Vesak enlightenment

Vesak is upon us once more bringing with it all of its faith, fun and freedom. However, this year, like last, is tinged with a sense of sadness that can only be felt through great loss. A year ago we saw unprecedented misery brought forth by rains and floods, while this year the collapse of the Meethotamulla garbage mountain as well as the ongoing drought has left an equally bitter taste. It is in this context that maybe Vesak celebrations need to be looked upon with a more critical eye. 

Many years ago Vesak was celebrated in a more sober manner. The devotees observed ‘sil’ on the specified day and went sight-seeing the following night. It was mainly the pandals that attracted the crowds. Families were seen standing at a convenient stop and listening to the Jathaka story, illustrated in the panels the dialogue coming over the sound system. Although policemen were seen around, they hardly did any crowd control. ‘Koodu’ was not in vogue then except one or two huge ones. As the years went by, ‘olu bakkas’ came on the scene where a few danced on a stage wearing large masks. Musical shows were another item that was introduced later on.

As the years have passed more and more extravagances have been tacked on to the Vesak celebrations, and the question needs to be asked, have we lost sight of what it truly represents? Vesak at its core is the commemoration of the birth, enlightenment, and death of the Buddha, yet in the present day the true message of Vesak seems to have been surpassed in importance by the traditions that we have placed alongside it.

This however is human nature, as many Catholics will tell you with regard to the commercialisation of Christmas, yet it is not an excuse. This year more than most would have been an appropriate year to practice restraint and reduce wastage. A cursory glance on the streets of Colombo however will offer proof that this is hardly the case.

Social media posts have been doing the rounds in recent weeks on ways in which we can reduce waste so that incidents such as Meethotamulla may be mitigated in the future, while others have spoken of reducing water and electricity usage so as to reduce the burden on the CEB. All this though seems to have been put aside and conveniently forgotten in the name of celebrating Vesak – a day quite literally commemorating a man who preached a life of moderation.

But while we may yet be a while away from practicing true moderation, it is not to say that all hope is lost. Sri Lankans, to be clear, are among the most giving and resourceful of people in a crisis, as proved by the timely responses to large-scale tragedies in recent times. However, as the careless extravagances undertaken prove, as a people we are not the most-forward thinking when it comes to comprehending the consequences of our actions. This Vesak, maybe this is something that all of us would do well to enlighten ourselves on.