Flights Of Fantasy
[ M Panging Pao ]
September and December are the festival months of India. Starting with Vishwakarma Puja, Durga Puja, Diwali, Kali Puja, Muharram, Janmashtami, Christmas, New Year celebrations, clan/family picnics, etc, the puja/celebration season seems to be never-ending.
Even in our predominantly tribal state and region, these festivals are celebrated with pomp and gaiety. These festivals are marked with well decorated and lighted pandals displaying decked up idols of different gods and goddesses. Singing of hymns, kirtans, festive music, carols, etc, mark these days. Most people come out in their best dresses, and shopping is frenetic during the festive season. Most streets are marked by various stalls selling jalebis, mala rotis, pakodas, balloons, toys, etc. During these festive days, musical nights and cultural shows are organised late into the night.
For most Arunachalis who depend on outsiders for most jobs, many works and projects are held up due to workers going back home during the festive seasons. Many projects are slowed down or stalled during these days. During these days, alternative arrangements must be catered for by project managers.
Being a diverse country with many religions, castes, races, and tribes, in total there are about 17-18 gazetted holidays and about 30 restricted holidays per year in our great nation. Additionally, there are 52 weekends in a year, amounting to about 52 x 2 = 104 holidays (Saturdays and Sundays). Then many employees are entitled to add prefixes and suffixes to earned/casual leaves. In addition, there are many bandhs and strikes enforced by many organisations and groups. These days there is also a preponderance of mega festivals and central festivals of different kinds, many of which last for many days.
Any logical reader would realise that there are too many holidays and non-working days in our nation and state. In may be safely concluded that there are about 140-150 holidays or non-working days per year in India – almost 40 per cent of the year are holidays. As per many reports, India has the third highest number of gazetted holidays in the world.
However, all work and no play makes jack a dull boy; therefore festivals should be enjoyed by all means. There should be a rationalisation of the numbers of holidays or non-working days in our state. With so many less working days or productive days, can we aspire to be a superpower? Should there be so many holidays? (The contributor is retired Group Captain, Indian Air Force)
