to estimates, during this festival and marriage season, sales of fashion products will double and the sales of decorative lights will see a surge of 204%. Online buying has contributed to this shift in consumption pattern. Experts see a 115% jump in online shopping this festival season.

E-commerce has expanded beyond metros to small towns. Those coming from a village know very well and accept the fact that UPI (unified payments interface) payments through smartphones have rapidly changed our way of life. It’s due to the rising demand in small cities, villages that India’s emerging market is being termed ‘new Bharat market’. These three words indicate the robustness and resilience of the Indian economy.

Another fact needs to be noted that this is the 25th Deepavali of the 21st century. It means it’s the silver jubilee celebrations of the current century. For India the last 25 years have been of utmost importance.

During this time our economy grew at a rate of 6% a year. As a result, our economy that ranked 13th globally in 2000 stands at fourth today. Grants given by the central and state governments have boosted an average person’s disposable income. They are no longer condemned to subdue their desires. Yet, India ranks a low 140th globally in terms of per capita income. It means we have to do a lot to economically uplift the common person. Many agencies conclude the pace at which we are growing would double our per capita income by 2030 (from $2,730 to $4,730).

As we discuss festivals I am reminded of certain facts that have been bothering me. Increasing consumerism during the last few years has relegated the festival of Teej to a mere glittering event while our culture was built around good conduct, mutual respect, human values as well as market. Let’s look at Dhanteras, which marks the arrival of Sage Dhanvantari. He’s known as the god of medicine and Dhanteras was considered a day of health and well-being. Now it’s been reduced to a day of mere buying-spree. I don’t want to reduce this article as a catalogue of cultural motifs but the truth is our ancestors created festivals for social well-being. I don’t know if it’s the lure of the market or our increased festive spirit that we have forgotten the underlying truth.

Cracker bursting too corroborates the same fact. When Lord Ram returned to Ayodhya after 14 years in exile, the residents of the city lit lamps, sang songs to welcome him. This event marks the beginning of Deepavali. Today, the festival has morphed into bursting crackers and offering expensive gifts.

People forget that there were no crackers during the time of Lord Ram. During the medieval age, Babur introduced gunpowder to the subcontinent and used it to establish his empire in India. Why do we ecstatically use a foreign material introduced by a “foreign invader” while celebrating our ancient festivals? The UN has warned that the environment is changing rapidly and things are about to spiral out of control. To deal with such issues, why don’t we use our inspiring festivals to usher in new but auspicious traditions of celebrations that ensure the well-being of all?

It would be a fitting tribute to Maryada Purushottam Ram.

Shashi Shekhar is editor-in-chief, Hindustan. Views are personal.