In the words of an eminent scholar Burke, “Man is by constitution a religious animal” and that makes

him loving, humane and sociable. Festivals are primarily on pious occasions and are associated with
religious ceremonies but the third millennium has witnessed a degeneration of the merrymaking due
to commercialization.

A new range of products, garments, fashion accessories, cars and a horde of other products and
services target major festivals to gain commercial mileage. They induce us to purchase and the
consumption culture has eroded away the compassion and fellow-feeling that usually accompanied
Durga Puja, Dipawali, Christmas and so on.

Religious rites and customs have taken a back seat to show of purchasing power. People spend more
on decorative lights than on ‘diyas’. Carol singing is gradually being replaced by commercially
sponsored Christmas Ball and ‘dhunochi’ dance of the Durga Puja is yielding to local ramp walking.
The ‘dandiya’ of Navratri was meant to please Goddess Durga but sadly the dandia is now fuelled by
film songs and hip-hop. The spirit of each festival and the cultural ethos are being gradually but
certainly hijacked by mega corps and their over-doze of consumerism.

Commercialization and consumerism have penetrated so seep into our psyche that we hardly take
time to think beyond ourselves. Festivals were always a time for family reunions and social visits. We
now send e-mails and cards and hardly have the time to celebrate festivals with our near and dear
ones.

Such changes are eating into the social fabric and are gnawing into the meat of being human. In other
words festivals have now been reduced merely to carnivals and celebrations, but the piety and cultural
enrichment is losing ground. There is an urgent need for us to introspect in order to decide demarcate
the delicate balance between spirituality and materialism.