Every religious festival today is invariably celebrated by everyone. Diwali saw people of all faiths lighting up their homes and surroundings and their kids bursting crackers. Now that Christmas is around everyone is in a festive mood. In Delhi, Gurgaon and Noida the malls are overflowing. So too in the other metros barring Chennai which is just recovering from the floods. Online sales have skyrocketed even as sales pitches are nicely packaged in the garb of a festive occasion. The marketing gimmick is to term every festival as a time for gift giving. Hence people who are today driven by advertisements very easily yield to the temptation of buying something for themselves or to gift something to their loved ones.
In recent years even car manufacturers have learnt to pitch their sales according to the festivals. For Christmas many companies gift wrap a vehicle and deliver it to the person who is meant to receive the gift. For those with disposable incomes gifting a car to a loved one is a small price to pay. Simple gift hampers are no longer kosher. But while online shopping has grown by leaps and bounds there is still a huge section that is not yet hooked to it. They prefer to physically shop for footwear and clothes. Naturally everyone is headed to the only shopping centre – Police Bazar. In Shillong, Police Bazar is the one stop shopping centre and all roads leading to this downtown Shillong hub are choc-a-bloc with vehicles. No amount of traffic policing can solve the present traffic jam in Shillong. This also points to the fact that Shillong needs to expand and shopping centres need to come up away from the city centre. Even Iewduh which is Meghalaya’s oldest market is now bursting at the seams. It is unfortunate that none of the elected representatives ever think of these existential issues.
While turning festivals into an opportunity for commerce must be decried, there is no stopping human wants. Preaching about restraint to people who have money to spend is like telling an addict not to drink or do drugs. Some are compulsive spenders and only a touch of conscience can make people look at the bigger picture, which is that Christmas is actually a celebration of the birth of Christ who was born in a manger because there was no other place. Christians ought to reflect on this fundamental point instead of treating Christmas as a time to deck themselves and their homes. Christmas is a time of caring and sharing; a time to reach out to troubled souls; a time to spread love, peace and brotherhood/sisterhood. This message should not be lost in the din of commerce!