Ram or Raavan

On this auspicious day, I wish all my readers and blogger friends happy dussehra. Many of us are busy with the traditions and puja today. In our nation we believe that this occasion marks the victory of good over evil so we burn the effigy of Raavan on this day. But what about the evil within?

Every year we hope for better governance, better relationships, better job promotions, overall a better life. We want our children to be safe and healthy. What do we do to ensure that these wishes come true? Apart from hard work at our office and home front, we also invest a lot of time and money in worshiping God. Every time something goes wrong we either blame others or we blame God.

By burning Raavan we believe that all evil will come to an end. Raavan made some wrong choices which led to his destruction but he was not completely evil. He also did some good things for his people and his country. Yet we symbolize Raavan as complete evil. In that case there is evil in all of us when we say bad things about others, when we fail in doing our duties, when we ignore our loved ones, when we gossip, when we litter, when we fight and so on. For once, why don’t we celebrate this amazing festival by accepting that we all have a Raavan inside of us which needs to be burnt everyday so the Ram within us stays alive.

Let us pledge today to forgive ourselves and the people who have wronged us. Let go of the negative thoughts that ultimately lead to diseases in our own bodies. Accept that it is okay to be angry sometimes but we should also be modest enough to apologize for the mistakes that we make. While the Government does its work, let us also contribute by doing our bit in maintaining hygiene in our surroundings, helping people in distress, raising our voice against bullies, equipping our children with confidence and faith. Most importantly, if each one of us is honest in their relationships and at work then there will be no need of burning Raavan. Instead of thinking about how to burn Raavan let us focus on keeping Ram alive within us everyday.