Festivals in Hindu society are combinations of Dharmik ceremonies, rituals, puja, Shobha Yatras, sangeet, nritya, and ‘Sah-Bhojan’ along with Daanam activities of feeding the poor, and other activities of traditional character.
The purpose of these activities is to purify, avert malicious influences, renew society, bridge over critical moments, and stimulate or resuscitate the vital powers of nature (hence the term utsava, meaning both the generation of power and a festival). Festivals refresh the mood of the participants, further the consciousness of their own power, and help to compensate for their sensations of fear and vulnerability. Such mixtures of worship and pleasure require the participation of the entire community and create harmony among its members.
Festivals and the festivities around them have kept Hindu society united and flourishing in spite of continuous attacks from predators and predatory practices from outside and those from within Bharat for several centuries.
But as many have noticed, attacks on Hindu festivals and celebrations, from stone pelting on Hindu Shobha Yatra to attacks on Hindu pilgrims in many locations, to intellectual propaganda, to using the legal system to cause a ban or obstruct Hindu festivals on the name of pollution have risen in the last decade or so. This phenomenon has been on the rise not just in Bharat but worldwide, and Hindu society in general is slowly but surely waking up to this emerging threat to Sanatana Dharma.
In January 2024, team Dharmansh was approached by Hindu Karyakartas on the ground who had identified a few villages in Jharkhand, some in Odisha, and some in West Bengal where poor Hindus are not only deprived of decent living conditions but are often not even allowed to celebrate festivals like Saraswati Puja, Holi, and Maha Shivaratri in their own villages. This had been going on for years to cut poor Hindus from their roots so that they could be then exploited and probably converted to other predatory faiths that are always targeting poor Hindus for conversion.
Children Celebrated Saraswati Puja on Vasant Panchami
Team Dharmansh decided to assist these distressed Hindus in ensuring they have new clothes to wear, their children can perform Saraswati Puja on Vasant Panchami, and they are fed properly. Annadaanam ceremonies were also performed, during which several hundred underprivileged children and the poor were fed with respect and dignity.
The celebration was a grand success. Thousands of Hindu men, women, and their children came together to celebrate Saraswati Puja, worship the Goddess of Knowledge, pray, sing, dance, and eat together. This event energized the neglected local Hindu samaj and significantly boosted their morale.
Project like these will be taken more and more in future by Dharmansh as re-energizing Hindu Samaaj through Festivals and celebrations is something that must be done to sustain Sanatana Dharma and Dharmansh stands with Hindu Samaaj when no one else is standing. That is one of the core principles of Dharmansh USA. We are grateful to all our donors and supporters for their continued support in this endeavor to serve Dharma by serving poor, stressed Hindu Samaaj.