During the Vijaya Dashami festivals we had to perform a whole lot of rituals at home. The rituals actually start during the Navratri week, what with books being kept at the puja mantap. And then during ayudha pooja assorted assets are worshipped. I have nothing against rituals except when they are taken a bit too far. I am sure each of the rituals has some symbolism – I wish I knew them. Thank heavens I had my mom with me this time around – she knew the right mantras to say and the right pujas to perform. Which brings me to the topic of what happens to the next generation when it comes to rituals.
People of my generation know the rituals in a half-baked sort of way. I mean I know that during Janmashtami a certain puja is to be performed at night. But dig deeper and I would come a cropper. Frankly, if done well, there is a certain sense of satisfaction in performing these ritals.
I guess my generation did not pick up such stuff from those who knew. I wonder what will happen to the next generation? I would be at a loss to teach my daughter any of the stuff linked to celebrating traditional festivals. I am sure in most parts of India, traditional Hindu celebrations are about having a good time. Absolutely nothing wrong with that. Except that some traditional rituals are well on their way to obsolescence. It is quite like some dialects. Tulu, for example is spoken among a handful of people from Karnataka. The Brahmin dialect of which is spoken by an even smaller number. And as families emphasize on English and learning Hindi/local language that too may disappear in the years to come.
Do rituals need to get passed on from one generation to the other? Is it important? Do tell.
Yes of course and this is where joint family has an upper hand. Every child, when it grows needs to have his/her granny or grandpa so that at least the importance of Ramayana and Mahabharata is passed on if not the rituals. Next, we need to develop a habit of asking questions on these poojas and rituals to the priest/poojaris. E.g why do we throw rice on god? Because it is the purest of the forms on earth etc etc… Once we get these hidden scientific answers, we automatically tend to remember most of the rituals.