Culture cannot be separated from religion

Dear Editor,

In his comments appearing in the letter column of Stabroek News on March 10, regarding the letters of Ms Shivanie Rampersaud and Mr Sharma Solomon on Phagwah, Mr Devanand Bhagwan mentioned, among other things, that, “Holi (Phagwah) is a cultural celebration, not a religious one,” and, “there is little religious significance in the celebration of Holi.” He then proceeded to give a lesson on the origin and use of the words ‘Hindu’ and ‘Hindustani’ (‘Phagwah is a cultural rather than a religious celebration’).

Whether Phagwah is the name of the festival in the Bhojpuri districts of the states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, and is called by ‘Holi’ in the remaining parts of India, is of little or no significance to Hindus in Guyana. Mr Bhagwan is clearly nit-picking.

Guyanese Hindus have ‘re-invented’ many of the festivals and religious observances brought by our forefathers from India, making them uniform throughout Guyana, and giving them newer and more sublime meanings and significance. That these are celebrated in different ways in different parts of India does not diminish us in the least. Whether it is called Phagwah, (from the Month of Phalgun), or Basant Utsava, (Spring Festival), or Holi, (from the burnt offering, Hola, in the sacred Fire), they all refer to the same thing. Hindus in Guyana do not care and are not bothered in the least.

Mr Bhagwan mentioned that, “there is virtually no reference to the Hindu New Year by Hindus when they celebrate Holi in India, (in the sense that Chinese acknowledge their New Year).” This may be the case in India. But believe me, the case is different in Guyana. Every Guyanese Hindu knows that Phagwah marks the beginning of the Hindu New Year; the name of the year is even mentioned in every calendar. Moreover, the Pandit mentions this name when reciting the Samkalpa (Resolution) before commencing every ritual.

Mr Bhagwan has unwittingly concluded that “Ms Rampersaud ought to have given the description ‘Indian festival,’ as opposed to “Hindu festival.’” Mr Bhagwan has become ‘enlightened’ since taking up residence in India. Ms Rampersaud was quite in order. Phagwah is a Hindu festival. It is not embraced by Christians and Muslims of Indian descent.

Mr Bhagwan also stated that, “Holi (Phagwah) is a cultural celebration, not a religious one.” What is religion? What is culture? If my memory serves me right, ‘religion’ is derived from the Latin ‘religio’ – religare, meaning ‘to bring or bind.’ Any act or discipline which brings back or binds the soul to God is religious in nature.

‘Culture’, according to the Oxford Dictionary of Word Histories, is derived from the Latin cultura, ‘to tend, to grow, to cultivate.’ So, we have agri-culture, horti-culture, aqua-culture, etc. In the Middle Ages it was ‘cultivation of the soil.’ It later developed into ‘cultivation of the mind, morals, etc.’ According to the Thesaurus, it is an ‘elevation, improvement and refinement’ of a person. Isn’t this what religion seeks to promote?

During Phagwah or Holi, we sing Chautaals, (praise of God), attend Mandir, (prayer), make offerings of food-grains, (Thanksgiving), visit homes and partake of sweetmeats, (expression of love), smearing each other with colours, (becoming one with Mother Nature), reading the story of the devotee Prahalad’s unwavering faith in God’s saving power and the ultimate destruction of his evil father, (ultimate triumph of good over evil). Are these acts religious or cultural?

Where does culture end and religion begin? Hinduism does not see a distinction between the two. Our songs (Bhajans) and dances, our food and drink, our fasts and festivals, our rituals and ceremonies are all meant to take us closer to our Bhagwan. (No pun intended). Ask any Hindu and he/she will tell you, “This is our religion.”

Culture cannot be separated from religion.

Yours faithfully,

Pt R Balbadar