BHAGNAVASHES
We grew up on stories from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. And when we didn't enjoy those
stories, our grandparents put us to sleep with bedtime stories of kings and queens, their beautiful
palaces, secret doors, clandestine chambers, and hidden tunnels, stories of distance places and
people. They imaginatively transported us to a land of adventure and sweet dreams. But this is no dream – this is our reality, and reality is rather different from make-belief stories. There are palaces in our reality too, temples, mosques and churches as well. However, these structures are mostly in ruins today and we are struggling to save them.
I wonder why there is such a sense of apathy when it comes to our heritage. These ancient
structures were so well engineered that people still marvel at their craftsmanship. How, then, are
we allowing these fascinating creations to reduce to rubble in front of our eyes? We have no
control over natural forces of destruction but what about the man-made ones? Given the rate at
which these wonderous creations are getting destroyed, there will soon be nothing left for future
generations to look and marvel at, to study and learn from.
For instance, almost every Hindu family has idols of various gods at home. These gods are
worshipped regularly. But we are never quite told how and why temples were built for these
gods. We arenot aware of how well-engineered those grand structures were. We do not even
know why we need to go to temples for worship.
Hence, I have a bone to pick with our society. We celebrate so many festivals around the year in
this country. Why do we celebrate them? What if we chose not to?
I am not sure if people have put too much thought into this. Some, of course, argue that these
celebrations generate income and give a boost to our economy. If that is, indeed, true, we could
find a solution to the problem of unemployment in the celebration of these festivals. One of the
biggest festivals in this country is Dussehra. And perhaps the rest of the country is not aware of
the scale on which Dussehra is celebrated in West Bengal. An enormous amount of money is
spent each year in our state for Dussehra. What if these fundswere invested in building temples
instead? Would those structures not have been more permanent, leading to steady income
generation down the years? I believe that would help people be more at peace. It would also help
us leave behind a legacy that future generations will be able to learn from. We will be able to
promote love and tolerance and find answers to many of our problems. Just as we take pride in
being Indians, we need to take pride in our cultural heritage. It is our responsibility to safeguard
this heritage so that it is not entirely razed to the ground. Simultaneously, we need to take the
initiative to build new structures to leave behind a new legacy for the next generation. If we are
ready to create concrete jungles that have no uniqueness or sense of cultural identity, we should
also, as citizens of this nation, be able to build temples, mosques, and palaces. That way, in a few
hundred years from now, we shall not be lookingat these sad ruins and sighing in despair.
