Raksha Bandhan – A hindrance For Development Of Women Society?
By Pardeep
28 July,
2008
Countercurrents.org
Raksha Bandhan, Hindu festival (now infiltrated to all other religions) is coming near & I sat down to recall that two years back I had opposed openly (which actually I am doing from childhood at my home) this festival for many reasons. Two years back I had got many replies from friends those opposed me on this (except one reply from friend named Mukesh Kumar), i.e. they were in favor of celebrating this festival thinking this festival is more than a Hindu festival. So this time I’ll make some points more clear those might have been left last time.
First point there is no historical background of festival. (If some
lady tied a thread on some other king’s wrist & he won,
that’s just a fiction, not history!! Nor a simple thread can
make someone to win). There is a chanting of holy mantra in Hinduism
Yena baddho Balee raajaa daanavendro mahaabalah |
Tena twaam anubadhnaami rakshe maa chala maa chala ||
It means, “I am tying a Raksha to you, similar to the one tied
to Bali, the powerful king of the demons. Oh Raksha, be firm, do not
waver.” How this simple, annually recurring act of tying the
Rakhi on one’s wrist can evoke such strong and intense emotions
in a person is indeed surprising & interesting that NASA should
take some project over this!! Ohh... I think we should tie 5-6 Rakhis
to the each & every army men at front so as they all become strong…!!
(Or they be firm, don’t waver while raping innocent girls, women
as happened in Kashmir & north eastern states)
This is common notion set (set by Brahmins) in the minds of people
that relation of Brother-Sister is pure love, effective etc but it’s
not true as more than 80% of world don’t celebrate this festival
& they are strong enough than Indians (here consider under nutrition
people also). On the one hand when Indian people don’t accept
a girl child, (consider sex ratio here) women society faces discrimination
in all respects but afterward thinking of festivals like Raksha Bandhan,
Women’s Empowerment Day seems to be funny!!
When sister ties a thread on the wrist of brother & asks him to
protect her in difficulties. Don’t all you think this it's showing
or impelling that women society is not capable/eligible for protecting
herself & she always needs a help. Isn’t it showing that
the women society is inferior & can’t help own-self? (Here
also consider what Manu Smrti says “Before marriage women should
be under protection of father, after marriage under protection of
husband, after death of husband she should be under protection of
children,” i.e. she is never free & can’t do anything
on her own will.) After few days of Raksha Bandhan here comes the
“Bhaiya Dhuj” festival, on this day sister prays for long
life of brother. But there is no such festival on the day when brother
will pray for sister’s long life. Isn’t it a best way
to keep women society down always & not to give many chances for
growth?
If women society still needs her brothers to protect her from her husband or if she still looks at the face of brother to get help, this shows nothing but the lack of confidence & sense of inferiority complex caused by society only; henceforth I’ll say there is no meaning of women empowerment (forget about Dalit women) then, which many women organizations are claiming loudly!! Raksha Bandhan is itself a Bandhan (hindrance) for development of women society.
This festival is celebrated in many parts of India under different
names; this is known as Narial Poornima or Coconut Full Moon in Mumbai’s
famous beaches. Coconuts are thrown into the sea to propitiate (calm
down) the Sea God, Varuna. This is the height of stupidity in Hinduism!!
Now rationally thinking is a special day needed to pour all the love,
care, attachment? Do we need a special day like Rakhi for sister,
mother’s day for mother, and father’s day for father or
Valentine day for girlfriend-boyfrien d? (it shouldn’t be considered
my opposition to “V-Day” is due to its western origin,
likewise RSS, VHP people do without knowing what does western culture
means; wearing jeans, coats, ties & opposing western culture seems
funny, isn’t it?) Poor people spend at least 100’s of
rupees on Rakhi’s, albeit of the fact that they can hardly afford
to celebrate money wasting occasions like Diwali, Dushara, Rakhi but
still these mental slaves are willing to celebrate and as a consequences
be more credited with loads of money to be repaid back . These all
are the beautiful carved tactics of businessmen & pundit-pujaris
to earn money & to trap poor illiterate innocent people .all these
businessman’s are not from the downtrodden communities, these
are all Baniyas, Thakurs, Rajputs etc. All these people are highly
educated but the fact is only downtrodden the untouchables are illiterate.
On “Shivratri” give milk to pundit-pujaris, on “Diwali”
give sweets to pundit-pujaris, on “Holi” give “bhang”
to drink. All these are nothing but the tactics so as the business
of temples keeps ongoing… Wake up friends!!!