4 ms·

Can you share some examples of such music? I'm Indian and ex-Hindu. There isn't any music associated with this festival around my parts. I'm curious to know if

by qart 4y ago

Can you share some examples of such music? I'm Indian and ex-Hindu. There isn't any music associated with this festival around my parts. I'm curious to know if people of other parts of India (or ethnic Indians in other parts of the world) have associated some kinds of music with Diwali. I suppose the language would help with figuring out which part of India it's from.

Nomentatus 4y ago
Darn the first couple saved URLs are for videos that have been removed. I did buy one Lakshmi song last year on itunes, my favorite Lakshmi mantra, and it's still available (with lovely CGI): Sri Lakshmi Gayatri Mantra 108 Times | Powerful Mantra For Wealth & Luxuries https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugWlHwkOlfM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugWlHwkOlfM Note that I am not in a position to make any kind religious endorsement of this or any other videos! Consider the source! I'll hit that a lot, but it looks like I'll mostly be tossing "Diwali" and "Lakshmi" into the Youtube search function, perhaps along with you. PS - I swear that video was available at higher quality last year. It would be interesting to know the history here, as you say, since there might be, to some degree, a response to Christmas involved amongst the diaspora? Such a response apparently underlies the current Jewish celebrations of Hanukkah.
- qart 4y ago
  The combination of "Diwali" and "Lakshmi" makes sense! It's been so long since I attended a Lakshmi worship ritual that I've forgotten what gets chanted. The traditional music is monophonic. The track you linked to definitely a modern re-interpretation. Maybe people are coming up with some seasonal music all around me, and I'm just unaware. The way that Coca Cola re-invented Christmas for Americans, maybe a handful of people are re-inventing Diwali celebrations all around me! To me, all these festivals mean I get to binge on sweets.
  - Nomentatus 4y ago
    Last year there were Bollywood song compilations "for Diwali" around, that were excellent, as well. Since I don't get the words, I wouldn't have known that they weren't (or were) singing about Diwali themes.
screye 4y ago
Hey genuine question : what does being ex-hindu mean to you ? I'm an Indian Atheist myself, but I never found my move away from Hinduism to be difficult or grating. My parents & community just sort of accepted it and moved on. If I had to be pedantic, I could call myself a Nastik/Charvak Hindu and I would technically be an 'Atheist Hindu'. I did have a "I refuse to do a namaskar or enter temples" Dawkinian emo-phase, but at some point I realized I was fighting against a bogeyman that didn't exist. My current opinion on the matter, is that Abrahmic conceptions of Atheism do not work in a religion that does not have blasphemy or any single source of truth. So, while a term such as ex-muslim/atheist usually messages a certain ostracization or scientism, being an ex-hindu doesn't immeditely mean anything to me. To use a favorite HN comment of mine : "If it's hard to tell the difference, it'll be hard to sell the difference".....and I can't tell the difference between a Hindu and an ex-Hindu. (feel free to ignore it. My comment does seem a little out of place in a festival celebration thread. But, I got curious)
- gateaux 4y ago
  My two cents: someone being ex-Hindu means to me that they’ve reasoned themselves out of the doctrine and dogma. My assumption is that this person would be skeptical and not believing in things such as reincarnation or the caste system. On the other hand, it doesn’t mean they have shed their entire Hindu identity”. They’d still probably culturally celebrate and partake in festivities: just without that belief. Dunno if it makes much sense but just my perspective as someone outside of the Hindu community.
  - valarauko 4y ago
    > not believing in things such as reincarnation or the caste system. As a Hindu, it's disappointing that people outside Hinduism see the caste system as either a doctrinal or dogmatic part of Hinduism. The belief in Reincarnation is dogma, the caste system is not. The caste system existed outside the belief system, and while certain sections definitely reinforced and exploited it, many traditional systems within the umbrella of Hinduism certainly saw it as a social ill. Rather, the caste system was a social hierarchy that developed in ancient India in parallel to Hinduism, and existed as well in religious groups that rejected Vedic Orthodoxy. Nor is the caste system as people think of it really a thing in Hinduism practiced by communities long isolated from the Indian mainland, such as Bali or the Caribbean communities.

by qart 4y ago

Nomentatus 4y ago

Darn the first couple saved URLs are for videos that have been removed. I did buy one Lakshmi song last year on itunes, my favorite Lakshmi mantra, and it's still available (with lovely CGI): Sri Lakshmi Gayatri Mantra 108 Times | Powerful Mantra For Wealth & Luxuries https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugWlHwkOlfM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugWlHwkOlfM Note that I am not in a position to make any kind religious endorsement of this or any other videos! Consider the source! I'll hit that a lot, but it looks like I'll mostly be tossing "Diwali" and "Lakshmi" into the Youtube search function, perhaps along with you. PS - I swear that video was available at higher quality last year. It would be interesting to know the history here, as you say, since there might be, to some degree, a response to Christmas involved amongst the diaspora? Such a response apparently underlies the current Jewish celebrations of Hanukkah.

qart 4y ago
The combination of "Diwali" and "Lakshmi" makes sense! It's been so long since I attended a Lakshmi worship ritual that I've forgotten what gets chanted. The traditional music is monophonic. The track you linked to definitely a modern re-interpretation. Maybe people are coming up with some seasonal music all around me, and I'm just unaware. The way that Coca Cola re-invented Christmas for Americans, maybe a handful of people are re-inventing Diwali celebrations all around me! To me, all these festivals mean I get to binge on sweets.
- Nomentatus 4y ago
  Last year there were Bollywood song compilations "for Diwali" around, that were excellent, as well. Since I don't get the words, I wouldn't have known that they weren't (or were) singing about Diwali themes.

screye 4y ago

Hey genuine question : what does being ex-hindu mean to you ? I'm an Indian Atheist myself, but I never found my move away from Hinduism to be difficult or grating. My parents & community just sort of accepted it and moved on. If I had to be pedantic, I could call myself a Nastik/Charvak Hindu and I would technically be an 'Atheist Hindu'. I did have a "I refuse to do a namaskar or enter temples" Dawkinian emo-phase, but at some point I realized I was fighting against a bogeyman that didn't exist. My current opinion on the matter, is that Abrahmic conceptions of Atheism do not work in a religion that does not have blasphemy or any single source of truth. So, while a term such as ex-muslim/atheist usually messages a certain ostracization or scientism, being an ex-hindu doesn't immeditely mean anything to me. To use a favorite HN comment of mine : "If it's hard to tell the difference, it'll be hard to sell the difference".....and I can't tell the difference between a Hindu and an ex-Hindu. (feel free to ignore it. My comment does seem a little out of place in a festival celebration thread. But, I got curious)

gateaux 4y ago
My two cents: someone being ex-Hindu means to me that they’ve reasoned themselves out of the doctrine and dogma. My assumption is that this person would be skeptical and not believing in things such as reincarnation or the caste system. On the other hand, it doesn’t mean they have shed their entire Hindu identity”. They’d still probably culturally celebrate and partake in festivities: just without that belief. Dunno if it makes much sense but just my perspective as someone outside of the Hindu community.
- valarauko 4y ago
  > not believing in things such as reincarnation or the caste system. As a Hindu, it's disappointing that people outside Hinduism see the caste system as either a doctrinal or dogmatic part of Hinduism. The belief in Reincarnation is dogma, the caste system is not. The caste system existed outside the belief system, and while certain sections definitely reinforced and exploited it, many traditional systems within the umbrella of Hinduism certainly saw it as a social ill. Rather, the caste system was a social hierarchy that developed in ancient India in parallel to Hinduism, and existed as well in religious groups that rejected Vedic Orthodoxy. Nor is the caste system as people think of it really a thing in Hinduism practiced by communities long isolated from the Indian mainland, such as Bali or the Caribbean communities.