Our Rituals , Our Shackles ??

Today I am going to write about some subject which does not have any relevance with me own but it’s some thing to do with people who are very near to me. I am going to mention about fasts, today I read in one of the articles in news paper calling fasts or vrats as the shackles of our beliefs and rituals tied by our ancestors carried by us till date . Well , this actually made me think about it are the fasts really so called shackles for us, are the rituals have bound us to starve ourselves in a hope to fulfill our wishes .

Hmm !! may be !!, at first I also agreed with these people and thought that actually there are no certain reasons behind why we fast except few stories and causes that we listen on the day of fasts and vrats . But that following night only
( Karvachauth night ) I called my mom to ask about her health as she might had fast for the whole day and asked her if she is alright and beyond my all expectations she was sounding much more than alright , she said yaa , we just had food . you know your father too tried to not to have anything for whole day but as usual he could stay hungry , so in market he had something but quite honestly called me and told "hey !! I am really sorry, could not stay hungry , I promise I tried my best" and after that my mom laughed her life out, also she told about the gift which papa bought for her as a karvachauth ritual .My mom fasted whole day, she did not have any thing since morning but that hunger was nothing in front of all these joys that she found in all small things. As in this was not the first time papa had bought some thing for mom or ate outside, but nothing could make her as happy as she was this time.
After talking to her something forced me to think that may this is the main purpose of festivals of rituals, to keep people together, to give them a chance of showing their loved ones that they care for them. In teej , when women need to fast and they get gifts from their mother’s place called mayka, the simple bangles make them so happy , all women of the house gather and have food together , they talk chat and do all sort of gossips, is this is not the purpose of this festival to bring all these long separated people together , to give them a reason to talk to each other .
May be our ancestors knew about the approaching fast life and the consequences thereafter. May be they knew that people won’t have time to even wait for some time and say hi to each other, so then why not make some occasions that will force them all to come together and talk and take care of each other. I am not saying that care is not there, it is there, love is there, concern is there but what is not there is time and realization to express it all. This is what makes life monotonous and people feel alone even after having every one around them. When all this is real part of our life , the festivals or our so called shackles give us a chance to keep our busy life style on side and think about others for once . Shackles yups may be, but no to bind rather to tie you up, after all human is a social animal and love has got no virtue until and unless expressed