Rev. Fr. G. L. Khing
Kohima
Like any other religious festivals, Durga Puja is celebrated with great pomp and show. Mother Durga is described as a deity who fought against the power of evil to make goodness and righteousness present in the world. Thus, every Durga Puja is a celebration of the victory of good over evil. Those who partake the celebration are also called upon to destroy the power of the evil in one’s life and in the society.
I had a vivid memory of watching the celebration along with friends below the village. The celebration takes place beside the village pond. The great devotion expressed in drum beats, prayers and singing are sounds of attraction for village children. Therefore, when the time comes for immersing the idols in the river, many children would rush to see the drama not fully aware of the spiritual realm that envelopes the celebration. Lots of coconuts and money used to be thrown together with the idols. It fascinates the spectators all the more.
Yet, the good practices of religion can sometimes be harmful for human habitat and the environment in general. Look around Nagaland. The reputed rivers of the tribe/State will be filled with idols during Durga Puja. Rivers like Dzudza, Dhansari, Chathe, etc will become homes for the Hindu idols. The river may not complain due to its calm nature, but immersing idols pollute the rivers and its surroundings. Many farmers use rivers water or the streams along the river for cultivation. The same water is used for cooking by the cultivators in the fields.We are indirectly falling into the trap of idolatry. Are we spiritualizing ourselves from such holy water? It looks like we are baptizing ourselves from the water that comes from the idols. By this our action becomes Christianly Hindu.
Taking into consideration the whole of Nagaland, let us calculate the number of idols that would be immersed in our rivers. I am sure almost every towns where there are Hindu brethren, there will be celebration along with idols immersion. There are hundreds of towns in Nagaland. This means that there will be hundreds of idols to be immersed in the innocent rivers of Nagaland. It would be plentiful. The rivers will cry in agony. They will shed silent tears. In short, all the rivers in Nagaland will be polluted. This does not sound well to me.
Shall the Nagas continue to allow such pollution to exist? In Lucknow, the river Gomti was found to be adversely polluted by such annual ritual of idols immersing. The water sample in Assam at Kacharighat also shows the ill impact of the practice. Maharashtra pollution Board has formulated guidelines and recommendations for idol immersion. Tamil Nadu has banned immersion of Vinayaka idols in water bodies. The Allahabad High Court had banned immersion of idols in the Ganga and Yamuna rivers in Uttar Pradesh. These few States have taken proper steps for they have realized the ill effects of idols immersion in the water. Hindu dominated States have the courage to implement such rules. Christians in Nagaland are too gentle because their love for neighbour is too large and wide. Our gentleness will only bring faster decay.
Today, most Nagas will know what Durga Puja is. This is not because of their participation but the official declaration of holidays by the Government. Further, some town committees were too kind enough to declare even Sunday as a day of business during Durga Puja. May be they had become another god of the modern age. They are free to declare even Good Friday as a day of business transaction in their respective towns. This may bring down many more blessings of God upon Nagas. Many Naga Christians were against Narendra Modi for declaring Christmas Day as ‘Good Governance Day.’ But no one is against opening of shops and restaurants on Sunday during Durga Puja. Let us keep the Sabbath holy by celebrating Durga puja! I am sure this year Durga Puja will change Nagas forever into spiritual bodies. Even the common practice of spirituality can be twisted by the Nagas. We have become the Raja (King) of our land and towns. But most Rajas are becoming Raja Chillies in the open wounds of the Nagas.
We must respect all religious festivals and celebrations, but no celebration should bring disaster upon the larger community. This calls for equal respect. Our environment should be kept clean so as to breathe and live joyfully. Let us not invite the shadow of death inside our doors by our reckless action.
With much respect to the Hindu brethren, I would kindly request all the municipal committees of Nagaland along with the Nagaland Pollution Control Board to look into this grave matter for the good of the whole Nagas. Our failure will bring greater unfortunate incidents with the passage of time.
