The busy city of Mumbai is playing host to its favorite deity- Lord Ganpati. As the ten day long festival kicked off yesterday with his birth anniversary being celebrated, the city’s annual extravaganza is afoot despite swine flu threats and drought scares. With the arrival of the idols in many homes along came the sounds that will dominate the landscape for several days to come. Drums, cymbals and loud cheers of the accompanying devotees heralded “bappa”as he faithfully returns to bless them.
Mumbaikars are not alone in their tradition of making a lot of hullabaloo to mark this special occasion. Across India and in fact in many cultures across the world, making loud sounds is part of many rituals. In Bengal women make loud ululating sounds during weddings to ward off evil spirits. Conches are blown during most religious ceremonies and in the native Indian traditions, loud animal like sounds are used for everything from calling the rain Gods to curing the sick.
Most crowds instinctively know to cheer out loud to mark their approval of a person or boo to show disagreement. In Islamic traditions, mosques come with tall minarets built specifically for the “aazaan” or the call for prayers to the faithful. We beat drums to rev troupes up for a battle and then to celebrate victory. And when two people are arguing, each tries to be louder, because we perceive loud sounds as intimidating.
In this world of headsets, honk free zones and chatting (where LOL is a poor substitute for a hearty guffaw) our basic instincts still have a hold on us. Just as we crouch when physically attacked and blink when someone flicks a hand in front of our eyes, most of us use the weapon of our voice when announcing that we are happy, upset or just staking a claim on our territory.
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