A glance
at the surroundings today will only make us marvel at the ‘festivities of
creation’ that Mother Nature has begun celebrating! Spring is at our doorsteps.
The cyclic pattern on seasons is over, and it is time for a new beginning,
starting today. What could be a more fitting start to the New Year, than to
witness trees in full bloom and wake up to Sunrise after new moon? Indian folk
tried to imbibe this very ‘spirit of creation’ and hence today is celebrated as
the first day of the Hindu Calendar Month of Chaitra i.e. Gudhi Padwa.
Following
the vast changes India underwent as a nation over centuries, this day has
several other attributes and reasons to be celebrated as the New Year Day!
Chaitra Shu. Pratipada, as it is referred to, finds mention in vintage
scriptures of our land. According to the ‘Brahmapurana’ it was this day that
Lord Brahma created the universe, and the ‘Satyayuga’ began. Likewise, it is
also believed that Vishnu, salvaged the earth off ‘Pralaya’ or the great
catastrophe, by reincarnating as a fish, his first among the ten ‘Avataras’.
According to the Ramayana, it was today,
that Lord Rama returned back to his kingdom of Ayodhya after a victorious battle
against the dark forces of Ravana; and people welcomed him by erecting ‘Gudhis’
or staffs atop their houses.
Maharashtra, owes the ‘Shalivahan’ kings a great debt for
many of its cultural embellishments. It is believed that the Shalivahan Kings
celebrated their victory over enemy forces by starting ‘Shalivahan Shak
Sanvatsara’ or their own calendar on this day around 78AD, which till date
finds mention in Lunar Calendars across Maharashtra as ‘Shalivahan Shakey’. To
cut a long story short, Indians have always believed in ‘creation of new’ as the
deed closest to divinity. And it is in celebrating the beckoning of this
spirit, that Gudhi Padwa attains its special status as one of the most
auspicious time frames of the year. India has always been an agrarian country.
By spring time, the Ragbi crops are harvested and it is time to prepare fields
for the new season come monsoon. Hence, Gudhi Padwa also finds a special place
in the majority agrarian population of the country
The festivities for today largely involve a practice of
erecting a long bamboo staff or ‘Gudhi’ outside one’s home. This staff or
‘Gudhi’ is in fact a manifestation of a victory flag hoisted after the
Shalivahan Kings emerged victorious over their enemies. It was because
Shalivahan dynasty that dominated the landscape of the then Maharashtra, that
the tradition of hoisting colourful Gudhis became so popular all over the
state! Another folklore suggests that Gudhi is in fact a thanksgiving to Lord
Brahma for creating this universe and is also referred to as ‘Brahmadhwaja’ or
‘Brahma’s Flag’ i
The structure of the Gudhi is quite simple – a long
Bamboo staff, adorned with a green or bright coloured silk, decorated with the
new leaves of Mango & Neem, a garland of colourful flowers ornamented with
sugar candy. This decorated staff is
then hoisted outside one’s home to celebrate the beginning of the New Year! The
fresh green colours of leaves atop the bamboo staff could be Man’s version of
replicating the splendour of spring in his own timid way. Nature is the epitome
of design, and it is in alignment with natural orders that the process of
creation becomes seamless. The ‘Prasada’ or offering for the day is neem leaves
and sugar candy – a combination of sweet and bitter tastes, which is to
symbolise that every new year comes with its share of happiness and sorrows and
that we should be able to take both in the same stride and march ahead.
Indian festivals are a perfect conglomeration of morals,
values all aesthetically blended so well! Gudhi Padwa, being the first for the
year, stands as an emblem of ‘Spirit of Creation’
Spring, which begins today, is in itself a symbol of
radiance, opulence and happiness, virtues of a perfectly blended ‘Creation’!
The idea behind replicating Mother Nature’s glory is not just to recreate the
splendour in our own timid way, but to in fact imbibe the true values behind
the process. The idea behind writing
this blog is to convey a thought, “Let us try and step out of our burgeoning
lives to also imbibe in ourselves a ‘sense of creation’, which is also a source
of happiness and radiance”
Here’s wishing all our readers happiness and prosperity
along with immense spirit of creativity on this auspicious day of ‘Gudhi
Padwa’!
Saleel Savarkar - +91-9823900318
Anuja Jogdeo +91-8975767599
No comments:
Post a Comment