Dussehra: Let's kill the true evil

On the eve of Dussehra, I remember staring up at huge effigies of Ravana (the antagonist in Ramayana) with dewy-eyed awe.  In the black sky, the gaudy drape drenched in yellow paint of jewelry and the big round eyes with fiery intentions would spread an eerie glow in the darkness as if Ravana, lurking over us, had singled me out.  Ah! The adrenaline of the horror.  Ah! The excitement of imminent victory over it!

The next day, the Dussehra, just when my father slumped in relaxation on one of his rare holidays, I, with my sister, would begin pestering him for an annual round of Dussehra viewing.  It simply meant hopping into our new Maruti Zen and going on a morning trip to view all the effigies in the neighborhood, the big ones built in all glory and the amateur ones, a product of local donations, all ready to be obliterated at dusk.  I simply loved it. It was more entertaining than the best film of my favorite star.

The world, the neighborhood and the house, bustled with festive yelps. Even the air was saturated with subtle moisture of sweets and the inevitable celebrations of upcoming Diwali season  (when Rama returns after defeating Ravana).

More than a decade later, on October 24, Indians across the globe once again celebrated the defeat of evil (Ravana) by the paragon of good, Lord Rama.  But things have changed.  No longer do I get excited about Dussehra.   No longer do I feel connected with the celebrations of upcoming Diwali.  Yes, the color is there and so is the sweetness of festive warmth.  But somehow, we have ceased to grow up from our fairytales.

Have we ever pondered that Tulsidas meant to write the greatest epic of good and evil that resides within us and those qualities he bestowed in characters of Rama and Ravana? Maybe Ravana is within us. And so is Rama. But it seems as though our moral weakness has manifested itself in burning pieces of cardboard and gifting the planet with an annual dump of toxic gases. We celebrate as if Ravana is an alien, almost an underworld don being publicly executed.

But I say, let's at least try to kill a Ravana within us. Only then we attempt to rise above the childish acts, float with the good, let the children enjoy the hoopla when we celebrate the true Dussehra!