Holi Holy Holy
The chill lingers in the air as I
get up in the morning and drawn aside the curtains, push the windows outward to
receive a fleeting feel of the air. This reminds me that the morning chill
still holds and as is tradition can be offset with the advent of Holi which my
country celebrates tomorrow.
While I celebrate the festival of
Holi I stop to reflect on the various hues and colors of my country. The
bonhomie of the green and saffron held together by the peaceful nature of the
white seems to be a thing of the past. The white; a symbol of peace is having a
harrowing time trying to separate the saffron and green from grappling with
each other. The younger generation simmering at the brim because their freedom
is restricted. The teachers turning out as willful dissidents to the concept of
nationalism as defined by the ruling dispensation.
It’s an open war of words and
gamesmanship between the so called morally upright haves and the revolutionary
and therefore immoral have nots. The morally overflowing haves cannot bear the
indignation at the hands of the have nots. The reason being the challenge to
one’s way of thinking. Put straight as in the now famous words of former
American President George Bush - “either with us or against us”. A peaceful middle
path has been bombarded beyond use by forces on both sides and made redundant
with the bombs of destructive words and inferences on either side.
People are sent behind bars at
the slightest whiff of deceit, a deceit that is termed and framed according to
the Majority party in parliament. Judges are not to be left behind doling out
lessons on morality and nationalism even while delivering a verdict that seems
too lopsided to be considered as delivered from the portals of the blindfolded
lady of justice.
All around it seems like a family
matter where the parents are hovering over their little ones and purposefully
seen as leading the way so that the young ones learn to live life their way.
The politician acts like a parent to the students. The judges dole advice as a
guardian alongside their judgements. The cops turn the rule book on its head to
prove their case and the opposition painstakingly wades through this mayhem to
make sense of what’s going on.
This is also the time Christians
reflect on the Cross the enormous perils and suffering undertaken by the Lord
to rid man of his sins. As we approach Good Friday it seems history is being
repeated. The ruling dispensation in cohorts with the majority taking turns to
prosecute the Messiah. As in the modern times the rulers and their cohorts
raising a loud crescendo about the vagaries of an alternate thinking. The man
called Jesus went through all this so that truth may prevail and justice may be
delivered to the common people. Truth as prophesized and justice, with
relevance to a new and alternate way of life. Today it is the dissenting voice
that is up for prosecution.
So even as we celebrate the rich
colours of life amidst the vibrant season, there seems to be a connect between
the two occasions. One that lets the free flowing colours into the open and
asserts it prominence over the chilly mornings, and the other that talks of
sacrifices as a potent means to deliverance. let us agree to let each one drawn
with his own colour the words LIVE AND LET LIVE.
Let the seasons mingle and merge
in a free flowing pattern that beholds their prominence without stamping out
the others relevance. Let sacrifices on either side sow the seed of change and
an alternate way of life and let peace transcend into our inner beings much in
the way of heralding of seasons and His ascension into heaven.
Wish everyone a Happy Holi and a
Holy Good Friday culminating into a Happy Easter and beyond.
Robin Varghese
23rd March 2016
