It is alleged the greatness of a tradition might be present in its festivals, and the richness and variety of India’s cultural panorama is second to none. This consciousness has all the time cloaked me, however I’ve come to understand that I had been taking these festivals with no consideration whereas I used to be in India.

This yr, once we went to our house within the United States, the festive season was about to start and the keenness amongst non-resident Indians was palpable. Ganesh Chaturthi was across the nook and we obtained a number of invites. An alluring facet of those festivities within the US is the passion with which they’re celebrated. Back house, the competition of celebration is decided by the area one lives in, however outdoors the nation, the boundaries blur and we’re all Indians first, and all people comes collectively for all main festivals. Often hosts set a gown code to make the day much more particular.

The two invites we accepted, the ladies had been requested to drape silk sarees and males kurta pyjamas. Sadguru has rightly stated no different tradition on the planet has the number of weaves that India has!

The properties had been fantastically embellished, and Lord Ganpati sat exuding love and blessings from His seat of honor. The girls had been gifted bindis and nostril pins to provide the celebration a Maharashtrian contact.

The devotion with which the puja was carried out was wonderful. The excited banter, sequels of admiration for one another’s outfits, and the posing for footage had been one thing to save lots of. It impressed a pleasure inside me, which stayed with me for a very long time, and I couldn’t assist however surprise that the Indian tradition was all of the extra vibrant away from house.

The Ganesh competition was adopted by Durga Puja, Karva Chauth and Diwali. I ponder whether the climate or being away from house makes the Indian diaspora rejoice festivals with such gusto. Whatever the explanations, it spreads happiness and will increase social bonding. I’ve by no means felt extra Indian than in a overseas land. Not solely do festivals, encourage variety and open communication and dialogue between neighbors, in addition they make us higher individuals.

Mahatma Gandhi, the daddy of the nation, has rightly stated, “A nation’s culture resides in the hearts and souls of its people.” Mera Bharat Mahan!

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The author is a Ludhiana-based freelance contributor