Tek a drink fuh pagwah
Phagwah morning. The first house after the service finish at the mandir. The jhandhi flag was there... and close by, the table with the vodka and rum on it with the bowl of ice. I was fed up, the year before one of my relatives wanted to kill his parents on Phagwah Day.
Other memories of people who were drunk.. and being scared of people who might seem 'funny' who switched into violent behaviour.
One of the opinionated Hindu men who used to give lectures at the mandir about everybody and so on.. was taking his drink. I hollered on him.. what example was he setting.. nuff people vex with me.. how could I talk to a big man like that.
Same day we were singing at another place.. with a shop.. which was not closed and alcohol was being sold.. I lost my train of thought when I thought of the letter I had written because some Carib was sponsoring a Phagwah Celebration event. After the letter, the event's name was changed. But it was pointless,, because there are Hindu people who profit from the misery inflicted on Hindu families.
That was the last day I played Phagwah.
Phagwah is one of the interesting Hindu Festivals which people are not sure whether it is religious or cultural.. though in Hinduism all activities and events are 'religious'.
But one thing with the Hindu people .. is that rum is a part of the celebrations for many people. Not meat really.. though we hear in the old days the day after Phagwah was kangan and some people in my family used to kill a sheep.
But things evolve.. the Hindu intoxicant was bhang (extracted from the ganja plant) and Lord Shiva 's devotees use bhang in the worship. Bhang though, is different from ethanol and its derivatives. Bhang was banned in the British colonies and the old folk remember times when there was a drying of the leaves and so on.. replaced by the white man spirit.. rum.
The tradition holds then.. the men singing chowtaal going around.. teking they drink or having they quarter in the bag. I remember one old man who sang with us before Phagwah.. he would take his tups and come .. and his breath on the high notes used to make me dizzy.
So all the nice tales, of Hindu people having fun.. nice joke of men by the end of the day.. fighting. Or forgetting the words of what they singing..
This having fun has come at a cost as alcohol use has wreaked havoc on many Hindu families. Some people though, usually curb their disgust.. and try not to say anything. I will not demonise people who use alcohol. I cannot hide my disgust and rather than get into a fight with anybody on Phagwah Day.. I opt to stay home.
Other memories of people who were drunk.. and being scared of people who might seem 'funny' who switched into violent behaviour.
One of the opinionated Hindu men who used to give lectures at the mandir about everybody and so on.. was taking his drink. I hollered on him.. what example was he setting.. nuff people vex with me.. how could I talk to a big man like that.
Same day we were singing at another place.. with a shop.. which was not closed and alcohol was being sold.. I lost my train of thought when I thought of the letter I had written because some Carib was sponsoring a Phagwah Celebration event. After the letter, the event's name was changed. But it was pointless,, because there are Hindu people who profit from the misery inflicted on Hindu families.
That was the last day I played Phagwah.
Phagwah is one of the interesting Hindu Festivals which people are not sure whether it is religious or cultural.. though in Hinduism all activities and events are 'religious'.
But one thing with the Hindu people .. is that rum is a part of the celebrations for many people. Not meat really.. though we hear in the old days the day after Phagwah was kangan and some people in my family used to kill a sheep.
But things evolve.. the Hindu intoxicant was bhang (extracted from the ganja plant) and Lord Shiva 's devotees use bhang in the worship. Bhang though, is different from ethanol and its derivatives. Bhang was banned in the British colonies and the old folk remember times when there was a drying of the leaves and so on.. replaced by the white man spirit.. rum.
The tradition holds then.. the men singing chowtaal going around.. teking they drink or having they quarter in the bag. I remember one old man who sang with us before Phagwah.. he would take his tups and come .. and his breath on the high notes used to make me dizzy.
So all the nice tales, of Hindu people having fun.. nice joke of men by the end of the day.. fighting. Or forgetting the words of what they singing..
This having fun has come at a cost as alcohol use has wreaked havoc on many Hindu families. Some people though, usually curb their disgust.. and try not to say anything. I will not demonise people who use alcohol. I cannot hide my disgust and rather than get into a fight with anybody on Phagwah Day.. I opt to stay home.
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