I don't like religious festivals because ugh so much class, caste, discrimination & hate embedded. But I really like harvest festivals even if they aren't of 'my' state. I mean I'm a Tamil speaking Mumbaiker and I don't farm but "Be abundant" is only good, no?

I've moved away from a lot of festivals steeped as they are in religion, the biggest reason for violence & turmoil in my country now. It's a big loss because festivals are a way to affirm your connection to your community. These feel poisoned now.

COVID-19 is making us face fear, deprivation, loss. But how can you think of these and not also their opposite? Bounty, grace, abundance. Also remember, it only feels like abundance when it is shared.

Last year I complained about the noise of Lohri revelers when I learnt that a newly married couple usually celebrates it with extra fanfare. I know the importance of the first Pongal to a Tamilian couple.

A friend told me Lohri was the one Punjabi festival and again, I could relate because that's how a lot of Tamilians think of Pongal - as our own, while the religious ones 'belong' to everyone. Food is so personal to us and so is fertility.

Festivals are important social rituals in bringing a community together & giving us a sense of common purpose. Someone told me that USA adopted certain rituals & festivals to bring together a varied population.

That's why Halloween, Easter and an admittedly commercialised Christmas exist. But India, steeped in rich tradition & ancient history is finding itself stuck and struggling to carry a very heavy past. Religious festivals are double edged swords.

But harvest season in a country that has always been agricultural has nothing to do with what you call God. Lohri in Punjab, Makar Sankranti in and today, Pongal in Tamil Nadu. So many harvest festivals.

All cultures have gratitude rituals to the Earth for fertility, for productivity, for the food we are all privileged to eat. These are some of ours.

Especially in the current times of turmoil, harvest season feels especially important even if one is not a farmer. We all have to eat after all. The ground we are shedding blood over, serves us all.

Today, I just want to be feel the abundance of being a part of this ecosystem at all. I am not a farmer but my little pot of soil expresses my love of all things living and keeps me mindful of bounty.

Happy Onam today and may abundance always find a seat at your table!

A version of this thread is on Instagram here:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B7VZZTAJ4pO/?igshid=1f7aww3zf4vql