Dusshera - The Raavan within
It was raining cats and dogs in a small town situated along the southern coast of India. In one of the many houses within the crowded locality, a man in his early thirties sat alone. His eyes were teary, and his beard was wet. Despite the popular stand-up comedy show playing on the television, the man remained sad, consumed by his emotions. He was a mix of agony, anguish, despair, and hopelessness.
Half an hour earlier, his wife—the love of his life—had stormed out after a heated argument. Her final words, “We are done for good,” kept echoing in his head. The sound of the thunder and rain outside, or the distant comedy show, couldn’t drown out the words that haunted him. The only thing replaying in his mind were her words: “We are done for good.”
Inside his head, he battled with two conflicting voices. The first voice urged him to call her, to go after her, to apologize and beg for her forgiveness. It insisted that in love, it doesn’t matter who was wrong; one should be the first to apologize. It emphasized that love is more important than ego and pride. “After all, she agreed to marry you when you were a complete mess,” the voice continued. “She is your wife; your better half. Remember your vows to the gods and the sacred fire. Drop your male ego and go after her. Bring her back home—it’s already getting dark and raining heavily. What will she do out there? Go to her at once. She will listen if you speak politely and patiently.”
Contrary to this voice, another voice within his head spoke differently. “Man, you are independent. You make your own money, you are self-sufficient by God’s grace, and you never did anything wrong. Why should you apologize? Let her leave—maybe it’s for the best. You don’t deserve to cry every day for a woman who treats you like trash. Trust me, you don’t need her. You already have everything you need in life—a loving family, independence, and financial stability. Be grateful for all the things you have and let her go. If she really wants you, she’ll come back. Otherwise, let her be gone for good. It’s better that way.”
The voice continued: “Now, let’s chill. Watch some music videos or some midnight entertainment shows. Enjoy life, bro. You have your own life ahead. Don’t let her drag you down. Don’t listen to these old-fashioned ideas. If you do, you’ll become one of those boomers—old-fashioned guys stuck in the past. Come on, switch on some music and enjoy life while you can!”
As the battle between these voices in his head grew more intense, he couldn’t handle it anymore. The fact that he was alone in his house only added to his confusion. Restless and unsure of what to do, he mindlessly walked out into the pouring rain, wandering aimlessly along the empty roads. Eventually, he came across a gathering.
A crowd of people had formed, discussing something in heated voices. From a distance, he couldn’t make out what the fuss was about. Standing aimlessly at the edge of the crowd, he watched as an elderly man, who appeared to be the head priest, walked out angrily, followed by his followers. The old man moved furiously, saying, “This is not good. If it keeps raining like this, how will we light Ravana, the symbol of evil? How will we burn the evil if the rain continues to pour? How can we banish the evil with this rain falling down? This is not good.”
Suddenly, the drenched man felt a soft tug on his shoulder. Startled, he looked back and saw another old man, calm and composed amidst all the chaos. In fact, he was the only calm face the man had seen that day. The old man smiled and said, “These people think evil will vanish by burning this effigy of Ravana, but what about the Ravana inside us all? What about the Ravana within you, who allowed your truthful wife to walk away and did nothing about it? What about that Ravana, my dear child? How will you destroy the Ravana within you? Not only you—there is a Ravana inside every one of us, and we need to banish that first. Otherwise, burning this paper model is useless; it’s only causing pollution. If you ask me, the true purpose of this beautiful festival is to destroy the Ravana inside ourselves, dear friend. Mind you, this won’t be easy, for he is deeply ingrained within us, making us fail to recognize that he is not truly us. You are love, forgiveness, and patience, for you are a part of the Almighty Himself. But this Ravana—he is not you. He is merely using you for his selfish motives. You are blinded by lust, anger, and greed. This lust that your loyal wife could not fulfill, and the resulting anger you now hold against her, all because she refused to meet your desires—does that not sound like the work of Ravana? If that doesn’t sound evil or wrong on your part, then I’m afraid there is no hope for you. You might as well join these people in burning this paper Ravana.”
The man was shocked and utterly confused as to how this old man, a complete stranger, could know so much about him. He rushed after the old man, who was getting lost in the crowd, and pulled him back. “Who are you, sir, and how do you know so much about me?” he asked.
The old man calmly replied, “That is immaterial right now. Go find your wife and never hurt her again. Destroy the Ravana seated inside you, the one taking the form of lust, anger, and greed. That is the true meaning of this festival. Happy Dussehra.” He smiled, a smile both comforting and haunting at the same time.
The crowd finally burnt the paper Ravana with excitement, shouting, “Happy Dussehra! We have burned Ravana!” The old man chuckled, shook his head, and quietly disappeared into the crowd.