Why western festivals win - an urban Indian teenager's perspective

Festivals are an essential part of life. It is where you take a step back and look at the world differently. There are two elements of festivals the paramrtika (transcendental) and the vahvarika (worldly). The average person takes part in festivals for worldly reasons. Festivals act as an important social institution. Festivals build relationships, imbibe values, and take forward traditions.

Do the current festivals fulfill this role for the modernist urban teenager? To engage individuals to step towards the parmartika, you need to entice them with the vahavarika benefits. You can't force teens to engage in festivals anymore. Hindu festivals do not fulfill this role. Suppose Hindus don't meet the space for cupid and other social institutions teens want. In that case, the more proactive forces from the west will takeover. Market Share is essential in the 21st century. Sadly, the youth is investing in myths, rituals, and insertions of the colonizer.

The Hindus with purity tests in their hand lead to the downfall of Hinduism. Something Hindutva needs to avoid. You finding cupid hedonistic is trivial. What is essential is Hindu's control over the social institution and the rituals, the myth, and more surrounding it.

Western Festivals like Halloween, Christmas, NYE, and Valentine's Day allow teens to celebrate with their peers and secret partners without the family's trappings.

The modernist teen tends to look down on their parents, leading them to look down on the festivals/ rituals they part take in with them. Indian teens want to be outside their family supervision, living their secret lives. A similar pattern emerges most teens leaving Facebook and using Instagram, a place where their parents might not be around. The neutral festivals of the west fulfill this role without the trappings of transcendental and rituals.