For most practising Hindus in South Africa, the months of August and September denote religious and spiritual practices accompanied by righteous living and purity within the context of Hindu Dharma.
The implementation of these concepts and lifeways have varied meanings for each individual. The general perception of righteousness and purity within Indian South African communities refers to the consumption of vegetarian foods only, which is often practised during these holy months and on days of unique festivals and to refrain from improper and inappropriate behaviour such as unnecessary gossip, criticisms, and the varying ways of dishonesty.
Scriptures and priests often emphasise the importance of positive thoughts, which must be void of ills when performing these spiritual practices.
Over the month of August, South African temple communities initiated collective prayers and gatherings to celebrate Hindu festivals in the holy month of Shravan. Post the pandemic, families are attending these festivals to participate in revering the almighty through the rendering of sacred scriptures and songs of worship and praise.
Children of various Hindu temple organisations too were involved and spent months reciting and perfecting spiritual hymns in one of our many Indian vernaculars. It is admirable that we as an Indian South African community make every effort to uphold traditions and Hindu religious practices 160 years after initial Indian immigration to South Africa.
As a committed temple goer, I witnessed the excitement this year as families attended these celebrations after two years of web and or virtual festivals due to social distancing regulations of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The eve of August 19 marked the birthday of Lord Krishna, and celebrations took place at almost every temple in South Africa. These festivals were observed and revered, but not without unspoken contradictory practices amidst us.
The lack of cognisance of thoughts that should ideally be void of all ills is a habit that is still rife. The tendency for temple goers to engage in unnecessary gossip and criticism and use inappropriate words at our places of worship is ongoing.
In addition, temple visits for some have become a dress up competition, where women eye each other's choice of traditional wear and discuss if the garment style and colour compliment the body shape and complexion of another (body shaming).
Then the elderly aunties search for possible life partners for their children. They pinpoint, discuss and ratify which child belongs to whom. Often, this behaviour takes place whilst religious recitals take place throughout the evening.
The next day, these very women feel pleased about their efforts for the spiritual celebrations of Lord Krishna's birthday, which they prepared and managed all by themselves. After all, most of us went to work, upheld our responsibilities to our children and prepared a tasty vegetarian meal for our families. We also cleaned and prepared the prayer utensils at home and cooked a sweet delicacy (prasad) for the ritual offerings.
We then took our families to the religious festivities held at our local temples. The symbolic essence of all these practices is to pay tribute to Lord Krishna, acknowledge his divine omnipresence, and revere our Hindu mythology.
In most Hindu homes, our male partners play a minimal role in this annual ritual. They managed to bathe and attend to the instructed ritual at home. Yet, the aunties choose not to complain about the lack of commitment and interest their husbands have in the upkeep of their religious and spiritual traditions. Still, they decide to body shame another woman.
A conversation that intends to modify patriarchal traditions within the Indian South African community would be far more purposeful.
We cannot wholly eradicate habits such as gossip and body shaming of other women, but if we must converse, let's opt to be mindful so that we can positively impact society.
In light of woman's month, I encourage my sisters to vocalise and prioritise conversations that can slowly eradicate patriarchal patterns of patriarchal behaviour patterns.
Amidst a globalised modern society, I have to ask, why are we women still encouraging patriarchal lifeways? Changes that empowered the Indian South African women have also empowered the Indian South African men. They now have wives that are breadwinners, excellent homemakers, chefs and parents. In most of our homes, our husbands are the breadwinners and parents only. They occasionally choose to be involved in sharing household chores and daily food preparation. Meanwhile, we are doing it all.
Our traditions and religious practices can still be maintained even if we strive for new social norms that are less patriarchal. Hindu traditional and spiritual tasks can become family-orientated activities and can therefore be pivotal in ensuring that our Indian heritage is still sustained in a globalised South Africa. The critical consideration is that our daughters and sons will have an opportunity to unlearn practices closely aligned with assigned gender-based roles and identities.
Dr Sheetal Bhoola has a PhD and two MA degrees in the social cciences. She is a lecturer, researcher and a freelance writer. Bhoola has been the recipient of both awards and academic scholarships throughout her career. www.sheetalbhoola.com