Janmashtami

Yesterday was Janmashtami and I was at a friend’s place. I do not celebrate festivals the way others do so it was an enlightening experience for me. For me festivals involve plenty of food, new clothes and having fun time with family and friends – nothing more!

In her home, every festival is celebrated the way it should be – according to her. She cleans up the house, cooks whatever particular food is made for that particular festival. She fasts all day long, offers the food to God and then eats it.

Yesterday was one such day. She was cooking all day long, a real lovely spread of food – only thing was that the food could not be eaten before being offered to God. The Puja was only in the evening and the three kids (two of mine (6 &4) and one of hers (4)) were restlessly running around the house looking for food. They weren’t happy with the regular fare that they got. They were seeing the special food being made and wanted to eat that… all of that! It was so difficult to explain to  my two that the food cooked and kept in the kitchen was not to be eaten till it was offered to God first. For me, children are God and if they go hungry no God is going to be happy. But she had a completely different opinion, so I could not say anything. She is a good person and she was feeling bad about not being able to give the food my children wanted, but she could not do anything about it. Her beliefs stopped her from doing what I would have thought would have been the right thing to do.

We all see God in different ways, for me God is in every human being and that is what I have taught my kids. If we cannot see God in each other then what use it is to pray to all the Gods on heaven and earth? But each person has a different opinion and I have no right to tell her that she is wrong or right.

Lesson learnt – Do not visit such people during festive days as it is embarrassing for them and for us too.