Baisakhi: Baisakhi Is Both Sacred And Secular  

By Pranav Khullar  

Baisakhi: Baisakhi Is Both Sacred And Secular  

The traditional festivals of the Indian diaspora all reflect the ancient concept of the Utsav Mela, which encouraged everyone to congregate, meet and mix amid festivity and pageantry. In fact, the word mela (fair) is derived from the word mil , meaning 'to meet'.

Baisakhi epitomises the mela notion of convergence for it brings together people of all castes and communities on the first day of Vaisakha, the beginning of the traditional Indian New Year. Basically a harvest festival, Baisakhi marks the ripening of the Rabi harvest, especially in the Punjab. It is called the Naba Barsha celebrations in Bengal, Rongali Bihu in Assam, Puthandu in Tamil Nadu and Pooram (Vishu) in Kerala.

The Baisakhi mela is, at its simplest, a time to rise above prejudices and join in the unique celebration of life. It embodies, at a deeper level, the concept of cyclical regeneration as in all harvest festivals. Dressed in tahmat s, and exotic headgear, menfolk dance the Bhangra and women, the Giddha, both axiomatic of the vitality and energy of the people of Punjab. The traditional love-ballads, poetry symposiums and traditional sports all create an ambience of unrestrained joy and ebullience.

Baisakhi is also inextricably linked with the Sikh tradition. It was on the auspicious day of Baisakhi in 1699 that Guru Gobind Singh instituted the Khalsa Panth at Keshgarh Sahib near Anandpur. Discontinuing with the Sikh tradition of physical gurus, he endowed the Sikhs with a unique identity by declaring that the venerated holy scripture, the Granth Sahib, will be the future guru of the Sikh faith.

The turning point in Sikh tradition came at Keshgarh Sahib, when Guru Gobind Singh brandished his unsheathed sword and asked for volunteers to sacrifice themselves in the name of the Faith. The five men who came forward to sacrifice themselves were taken inside a tent, one by one. Each time the Guru would reappear outside with the bloodied sword. But the volunteers remained unharmed; the blood was that of a sacrificed goat.

Then Guru Gobind Singh emerged with the five chosen men and baptised them in a ceremony known today as the Amrit ceremony, knighted them as Singhs (lions) and established the Order of the Khalsa. He endowed them with the Bana, the distinctive clothing of the Sikhs and laid down the five symbols as articles of faith - kesh or unshorn hair, kangha or comb, karra or iron bracelet, kirpan or sword and kachera a distinctive undergarment. The Panj Pyare, the five beloved ones, with their different backgrounds and professions, reflected the new social-secular order which Guru Gobind Singh endowed the Sikhs with.

Baisakhi is also closely linked with the Buddhist faith, for it is believed that Gautama attained enlightenment on this day, which is celebrated as Enlightenment day whereas the Buddha Purnima day commemorates the three major events of Buddha's life - his birth, enlightenment and passing away. On this day in 1875 Swami Dayanand Saraswati founded the Arya Samaj in the home of a Muslim friend in Mumbai. The Arya Samaj also found its greatest appeal in the Punjab. Baisakhi also commemorates the Jallianwala Bagh massacre of 1919, a turning point in the freedom struggle movement.

Whichever way one looks at it, Baisakhi is a time to resurrect the ancient contract of man with nature. Baisakhi is a time for renewal and fresh hope which the traditional New Year brings in.

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See also: Baisakhi, Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)