The aftertaste of Yaosang is still lingering as we struggle to return to a semblance of normalcy in our daily lives. It’s always a hard one to let go of the good times, but we have to accept reality-however reluctant we may be. And the reality is that with the passage of time, the social views and mores are changing. This is more prominently felt in the way our society celebrates. It has become a norm for every clubs and local organizations to organize sports during the Yaosang festival- a move that can generate interest and create awareness about sports in general and a sense of competition and fair play amid an atmosphere of joy and celebration. But in doing so, the traditional way of celebrating the festival has been changed- gone are the days when as young boys and girls, we wait impatiently for the fire to be lit and burn down the straw shed after which everybody scrambles off for “nakatheng”, followed by play of colours for the next four days. Normal life, especially for the working people comes to a standstill and making merry is the practice. While a few people are put to difficulties as a result, everybody takes things in their stride and grins and bear it, the waste of so many productive days not a thing for concern in our idyllic society. As with many other festivals, the real meaning and significance of the very act of celebrating a particular festival seem to be losing- ‘the festival of colour’ being celebrated by the new generation not with colours but with a show of affluence- speeding around in cars and bikes, with fatal accidents during the festive days peaking to abnormal digits. The essence of these festivals needs to be understood for anyone to enjoy and celebrate it in the right spirit. This is a part and parcel of our endeavor to uphold and preserve our traditions and culture- the way it should be. A huge part of the responsibility lies with the parents and guardians of the younger generation to try and instill the values and beliefs with which these festivals should be celebrated. They are a vital and necessary part of our lives- shaped and determined by various forces and elements. They represent the aspirations and expressions of a particular society- for instance, nowhere else in the country is the Yaosang festival celebrated with such fervor and unrelenting enthusiasm for a full five days as is being done in our state even as similar kind Holi is celebrated. While this works as a conduit for release of tensions and worries of a much pressured and uncertain lives we all are living daily, it should be borne in mind that we should also have an unbiased look at the repercussions or effects of such prolonged and diverted revelry we indulge in as a society. The financial impact- particularly of a society like ours is tremendous. The diversion of the manner of celebration is itself a cause for concern as it holds the risk of the whole symbolism and cause of such celebrations to be lost, getting replaced by a more wanton form of revelry that threatens to uproot the social mores and throw the younger generation into the vice of various physically and morally corrupting habits. It is now the time for introspection and a little soul-searching. It is time to do things in the right
