Introduction

Hindu Culture by nature is integrative and all comprehensive. By proclaiming "(Quotation in Hindi XXXX)", and the like, the Hindu culture saw all beings as a single entity. The Rishis have realised, ages back, the image of the Almighty in all living and inanimate beings. This has been the real strength of our society. It is with this strength of noble idealism that we have survived the onslaughts of alien cultures and ideologies and has absorbed them in our culture. The Shakas, the Huns, the Kushans the Yavans and all others who invaded us were all absorbed in this nation. During the course of history, the strength and capacity of ours got diminished and we were overrun by the barbarious foriengers who invaded us for loot, plunder and their bhog. We suffered under Islamic domination for seven centuries and another three centuries under the British. Both of them tried to erase our culture from this land. During this period of struggle for cultural survival, several weaknesses and evils crept in our society. Due to continuous struggle attention could not be paid to our basic social and cultural values and systems. Life became aimless. The sole aim has been existence.

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Values and Samskars

However, quite a good number of people and families tried to protect the values and samskars. The 16 samskaras from birth to death continued at the individual level. Social attitudes underwent changes. Service attitudes remained as a noble ideal. The institution of family was preserved and this could save our culture to a considerable extent.

We have been celebrating a large number of parvas and festivals of effitural importance with devotion and enthusiasm. This too helped us a lot in keeping up our social and cultural consciousness. The concept of society above self is upheld as a great ideal, although its practice required to be rejuvenated.

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Hindu social consciousness

Today we are politically free in this part of Bharat, but ideologically the impact of the aliens has a hold upon us. Hindu social consciousness and the strength based on the same is not upto the mark as expected under independence. This weak state of affairs is being exploited by the vestieges of the alien rule and the dangerous situation continues.

Several social reformers and organisations with imagination have taken up the cause of reform and rejuvenation. Due to Vishva Hindu Parishad and others, there began a growing confidence among Hindus. A large number of saints and seers too took up the cause and came out of their seclusion and plunged into action in the society. The Ekathmatha Yagna, the Rama Janina Bhoomi Abhiyan changed the mood of the entire Hindu society. But the speed and vigour of progress is yet to rise, to cope up with the growing challenges and activities of the disruptionists and foreign agents.

The festivals and parvas are being celebrated with interruption although there is some adverse effect because of the political atmosphere or economic disparities. Holi Dipawali, Vijyadashami, Raksha Bandhan, Sankranti and the like have a great impact in keeping the osciety intact and in promoting unity and integrity of the nation. The enthusiasm in pilgrimages from Kashi to Ramaswaram, to great centres like Prayag, Tirupathi, Nathadwara, Vaishnodevi, Sabarimalal etc. are on the increase. Special mention may be made of the increasing popularity of kumbhamela, in which Hindus from all over the world take part.

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Our festivals have a theme

Our festivals have a theme and a great continuity with our ithihasa or history. Some of them are associated with nature. Many of them have roots in scientific principles. They are all of great social and cultural significance too. The practice of religious fasts is not only of great spiritual and religious significance but also of essential principles of health and hygiene. Ours is a philosophy of life propounding the omnipresense of paramathma, the immortality of Athma, the principle cycle of births and deaths etc. Our festivals are also an expression of that philosophy. They are very much inter-linked with music, dance, painting, and other arts. Devotion to God and society has been a main theme with many of our festivals. Thus our festivals have been powerful instruments of integration and exponants of unity in diversity.

Celebration of these festivals on a large scale and with the message of our Rishi will be giving us the impetus and smaskers to the society and facilitate early realisation of the goal of national renaissance. This requires, a reorientation in the practice of our festivals, keeping in view the times and requirements. The objective shall have to be integration and social awareness.

So far most festivals are celebrated at the family level or at some limited sectarian or institutional level. The area has to be widened and they should be brought to mass and collective level. Leaders of various sections and communities may be invited to explain the importance and relevance of each festival to the masses. There should be mutual participation in the festivals celebrated by individual sections. For example, a guruparva celebrated in a gurdwara may be attended by all the Hindus. The Buddh and Mahavir Jayanthi and others may be celebrated collectively. Festivals observed by Harijans, Girijans shall have to be extended to all Hindus.

In addition to collective celebration of festivals certain universal practices on the festive and other occasions also would be helpful in promotion of national integration. Tilak Dharana on the forehead, cow worship, hoisting of 'om' and 'Bhagava (Saffrron) flags are some of them.

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Parva Samanvaya

Parva samanvaya Vibhag has taken up such activities in various provinces and the results have been heartening. Masses should be encouraged to extend this trend, so that negative and restrictive attitudes are eliminated and positive attitudes are promoted and the oneness of the Hindu society which includes Buddha, Jaina, Sikh, Valmiki, Aryasamaj etc. is realised and experienced by the masses.

In about a dozen states Hindu parva samanvaya samithis are already formed. In U.P. district samithis are also formed. At Bhagyanagar (Hyderabad) this objective of collective celebration has been realised through celebration of Genesh Navarathri and Nimajjan every year, in which 6000 idols, from all corners of the city are worshipped and taken in a huge procession for immersion. More than 25 lakhs of people belonging to all castes creeds and sections have taken part in the latest celebration. In Delhi, Valmiki, Mahavir, Ram Lila and Sri Ram Navami are being celebrated in a similar manner. Similar programmes are planned in M.P., Gujarat and Rajasthan,. This trend should be encourged all over the country for realisation of unity in diversity and integration.