**spoiler alert** I was raised to believe that rituals and customs were essential for achieving peace, purity, and purpose in life. I remember the hou**spoiler alert** I was raised to believe that rituals and customs were essential for achieving peace, purity, and purpose in life. I remember the hours spent in daily prayer, particularly the Sandhyavandanam prayers to be offered thrice a day, which I had to do compulsorily after being initiated as Brahmin through Upanayanam. Then there were the elaborate ceremonies surrounding birth and death, and the deeply ingrained belief that, as a Brahmin, I was somehow closer to the divine than rest of the world.
Until recently, my life was an endless cycle of rites and observances, all in the name of upholding an unbroken tradition—one passed down through generations. But if I ask my elders why these traditions are followed, what do the mantras and rituals mean and if they are relevant today, I am looked upon as a demon seed. I find myself frequently questioning the weight of these customs and whether they truly serve a purpose in today’s world.
I empathize with Praneshacharya, who is torn between upholding the very rituals that grant him status and respect as the elder of the agrahara and the cost of living a life bound by them. The central theme of *Samskara*—the struggle between tradition and personal desire—resonates deeply with me. Praneshacharya’s internal conflict mirrors my own as I grapple with traditions that no longer feel relevant.
**Why in the name of God, do we bind ourselves so rigidly to customs that no longer make sense in our lives?** In a world driven by technology, where knowledge evolves daily, much of what we practice seems outdated—born from a time when survival depended on adherence to strict codes. But where do these customs fit in today?
### Controlling Human Wants in the Name of Rituals
**Why are lust, hunger, and desire—innate aspects of human nature—painted as sinful?** And why is a system that perpetuates inequality not condemned with the same intensity?
Reflecting on my upbringing, I realize how I was taught that these desires were impure—something to be controlled or hidden. Incidentally, Zam from Habibi undergoes a similar experience, learning to suppress and control these desires as he transitions from adolescence to adulthood.
But in *Samskara*, I see them as essential parts of the human experience. They shape us, challenge us, and make us more human.
So why have we been taught to deny them? To bury them in the dark corners of our minds, never to be addressed directly, let alone discuss publicly. And, more importantly, why do we allow the darker aspects of human nature, like caste-based discrimination, to thrive unchecked while branding natural human needs as sins?
### Caste Discrimination: The Overlooked Sin
What struck me most was the hypocrisy in how desires are labeled as sinful. Lust, hunger, and other natural urges are condemned in religious teachings, yet the social system that discriminates based on caste is accepted as normal. Why are these basic human needs vilified, while the systemic oppression of an entire class of people is ignored?
It is strange, isn’t it? Those who are marginalized, treated as lesser, and exploited are seen as ‘other,� while the very systems that systematically oppresses them are justified in the name of tradition, religion, or being closer to the divine. No one stops to question this contradiction. The sins of the flesh are condemned, but the sins of a rigid social structure—one that degrades entire communities—are left unexamined.
**Perhaps this is the real sin—that we, in the name of a higher power, justify inequality and oppression while dismissing the fundamental needs of the human body and soul.**
*Samskara* has made me realize that we must question not just the rituals we follow, but also the systems that inflict harm in the name of tradition. I no longer see value in clinging to customs that suppress natural human desires and perpetuate suffering. True growth, I believe, lies in recognizing the flaws in these systems and finding a more compassionate way forward.
A true Brahmin, perhaps, is not one who blindly adheres to rituals, but one who recognizes the fallibility of these traditions and values human dignity, freedom, and the complexity of the human experience. The path ahead may not be easy, but *Samskara* has taught me an invaluable lesson: **True purity does not lie in the suppression of our desires, but in how we use our humanity to uplift ourselves and others—beyond the labels and rituals we have inherited.**...more
Loading...
