Sunday, May 6, 2001		Article

IN many respects, we Indians still maintain many of the ancient traditions passed on to us , pidhi dar pidhi , in our day- to- day living. Consciously or otherwise, we continue to believe in the validity and purpose of certain norms that got introduced to us many years ago, especially with regard to the concept of fasting. Bharat ka itihaas stands as undeniable evidence that fast and fasting formed an integral part of an Indian’s dharam and kartavya. However, this sense of duty was usually confined to the socio-religious responsibilities performed by an Indian woman. Due to the caste structure prevalent in ancient Indian society, a conventionally traditional woman was expected to indulge in the norm of fasting, as subscribed in the religious testimonials of Hindu philosophy. The exercise aimed at acquiring an approval from the Brahmanical thekedari regarding the overall subdued and submissive existence of the Indian women. In spite of the fact that no religious text made it mandatory for these women to abstain from food, the social conformity and its rigid implementations by the ‘erudite interpreters’ (The Brahmins) of these shastras and smritis’ compelled the Indian women to undertake fasting on a regular basis.

The point of emphasis here is that fasting in itself is not an undesirable exercise but that its conceptual interpretation has been largely restricted to the religious purview of human situations. The notion of fasting should have been more appropriately comprehended and introduced to the public instead of becoming a supposedly imposed norm, primarily for women. It might be of relevance to quote the Mahatma on this, as he certainly had known of its essence, application and utility. Gandhiji begins by defining a fast as , " A genuine fast cleanses the body, mind and soul. It crucifies the flesh and to that extent sets the soul free. A complete fast is a complete denial of self. It is the truest prayer." And regarding the exercise of fasting he says, "Like all human institutions, fasting can be both legitimately and illegitimately used. The weapon of fasting, I know, cannot be lightly wielded. Fasting can only be resorted to against a lover, not to extort rights but to reform him, as when a son fasts for a father who drinks. Mere physical capacity to take it is no qualification for it. It is no use without a living faith in God. It should never be a mechanical effort or a mere imitation. It must come from the depth of one’s soul. It is, therefore, always rare." Now, how many of us have really assimilated this essential meaning of the term and exercised it in accordance with its truest form?

Not many, I am sure. Even today, many of us women misconstrue the ideology of fast and fasting. It still holds the religious sentiment behind the exercise as its only valid point. A more recent addition in terms of the why’s to the tradition of fasting that has a slightly more universal appeal than before is the need to keep physically fit. Both men and women maintain the tradition on a frequent basis to regularise their metabolism and body constitution which then assists them in performing at work in a more focussed a manner. Somewhere down the line its connotation also changes to suit the times and for many it becomes fashionable to inculcate a habit such as fasting. Strangely, what is perhaps one of the most important of our traditions and a discipline in itself, firmly entrenched within the fabric of Indian culture, has come to be associated as a fad. Moreso among those who were its greatest practitioners (Indian women)!

Fast and fasting go beyond the periphery of abstinence of food, they are a way of life, an alternate form of healing, a self-control that energises the ‘within’ to deal with perils of human existence. It must not be conformed to a type, fulfilling just another societal condition.