The most beautiful aspect of Indian religious and social traditions has been their flexibility and adaptability. In recent decades, superstitions, fears, desires, frivolous rituals and ostentatious celebrations have begun to dominate the sense of religiousness, rather than selfless prayers for general social well being, efforts to immerse into Nature, creating a path towards attainment of spiritual goals, and self-elevation as a human being. But these distortions and irrationalities that have infested the social and religious customs and practices cannot be an argument against the religion itself. The study of Indian religion, social customs and practices has encouraged me to adapt these customs and practices to suit my understanding and affordability.

1. 10 September 2019
Vijay explores the treasure you know as India. He shares his experiences about social, economic and
cultural events and conditions of India through www.investrekk.com. He contributes his pennies to the
society as Director, Equal India Foundation, He can be reached at vijaygaba.investrekk@gmail.com
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Dogs, Crows and Ancestors
Religion has always been a major force in the Indian ethos. Not only our personal life, but our
economic conduct has also been guided by religious practices and beliefs. The influence of
religion has traditionally inculcated the concepts of scientific inquisition, righteousness, moral
rectitude, social responsibility, environmental sustainability, debt management, HR
management, just and fair taxation, etc. in our personal and economic lives.
The quintessential Indian ethos seeks peace and prosperity for everyone (सव भव तु सु खनः
सव स तु नरामया), irrespective of race, region or creed. This ethos is built upon beliefs like (a)
The entire universe is a family (वसुधैव कु टु बकम ्) (b) All women in this universe are
incarnations of one Mother supreme (ि यः सम ताः सकला जग सु।) and (c) All classes of
people are integrated into the Mother Supreme (या देवी सव#भूतेषू जा त&पेण संि थता).
The most beautiful aspect of Indian religious and social traditions has been their flexibility and
adaptability. For example, our society not only allowed multiple translations and interpretation
of the sacred texts like the Ramayana and the Gita, but also accepted the different versions as
equally venerable. The saints like Nanak and Kabir, who challenged the dogmatic traditions
and customs, have been given God like status. Numerous preachers have interpreted the divine
scriptures in local languages and contemporary context, often adding a personal perspective.
Most of them have been widely recognized and revered.
This flexibility and adaptability is perhaps a major reason why Indian religions and social
customs have outlived a thousand years of foreign rule.
I wouldn't deny that in recent decades, religion has been widely used to evoke fear and violent
passion in peoples' minds and manipulate them. Superstitions, fears, desires, frivolous rituals
and ostentatious celebrations now dominate the sense of religiousness, rather than selfless
prayers for general social well being, efforts to immerse into Nature, creating a path towards
attainment of spiritual goals, and self-elevation as a human being. Many places of worship
have degenerated from being centers of learning and spiritual evolution to shelters for
hatemongers, fearmongers, power seekers, and wealth hoarders. Many of these promote
superstitions and block scientific inquiry to the detriment of society at large. But these
distortions and irrationalities that have infested the social and religious customs and practices
cannot be an argument against the religion itself.
The study of Indian religion, social customs and practices has encouraged me to adapt these
customs and practices to suit my understanding and affordability.
For example, consider the following:
As per the Hindu lunar calendar, the ancestors' fortnight (+पतृप-) will start from tomorrow. In
this fortnight, all Hindus are obligated to serve Brahmins and feed crows. It is widely believed
that serving Brahmins and feeding crows in this fortnight pleases the souls of our ancestors
and thus redeems the person performing this ritual from the debt of ancestors.
Hindu religious traditions also mandate that a grand feast must be organized by all Hindus
within 3 weeks of the death of their parents, spouse or children. In this grand feast Brahmins,
dogs, crows and the poor are served with delicious food. The brahmins and the poor are also
given clothes, cash and other gifts.

2. 10 September 2019
When my father expired 30 years ago, I had just completed my studies. The elders in the family
advised us to perform these rituals, but I was reluctant. I questioned the very rationale behind
this custom. I failed to understand how feeding a random person, who only eats and sleeps in
the nearby temple, stray dogs and crows would gratify the soul of my father. Further
confounding was the sermon which said that the departed soul acquires a new body almost
immediately!
In the subsequent years, I traveled to many holy places and tried to understand the rationale
behind this custom of Shradh. I received many esoteric explanations, like the one you can see
here. I believed in most of these explanations, but did never feel confident about telling these to
my daughters, who may also be told to perform this religious duty after my soul leaves this
perishable body. I always felt that to keep this custom alive, there must be a more
contemporary explanation that appeals to the present day children and youth.
Finally, based on my various interactions with learned as well as common people, and study of
scriptures, I prepared the following explanation for my daughters, which they have fully
accepted and committed to practice & pass on to their future generations.
"A Brahmin is someone who exclusively strives to seek greater knowledge for the upliftment of
society as a whole and all its constituents individually. The surname of a person does not
necessarily make him a Brahmin. It is the duty of every constituent of society to facilitate the
Brahmins in achieving their objectives, e.g. by supporting his basic needs of food, clothes and
shelter.
When a household dies, it becomes the duty of his/her heirs to continue providing for the
Brahmins who were being supported by the deceased ancestor. This way the legacy of the
ancestors survives and their identity stays alive, though their body has ceased to exist.
As part of the post death rituals, the heirs of the deceased shall call a meeting of the society
(the day and nomenclature of the ritual differs from community to community). In that
meeting, the heirs shall unequivocally commit to the society that they will carry on all the good
deeds and projects supported by the deceased to the best of their ability. As a token of their
commitment they donate clothes, money, cows (livelihood support) etc. to the Brahmins.
The Brahmin in the present context should be read as research scholars who are engaged in
meaningful scientific, social or spiritual research and need financial assistance to pursue their
goals.
This ritual should be repeated every year during the ancestors' fortnight by extending support
to the Brahmins (Research Scholar) as per the current affordability of the respective
households.
In the present circumstances, the population of scavenger dogs has grown ominously; and we
need not transport the good quality seeds of rice, pulses and oilseeds to new places by feeding
these seeds half cooked to crows (so that the seeds drop with feces at new places and
germinate). We therefore need not feed dogs and crows. Instead, we should donate money to
organizations engaged in agricultural research and protection of the environment."