Just a couple of weeks back we celebrated the festival of Janmashtami. Watching all the fun and fervor associated with the festival on the TV across the country, made me nostalgic.
I recalled the days when I was a kid and reveled in the spirit of the festival with same enthusiasm.
Janmashtami was special when I was a kid. It may not be as big as Diwali or even holi, but was close to my heart. One thing and only one thing made it that- the beautiful, handmade Krishna tableau! (Jhaakiya) Just like crackers are to Diwali and gulaals are to holi, tableaux WERE to Janmashtami.
A tableau is a vivid or graphic description of anything. The ones we made back then would basically be a collection of various god’s idols with the main focus on Krishna.
I remember the day before the festival; all the neighbourhood kids would congregate at my place in the evening followed by elaborate planning. First and foremost, the suitable location in the street was identified which always used to be the space adjoining my home’s boundary wall.
Armed with buckets and empty sacks of wheat and rice we would frantically hunt for sand and bricks. The former would form the base of our tableau and the latter, its boundaries.
Under construction houses would be our targets and the goal was to reach and collect the material before the kids from the other blocks. That too in a swift manner so as the chowkidar (guard) is not able to catch us.
After collecting the stuff it would be safely tucked away under the cooler in my verandah and covered with plastic sheets.
The next morning all the kids would again gather at my place and our prized possessions would be taken out. The tableau would officially get under way after it had been decided as to who would bring which god’s idol from his house.
All of us took turns in building as well as spying on the tableaux around our blocks, as to whose was the most striking. The work would be completed by around five in the evening.
For the final touches a cassette player connected with extension wires would be installed inside the tableau churning out one bhajan after another at full volume.
Again, taking turns all of us would take a bath and come back dressed in colourful crisp clothes…except two, a boy and a girl.
The shy duo would be forced to dress as Krishna and Radha and were made to sit on separate chairs right next to the tableau.
By this time the clock had struck six and now began the time to display our whole day’s efforts and also be envious of others work. People from all over the locality in groups would visit each and every street that had a tableau.
Our hardwork would be appreciated by all and the best part was that almost all of them made an offering of a rupee or 50 paisa at all the tableaux- it was definitely the most rewarding thing about the festival.
The blushing Radha Krishna obviously enthralled by their 15 minutes of fame, proudly gave their blessings to people who were their parents age. This process would merrily carry on till a few hours.
Around 8- 8:30, everyone would start having jitters and rush home because of 3 factors.
First, they were hungry and wondered what their mother had cooked for dinner?
Secondly, after dinner the parents would take all of us to the local temples which obviously had tableaux much bigger and spectacular than ours.
Third and the most important factor was, NOBODY wanted to clean up the mess that would be left behind at my gateway, once the tableau was undone.
Only thing they would be interested in was their Krishna idol that they had brought from home.
But, I tried to stop them by arguing that even if one idol is taken away, the tableau would be ruined. This held them back for a few minutes but ultimately, everyone would grab them and dash for their homes.
Ultimately, I along with a couple of my ‘good’ friends did the dirty job.
So, when I take a look around my neighbourhood on the eve of the fest, I realize how things changed so drastically in less than ten years!
It is still celebrated the same way in temples and all with bhajans, raas leelas and dahi handiya all over. But the essence of the festival according to me was those beautiful tableaux built by the children almost all over the city.
One would hardly find a tableau in the city on the eve of Janmashtami today and even if he does it will be in areas dwelled by middle-class or lower middle class.
So, why have the other sections of the society shunned this traditional practice? Well, there are reasons galore.
The kids from well to do families are more technology savvy and would prefer video games and laptops over such things.
They would chat for hours on their laptops but would not like to get his/her clothes soiled just to make a ‘silly’ tableau.
In some localities, the situation is further worsened by the shrinking space on streets due to an influx of parked cars. To find a suitable spot in a street so as it does not disturbs the movement of people on foot or two-wheelers is like finding a river in the middle of a desert.
So, in such a situation, the role of parents becomes very important. They should have an active participation and should encourage the children to indulge in such creative activities.
It is all about initiating, just one of the parents of any kid can gather all of them and inspire and assist them in building a tableau. The kids will just love it and it also encourages teamwork. I can guarantee that.
How am I so sure? Well, that is because similar initiatives were undertaken every year by my father when I was a kid. For me Janmashtami is special because my father made efforts to make it special and a lone reason I am able to write this blog.
So, here’s hoping that the tradition returns with a bang soon and more and more youngsters indulge in such an imaginative and creative activity and build their own interpretation Krishna…with their own hands.
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