Haryana, holidays and humour
DESPITE its small geographical size, Haryana has made a great contribution to national life. While its feats in sports are well known, its contribution to the electoral field in the form of ‘Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram’ is not remembered by many. Another popular feature of Haryanvi social life is its earthy humour.
Two political parties (the BJP and the INLD) have written to the Election Commission of India (ECI), seeking the postponement of the Assembly elections in Haryana because the announced date falls between holidays due to festivals, weekend, etc. This makes the ECI’s job very difficult as it has to find three consecutive days on which there are no festivals!
The ECI is, of course, adept at this thing, as shown by what the Chief Election Commissioner said while announcing the Haryana elections: ‘There was heavy rainfall in Maharashtra, so BLOs (booth-level officers) are yet to complete their work. Several festivals had to be factored in, such as Ganesh Chaturthi, Pitru Paksha, Navratri and Diwali. Everything put together, this is what we thought we could handle: two elections (Haryana and J&K) at a time.’
Haryana has a parallel to Pitru Paksha, and there are local festivals — Matri Paksha, Putri Paksha, Poti Paksha, Dohti Paksha, Bahu Paksha and Saali Paksha — in various parts of the state on different dates, depending on local customs reflecting the high status that women have in Haryanvi society. Then there are wrestling competitions called dangal; spurred by the popularity of Aamir Khan’s film of that name, they are now held separately for men and women and follow a very strict calendar, allowing top wrestlers to take part in them, something like various phases of elections which let big names campaign in key locations.
Also, there is the new-found love for travel that Haryanvis have imbibed from Bengalis and Gujaratis. While most residents of Gurugram, Panchkula and Faridabad head to Himachal Pradesh on weekends, particularly the long ones, others descend on these three places to enjoy big-city comforts and privileges. The well-heeled ones, of course, leave for Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Colombo, Kathmandu and Thimphu. Villages wear a deserted look and the chowkidars have to be more alert, if they have not gone to visit their relatives in western Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Rajasthan.
Last but not least, the two political parties have done a great service to Haryana. It could be called a great act of fusion, as in fusion music or fusion cooking. They have combined two major areas of Haryana’s expertise: politics and humour. This is something political cartoonists have long recognised, but to do it in the context of an election is a new high for both activities that are essential to our existence. Humanity should be grateful to them for their demand.
