Where are We Heading?

A pre-Holi function the other day was an enjoyable experience with old women, all past 60, letting down their hair with bhajans and some bawdy songs about leela with Krishna defying random in-laws etc. 
Suddenly the mood turned sour over two  rather obnoxious issues:
One: whether these traditional holi songs will survive this generation of 60+ women, with daughter-in-laws who subscribe to the current trend of taking off on a holiday during every festival – to avoid all the backbreak that accompanies our festivals. 
Tradition minded sasumas, please note:  the more we cling to our “hamare yahan aisa hota hai”, the more perhaps we alienate our gen next.
Two: at the end of the program, a sentence was slipped in:
that for women, it was a duty to just listen to what was said and to follow it to the letter without asking any questions.
Amazing, is it not?
Unlike the religions of the Book, the Hindu religion has evolved out a questioning spirit down the centuries.  Today, in the age of cutting edge technology that evolves from questioning spirits across the world, many of them our own emigrants, a segment of religion is demanding that no one should question what they chose to lay down.  Who made them the Ayatollahs or the Popes of the Hindu religion? 
I wondered.  Do they even realize that they are trying to metamorph a beautiful religion  into another religion altogether?

It took all the joy out of my Holi.

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