Sanskriti & Sanskar: The Basis of Our Human Life
Culture and traditions are the basis of our life. Without these all money, name and fame and the facilities remain a waste. Our posterity must keep these cultures and traditions alive.
Hence, let us ensure that we are not letting our children deprived of these very fundamentals of our life.
First of all, we should see what we are giving to our kids.
It is said that if you give your children time and traditional values, there is no need to give them anything more. But it is sad to say that a large number of our kids are not getting them all.
Earlier, our mothers used to teach the kids to become a man. They used to say that it is not enough to give birth to a boy or a girl. The main thing is to prepare them for the world. Mothers, grandmothers and aunts used to fulfill their duties.
But today even the caring of the kids is also being outsourced. The working parents are ready to spend money but for taking care of their kids and imparting the Sanskars, they have no time. It really is sad that it does not come under their priorities.
It may be your obligation or liking, nucleus families are increasing in the cities. Today, the regular meeting of the children with their old grandparents is not easily possible as their earlier generation live in old age homes.
Same is the case with the parents as they leave their children in the day care centre. The homes have become lonely and ancient culture virtually ruined. All the costly and decorative belongings are there in the homes.
But the laughter and noise of the kids are fast disappearing from the homes. Really, one feels quite afraid of entering in these houses in day time seeing that they have virtually turned lifeless. If this is the case with the near relations, what to talk of the distant ones?
The net result of this nucleus family is very clearly visible. To exemplify, if somebody returns home after attending a marriage function, he mainly discusses about the shortcoming of the gifts and food served at the event rather than talking of the enjoyment that he has experienced there. The kid sitting nearby hears all this.
In his subconscious mind, the picture of profit and loss in relation to business in the family and social gatherings arise. They form a wrong opinion that their near and dear ones are not associated heart but with mind.
Many parents have left the culture and old traditions considering them as wasteful and time wasting.
Recently, I attended a workshop in a middle school in a cosmopolitan city. I had to tell some stories to the students. I had to tell them and make them understand how small stories control our life.
I made them understand that how we learn and understand through stories.
I was surprised to know that not even a single student told that he/she has ever heard any story from his/her mother. They said they have seen cartoons only on the TV.
They have seen films also. They have read the story of Harry Potter, but never heard any story sitting in the lap of the mother.
Some children revealed that they have separate room to sleep. Naturally, why should they sleep with the grandmother?
Some people were very much surprised that mother and grandmother can live under one roof.
Leave aside the big cosmopolitan cities. Now even small towns also reveal the same story. We are not only left behind the inspiring stories but also deprived of the tradition, ancient culture, our heritage and religious teachings.
As a result, we have also left behind our humane-behavior. The bond between the children and the culture has broken down. They are cut from their families and their own soil.
Frankly speaking, when we talk of language, culture and rites, some people will make faces. Today parents doubt whether their kid will be able to run with the world having these old traditions and cultural values.
Think over. Can a tree live without any routes? For how long it can survive? On the other hand if you have strong routes no matter how poor and illiterate you are, you will survive. For breathing you need air and fresh water to drink to survive.
And frankly speaking, our cultural heritage, our fathers and forefathers are our assets. A boy will be feeling himself strong if he grows up under the guidance of his grandfather or grandmother. He will have that thought that now it is his duty to take care of the grandparents.
The people who consider that children do not need any rites , culture and heritage, they forget that how important is the balanced development of the personality. They do not even want to think that in the absence of these all the worldly belongings, success and prosperity leads you to depression, loneliness and guilt conscious.
This tendency will lead you to commit suicide. These types of examples are found in every city and towns.
The kids update and remember the mobile, internet formulas, but are miles away from the formula of how to lead the life. When they will grow, they will have huge bank balances but the pass book of relations will have nil balance.
The fresh smell of the relations will never reach up to their nose. They will know the smell of perfume only as the smell of life, but they will never be able to smell the coconut oil smell from the hair of the grandmother. They will have the glittering light of halogen bulb but will always miss the dim light of the small lamp kept in the evening at the altar of the Tulsi Plant kept at their houses.
Lastly speaking if you ever have smelled that smell in your childhood, it is your responsibility to make your kid to face it. If ever you have been deprived of it, it is your double duty to make them aware and let them experience it.
These days we all celebrate birthdays of our kids. It has become a fashion. We cut the cake. We blow-off the candles and put the cream on the face of the birthday boy.
We eat the cake at the same time. When we blow-off the candles with our smelly mouth air, it is not at all hygienic. In our Hindu methodology, we used to lit the light, take blessings of the elders and also receive special food in a gathering.
No noise pollutions used to be there. We are blindly following western culture. Try to celebrate the birthday in our traditional way.
If you want to share the joy and take the blessings, go and celebrate it with the orphan children. Go to some old age home. Distribute the sweats there. Spend some time with the old people who are forced to live alone and live isolated.
Remember always try to be connected with your roots. Always try to have the earth under your fee.
– SHARMILA
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