In an act of calling myself wise and modest at the same time, I have no qualm in confessing that I adhere to double-standards of living. Probably I have come out of age and it gets really torturous to act like a “Sati Savitri” in a society consisting of numerous women who believe in following every tradition to perfection and some newly wedded “Poo bani Parwatis” too…
In an attempt to fool their men about their un-divided attention and devotion, these pampered new “bahus” who think of themselves as Cinderellas straight of the new-age fairy-tale, surpass every challenge thrown in on them by their mother-in-laws, with great enthusiasm and energy… But in due course of time, the huge ball of raging fire dies down to merely a re-chargeable battery that has to be plugged-in for ‘n’ number of hours every-time to score in a mediocre performance…
To my common-sense and I believe every sane person’s too, putting up mehendi on hands, donning a red saree, a mangalsutra round the neck and sindoor in a narrow channel right in the middle of a woman’s head, fasting for day long with fruits and milk and offering water and sweets to the moon on a Karwachauth night, cannot  add years to any woman’s husband’s age miraculously or for that matter if not done to a Tee, subtract years…
As a matter of fact, Karwachauth is mostly celebrated in the western and northern parts of India on the fourth (chauth) day of a Full moon in the month of Kartik by the Hindu calendar. This festival started off to celebrate autumn (wheat sowing season) and as a prayer for a good harvest in the predominantly wheat-growing parts of India. It was also to enjoy friendship and companionship of fellow married women who belonged to the same village and exchange gifts and pleasantries as those were the times when girls got married at their early teenage years in a distant village far off from their parents’ and when phones or other modes of communication between the newly married young girls and their parents were a distant dream. The religious angle of Karwachauth is a fairly recent addition with little or no bearing to the past. (Source: Wikipedia)
Similarly, there is a ritual in our weddings (of Marwaris from Rajasthan) of sparing some lose coins to the bride by their parents which started when the little girls hardly 12-13 years were married off in a distant village to an unknown family. These brides had little or no knowledge of the world outside their homes but were fond of buying and eating toffees and churans (digestive powders made of mixed spices) and hence were handed over some personal money in the form of coins (which were of high value at those times) to take care of their personal needs in case the in-laws paid no heed to their little girly demands. The coins (which have lost its face value in today’s times due to manifold increase in the value of money) still occupies a little space in the high value handbags of brides which proves my point.
Its amusing and at the same time disappointing and upsetting to know how we Indians are obsessed with all the relevant rituals and traditions of the past times which have completely lost its purpose in the 21st century modern India…Following one’s cultural traditions to enjoy a festival or a marriage ceremony with friends and family is much appreciated but if the same process becomes a task to be planned, arranged and followed to a Tee, its not short of being called ‘Religious fanaticism’…A toned down version of religious extremism…
With due respect to every custom, ritual and cultural tradition, I enjoy them as long as they do not become a screaming-out-loud task at hand that has no logic and gives no breathing space. We truly have to evolve and come out of age. The idea behind every ceremony should be to celebrate and share a smile with loved ones with right intentions and positive vibes. There is no reason why we should get bogged down by the weights of older times and create an environment of religious pressure wherein every ritual has to be performed at the right time in the exact procedure to a Tee and beyond… my system just rejects and refuses the idea…
Cuppa tea and me 