Tomichan Matheikal's blog

The word became flesh And the flesh was nailed to the cross In a religious ritual On a mount called Calvary. Crucifixion became a ritual.  “Hey Ram!” Called out the flesh that was nailed again and again by owners of The Truth. The cry became the ritual.  “Shed the skin like a snake And regain your new self,” said the Buddha. Becoming snake became a ritual.  PS. Written for Indispire Edition 115 which had already extracted a post from me: Matching Heartbeats .  I'm obliged to write one more post on the theme by the latest posts at Indiblogger.  This is my response to some of the posts which I did not endorse at Indiblogger. #rituals

There has been no human society which did not have some myths and rituals.   Myths and rituals are a kind of psychological defence mechanisms.   Onam, Kerala’s most celebrated festival, revolves round the myth of a primitive king, Mahabali (more affectionately called ‘Maveli’), during whose reign there was no evil in the kingdom.   A kingdom without evil is a fascinating myth.   The associated rituals are meant to bring people closer to one another and to the environment.   Onam stresses on social functions and art performances as well as floral decorations.   But the traditional ways of celebrating the festival have been replaced with modern ways dominated by new rituals.   The high priests of the new rituals are traders of different shades, ranging from the unavoidable supermarket to the redundant jeweller, from the film industry to the television channels.   Onam is no more about equality and fraternity, goodness and generosity.   It is about shopping and entertain

Dussehra was celebrated all over the country yesterday in various ways in tune with regional beliefs.   Today’s [25 Oct] Times of India carries a few interesting headlines in relation to the celebrations. “Filth, stench mar Durga idol immersion,” says one such headline.   “Puja material adds to Yamuna’s woes,” laments another. The devotees of Durga were not aware of the Delhi government’s order that the idols should be immersed only in certain places allotted specifically for the purpose.   Consequently people disposed of the idols wherever they liked.   Along with the idols was also disposed a lot of waste matter including plastic wrappers of food items and empty mineral water bottles.   The much polluted Yamuna was ill fated to carry more pollution than it could ever digest. A question that should necessarily arise in our minds is: why can’t we modernize certain rituals that have become out of tune with the time?   Doesn’t religion require modernisation, renewal, or – in tec