Parthasarathy Sen
Reference to the article “Balancing the turbulence of change with a little tradition” (June 24). The author of the article has emphasized the utility of various traditions and unity of tradition and transformation for a full and wholesome life, more observed today than ever before, going through the article left me mesmerized.
What constitutes tradition, long established customs and beliefs handed from one generation to another. The family and societal institutions have to play the instrumental role and this is how societies gather identity and model. Not everything in tradition can be good and useful, antiquated things need to be dropped and the real preserved. Jumping into a well may lead to danger of life preferably a dip into a small river may serve the purpose of belief and custom. What should occupy minds is to keep oneself safe at all cost but imbibing the essence of devotion, sacrifice and fulfillment. A recent case in Rajasthan will cause shiver, during Holy Ramzan a man after prayers killed his little daughter as his sacrifice. This amounts to cruelty of the human beast, nothing more in this age of modernity. Ramakrishna Paramhansa, the mystic saint of Bengal had forbidden sacrifice of animals long back and Hindu tradition has departed from such inhumanity, aberrations still continue. From tradition we have to sift the good from the bad, inculcate the young to respect the essence but not to destroy tradition altogether as collective beliefs are important, they provide a balm in times of crisis and makes the individual gather strength and moral courage.
Today we are fast changing taking the name of modernity, in actuality leading selfish lives caring nothing for none and goodness has thus disappeared. Whether the rich, the middle classes and the poorer sections they all exhibit same patterns of behaviour and approach, this dull barrenness needs some relief and we tend to act religion loving without caring for the beauty and words of wisdom embedded in any religion. We need rituals too to give satisfaction to confused and distressed minds. Awareness and consciousness are there but there is no love for oneself and others, the reason being we have fallen in love with money making hook or by crook, our age old decencies and value systems have been ripped apart. Instead of progression in tradition we tend to opt for retrogression and make ourselves neither traditional nor modern.
Life is always in motion and change is must, we cannot afford to remain static. During period of transformation there has to be turbulence and some destruction, whatever happens have to be human and humane, nothing cruel and hatred. We certainly need help of good tradition to fill up lives with love and trust and change for material and spiritual advance. The corruption and venality of the powerful prevents us from being in a state of happiness and without fighting these there can be no proper adherence to tradition and transformation that together can reap dividends as nothing else. Humanity has to choose the right path in this watershed moment if ever there can be love, struggle and merriment.
