It was just a question, casually asked by a patient as I was doing his ultrasound. He inquired why Raavan didn’t use magic to disguise himself as Ram and trick Sita into accepting him. Why he pleaded and beseeched instead of using his ‘maayavi‘ super powers? An intriguing thought for the festive season. A fortnight ago we had burnt the evil, literally danced around its ashes and are now gearing up for the royal welcome. Diwali marks the triumph of what’s good and noble, just and righteous over what’s not. But as we get ready to celebrate Lord Ram’s homecoming, his question is worth a thought, are vice and virtue mutually exclusive or do they tend to mingle.
But before the philosophy some practical wisdom from my practice. We received our first burn victim early this year. A teenage boy with a severely burnt arm. He had seen his father launch a rocket from his hand and had tried to copy him. To his credit the father had lectured him on safe Diwali practices, but like most children the son had emulated what he had seen and not obeyed what he was instructed. A lesson on parenting, learnt the hard way.
One of the major events on the Hindu calendar, the festival of lights brings hordes of burn victims in its wake. Campaigns to curtail the use of crackers have not been very effective and pyrotechnics remain an important part of the celebration. Most of the tragic accidents are due to carelessness and can be avoided. Young boys who indulge in daredevilry are the most common victims. Flash burns affecting the eyes and face occur due to the improper posture of crouching over the firecracker while lighting it. Injury to hands and arms including mutilated fingers are caused by blast burns when a cracker unexpectedly explodes. Flower pots ( anar) and bombs are the usual culprits.
If you cannot say no to crackers, at least say no to unsafe practices. Pool money and organise a community display of firecrackers in an open space. Its safer, causes lesser pollution and with friends around you get a bigger bang for the same price. Hire a professional or engage ‘responsible’ adults to ignite the potentially dangerous fireworks. Children can watch from a safe distance and be allowed to play with the innocuous ones under supervision. Buy reputed brands of firecrackers and keep them in a covered box away from the display area. Keep buckets of water ready to douse any fires. Be wary of crackers that don’t go off initially, they may explode in your face when least expected. So don’t investigate a damp squib, instead pour water on it and make it damper!
Do not follow fashion trends for the festive season as shown in movies and T.V serials . Flowing dresses which skim the ground and stylishly draped stoles are fire hazards. Body hugging, thick, cotton clothes are less likely to catch fire than loose, synthetic ones. If clothes catch fire don’t panic and run, it will further fan the fire. Instead drop to the ground and roll. This will help extinguish it.
In case of burns, drench the area with water till the burning subsides. Don’t try to forcefully peel off clothing or burst blisters if they form. Don’t apply ointments or other home remedies without consulting a doctor. All eye injuries are potentially grave and should not be ignored. Do not rub the eye or force it open. Shield the eye and visit a specialist. . Protect children’s ears with cotton plugs and report any persistent ringing to the doctor. Patients with breathing problems should avoid the outdoors as the pollution may aggravate their symptoms . And finally do not keep lit diyas ( earthern lamps) in doorways to welcome Goddess Laxmi. Open flames may cause fires and your escape route will be blocked.
And now back to where I started. Seeing that I was stumped my patient answered the question himself. When asked Raavan had replied , “Jab main Ram ka bhesh banata hoon toh mere andar ka Ravanatva khatam ho jaata hai.” ( I lose my evil side when I try to impersonate Shri Ram). Not many of us Ram bhakts can claim such devotion, that taking His name rids us of unholy thoughts . So was Raavan virtuous, vicious or a bit of both? Perhaps instead of glorifying the triumph of good over evil we should look for the innate goodness in evil and celebrate it.
( published in my column in the Tribune on 8/11/2015)