ASSIGN A FIXED DAY FOR BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION OF THAKUR AND MA
The birthdays of Sri Ramakrishna and Sri Sarada Devi ought to be celebrated annually as per their original birthdays in line with the English calendar so that the people in general may be well aware of the day in advance. This will significantly help in the popularisation of the movement as opposed to the current trend of celebrating these days on the shifting tithis as per the lunar calendar of the land which bypasses the attention of the people so often. Let both the days, the tithi and the fixed birthday, be celebrated from now on as is the case with the celebration of Swamiji's birthday. The National Youth Day marks his original birthday and the shifting tithi marks the day assigned for reverential remembrance of him along classical Hindu lines.
Ever since the Government of India has declared Swamiji's original birthday as the National Youth Day, the day has gripped the public imagination and has gone on to serve the cause of Swamiji much better. In line with this let the Ramakrishna Matha and Ramakrishna Mission declare the original birthdays of Thakur and Ma, too, as days when general celebration will be conducted. The days being known in advance, the people at large will be able to participate better on the said days. I know very well that the counter argument will be posited that those who are interested will take the pains to call up the Mission to be informed beforehand about the tithi puja days but this is not a very valid argument considering the stature of the personalities involved and their vast following beyond the realm of the immediate initiated devotees which is but a tiny fraction of the body politic of followers. What has been suggested here should not interfere with the traditional tithi puja as has been mentioned clearly and will only go on to serve the awakening of mass awareness and consequent mass support for the movement. As such, it is an imperative today and the Mission authorities would be well advised to heed this urgent requirement of the times.
Imagine what would have happened to the celebration of Christmas had there not been assigned a fixed date of the year for the purpose. This universal appeal of Christmas has a lot to do with this assigned date of the year for its celebration and it is well worth necessary to consider whether it ought to be done for the birthday celebrations of Thakur and Ma as well.
For Christmas devotees across the world are ready in advance owing to their prior knowledge of the date but for Buddha Purnima or Guru Purnima or any other Indian religious festival we are never in a position to have any prior intimation of the dates in general unless we are very much into gathering such data either from the concerned religious sources or the internet. As such, a collective vast awareness never quite develops regarding this and the consequence is a relative lack of knowledge among the general public as to who Sri Ramakrishna is and who Sri Sarada Devi is, a state that may be easily amended by making celebrations a little more regimented and orderly while carrying on with the regular tithi puja on the days allotted for them as per the almanac.
Sri Ramakrishna and Sri Sarada Devi belong to the whole world and not specifically to a few initiated devotees of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission. Their birthdays are universal occasions and need a universal treatment as well as a specific treatment as stated. Only then will justice be done to the cause and the spread of the movement accelerate. May good sense prevail in both idealistic terms as well as terms practical!
Jai Ramakrishna ! Jai Ma!
Written by Sugata Bose
The birthdays of Sri Ramakrishna and Sri Sarada Devi ought to be celebrated annually as per their original birthdays in line with the English calendar so that the people in general may be well aware of the day in advance. This will significantly help in the popularisation of the movement as opposed to the current trend of celebrating these days on the shifting tithis as per the lunar calendar of the land which bypasses the attention of the people so often. Let both the days, the tithi and the fixed birthday, be celebrated from now on as is the case with the celebration of Swamiji's birthday. The National Youth Day marks his original birthday and the shifting tithi marks the day assigned for reverential remembrance of him along classical Hindu lines.
Ever since the Government of India has declared Swamiji's original birthday as the National Youth Day, the day has gripped the public imagination and has gone on to serve the cause of Swamiji much better. In line with this let the Ramakrishna Matha and Ramakrishna Mission declare the original birthdays of Thakur and Ma, too, as days when general celebration will be conducted. The days being known in advance, the people at large will be able to participate better on the said days. I know very well that the counter argument will be posited that those who are interested will take the pains to call up the Mission to be informed beforehand about the tithi puja days but this is not a very valid argument considering the stature of the personalities involved and their vast following beyond the realm of the immediate initiated devotees which is but a tiny fraction of the body politic of followers. What has been suggested here should not interfere with the traditional tithi puja as has been mentioned clearly and will only go on to serve the awakening of mass awareness and consequent mass support for the movement. As such, it is an imperative today and the Mission authorities would be well advised to heed this urgent requirement of the times.
Imagine what would have happened to the celebration of Christmas had there not been assigned a fixed date of the year for the purpose. This universal appeal of Christmas has a lot to do with this assigned date of the year for its celebration and it is well worth necessary to consider whether it ought to be done for the birthday celebrations of Thakur and Ma as well.
For Christmas devotees across the world are ready in advance owing to their prior knowledge of the date but for Buddha Purnima or Guru Purnima or any other Indian religious festival we are never in a position to have any prior intimation of the dates in general unless we are very much into gathering such data either from the concerned religious sources or the internet. As such, a collective vast awareness never quite develops regarding this and the consequence is a relative lack of knowledge among the general public as to who Sri Ramakrishna is and who Sri Sarada Devi is, a state that may be easily amended by making celebrations a little more regimented and orderly while carrying on with the regular tithi puja on the days allotted for them as per the almanac.
Sri Ramakrishna and Sri Sarada Devi belong to the whole world and not specifically to a few initiated devotees of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission. Their birthdays are universal occasions and need a universal treatment as well as a specific treatment as stated. Only then will justice be done to the cause and the spread of the movement accelerate. May good sense prevail in both idealistic terms as well as terms practical!
Jai Ramakrishna ! Jai Ma!
Written by Sugata Bose
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