Comment

Most Hindu festivals celebrate womanhood as the source of life, the shakti without which all creation would come to a standstill.

For instance, the source of divine knowledge is revered as Goddess Saraswati, the destroyer of evil as Goddess Durga and the giver of prosperity as Goddess Lakshmi. In other words, celebration of the female principle is central to most Hindu festivals, particularly Navratri, Dussehra and Diwali. While Navratri celebrates woman as the shakti without which evil cannot be destroyed, Dussehra marks the victory of shakti over evil.

And, finally, Diwali celebrates the return of Goddess Sita, the life-sustaining shakti, to Ayodhya with Lord Ram. Divine womanhood's benign forms - Goddess Lakshmi and Goddess Sita - bring with them peace and prosperity.

The myths surrounding the festivals are unique in that they show demons and evil people coming to grief because they have disrespected women. Humiliation and disrespect of women in a society deprives it of the life-sustaining energy so necessary for its vitality.If a society cursed because of its disrespect of shakti is to recover its health, it must vanquish those responsible for women's humiliation and restore the female principle to a position of honour in society. Ravan may have been all-powerful but when he abducted Goddess Sita, he cut himself from that which sustains all life. In this backdrop, perhaps the most important role that our festivals play is to reinforce reverence for womanhood in society.

Although Hindu festivals are purely religious and social functions, it is interesting to study them for what they tell us about how women are perceived in our society. For instance, during the nine nights of Navratri, worship of shakti parallels the nine phases through which a woman passes. Kurma Puran says that on the first day the Goddess is Shailputri, symbolising a woman's birth.

On the second day, she is Brahmacharini or the Virgin. On the third day, she is Chandraghanta, indicating her getting ready for marriage when she is considered pure as the moon.

On the fourth day, the Goddess is Kushmanda, symbolising pregnancy and, on the fifth day, she is worshipped as Skandmata, the woman who has given birth. On the sixth day, she is worshipped as Katyayani, a pious and a highly disciplined woman. And on the seventh day, she is worshipped as Kalratri, a woman so devoted to her husband that she defeats unnatural death both for herself and her husband.

On the eighth day, the Goddess is worshipped as Mahagauri, a woman who has goodwill for the whole world. And on the last day of Navratra, she is worshipped as Siddhidatri, the giver of blessings.

All the above nine aspects of womanhood should be given equal importance in daily life. Only then shall we have a balanced perspective on womanhood. Such a balanced view can make men strong, rich and knowledgeable.Women also benefit from the festivals as respect for womanhood is reinforced in society.

Over time, we have forgotten the wisdom that lies behind our festivals. The film industry, advertising agencies, and the media present a distorted view of women for monetary profit.