Halloween

This is with regard to the celebration of Halloween. This is a Christian ritual and is celebrated for remembering the dead. I don’t have any concern when it comes to celebrate the X-MAS. However for Halloween, kids are so young to digest the sad and gloomy celebrations. They have a very fertile brain and we should try to sow the seeds of happiness and joy.

Hindus also remember their ancestors in Pitra-paksh but it is only through puja. None ritual involves to decorate the apparels like a deceased one or ambiance like a ghost den. A negative thought is more dangerous than an infectious food. It will grow in the curious, fertile and delicate brains of the kids. Moreover, the more sincere the kid is the more exponentially thoughts will multiply.

We, humans easily gets attracted to negativity and that’s the reason horror movies are produced, music is composed and it does sell. Thought provoking gory visuals and deadly serene music contain great psychological impulses. That’s the reason the music of famous song ‘Gumnaam hai koi badnaam hai koi’ trills the brain and causes even body to resonate sometimes. This is intentionally composed to have this effect. But do we want our kids to give this effect? We all know music and smell occupy the most rigid and indelible memory locations of the brain.

Now a days, I am observing that some cartoon channels also showing Bhoot uncle etc. No Bhoot can be portrayed without discussing the dead no matter even if he is a friendly Bhoot uncle. But if we recall, come what may Tom and Jerry never died even when they were crushed by a heavy vehicle. Nobody died so far in Chota Bheem, a very popular program on Pogo. The simple reason is, the moment 'death' is introduced there will be lots of emotional questions that nobody wants his/her kid to ask.

Since there is no existence of Halloween without discussing dead or invoking the curiosity of kids to extreme end of life, I would request you not to celebrate this. Let them be mature enough to face the hard reality of life. So far as awareness is concerned, it is OK if they don’t know what Halloween is and why and how it is celebrated.     

- Amit Roop