Chhatarpur (Madhya Pradesh): Bageshwar Dham’s Dhirendra Shastri has raised concern over what he described as growing indecency in Garba and Dandiya celebrations during Navratri on Tuesday.
He said that while Garba and Dandiya are an important part of Indian tradition, performing them in short clothes, with the wrong intention, or only for making reels and photos does not bring the blessings of Goddess Durga.
Hear him speak below :
Maharaj explained that Garba should surely be held, but it should not make fun of Indian culture or the glory of the Goddess. He appealed to the organisers to allow entry in Garba pandals only to those boys and girls whose clothes are proper and decent.
Clarifying his point, he said this does not mean that his thinking is small, but that traditions must be respected.
He also recalled that in the past he had appealed for sprinkling cow urine at the entrance of Garba pandals and stopping the entry of non-Hindus.
Following those remarks, several pandals had even put up banners restricting the participation of people from other religions.
Maharaj again said that just as Hindus do not take part in the festivals of other religions, people of other faiths should also not attend Hindu religious events.
He added that Sanatanis themselves make more fun of their own religion than anyone else. “During Navratri, people keep chanting the name of Durga for nine days, but on the tenth day, they drink liquor and eat chicken. This is the biggest irony,” he said.
