Children are cruel. And those whose school tiffins would be filled with all kinds of meat would snigger close to the time of Bakri Eid. We never got quite around to saying Eid-al-Azha, or however it is spelled and pronounced in other places. The bakri immediately brought images of goats, and then the allusion to qasais, butchers who were mainly from the Muslim community. (Christians do have their own, though.)
It is easy to blame certain political parties today, but the attitude predates their prominence. It is no different from producing waste, and then looking down upon those who collect it and clean up your space. With meat, there is the added factor of 'sinful' consumption, never mind that animal sacrifice is fairly common in other faiths, too.
I won't repeat that I believe the spirit of sacrifice is more important than the qurbani, of sacrificing a goat on this day, to commemorate an event. But, then, for devotees all symbols need reiteration.
It could be through such sacrifice or other rituals. One hopes that irrespective of the level of faith, or its existence at all, we all learn to give a little of ourselves to something.
Eid Mubarak!
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Reminds me of one year when I was in Dubai. Arabs celebrate rather quietly, except perhaps at the malls. I went to Festival City, and they had a performance. I expected some Middle-East type of music. Instead, it was a melange of artistes from different parts of the world, and the violinist was an Arab, as were a few others.
For those few hours, it was the religion of sur and taal.
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Here is another such moment.
Eid Mubarak - I slaughtered a cow some 2 years ago in Kolkata (visiting my family) - it was a different experience - evening we had kebab and briyani and steak(chanp) - Bakrid is so much fun!
ReplyDeleteRizwan Alam,
ReplyDeleteLucky you! I am still waiting for an opportunity to halaal-slaughter an ungrateful, thankless pig in the middle of a street and despatch it to its creator.
Shouldn't be long.
Snarl.
Mr Loosefoot
ReplyDeleteYou should do it and not one pig but couple of them - you have my full support - but learn to slaughter it before don't forget pigs are very presumptuous Good Luck :)
I did not think the first comment was offensive, even if personally it was not 'appealing'.
ReplyDeleteWhy see it as and give it a religious colour, when we know that cattle are slaughtered by other communities as well?
Anyhow, it seems strangely comforting to know that Indian still fight over cows and pigs, and not as much over nukes.
FV,
ReplyDeleteConvenient secularism as usual. Let us apply it in reverse direction and imagine the reaction.
Why give a religious colour to Satanic Verses and call for the writer's death? It is just a work of fiction.
Why raise such a brouhaha over demolition of Babri structure? It was just a political movement against Congress.
Why screech like banshees against Narendra Modi? The 2002 riots were merely a social reaction to a terrorist act by a baying mob. Nothing communal there.
The richie rich Todi family would have gone after poor-boy Rizwan even if his name was Ritesh. Why make it sound like religious bias?
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Comforting to know that Indians still fight over ancient (okay, medieval!) temples and mosques and not over oil wells. That shows how evolved we are spiritually. We ought to be the pathfinders for the world.
Right?
By the way, I noticed that the tags to this post include 'hypocricy'!
F&F:
ReplyDeleteThere is no secularism here, just as there was no religiosity. Unless writing about a festival of a certain community qualifies.
Before turning this into one of your usual spins, I am still to fathom what problem you had with the comment posted. I had no issues with your response, but am intrigued by your need to.
If this is your concern, then cows are killed by Hindus, too.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/nov/24/hindu-sacrifice-gadhimai-festival-nepal
And talk only if you do not use leather and check every item before you put it on your face.
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Regarding the other unrelated examples you have provided, it might help if you see this also from the opposite point of view. Why are artists censored and art galleries burned because they are about deities when it is just art? Why bother about building a temple?
Your words about the Gujarat riots are beyond contempt, so shall skip it. Anyone criticising Modi becomes banshee. (Of course, you do not support him.)
As for Todi getting Rizwan killed, there are cases when Dalits are killed for marrying above their caste, so I guess it is not just religious bias. (And before you bring in some Arabs, I know it is not any better there, so save your breath.)
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The oil wells reference was pretty lame, considering that the west has been eyeing Middle-East oil for years now.
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{By the way, I noticed that the tags to this post include 'hypocricy'!}
Yes. It was about the content of the post. If it ended up as a mirror, I am gratified.
PS: If you have to say anything specifically about the first comment or respond to the response to you on that, then you may do so. Any unrelated examples of secularism won't be published here. You will undoubtedly have another occasion, so save the draft. Thanks.