Letter to the Editor: Reflections on Religious Practices in SIA Diwali Celebrations

by Anonymous

To

The Editor-in-Chief

The Graduate Press

Geneva Graduate Institute 

5th November 2024

Subject: Reflections on Religious Practices in SIA Diwali Celebrations 

Dear Editor, 

Last week, a WhatsApp notification popped up on my screen from the IHEID Community for a Diwali “pooja” and celebration organised by the Student Initiative on Asia (SIA). As an Indian who has attended Diwali parties at the Institute before, and grew up understanding the significance of the festivities, the choice of words made me uncomfortable. The word “pooja” in Hinduism essentially means a religious ceremony or the act of worship. Bringing religious elements to educational institutions has historically proven to be contentious, and at an Institution of critical higher education, this is an important topic for discussion. 

Education and religion have always had a delicate balance. Many countries, including India, consider religion a private affair while upholding the right to freedom of religion of individuals. This means people are free to practice, profess and propagate the religion of their choice. However, the State/public offices/institutions cannot officially endorse or adopt a religion. As a private institution and a student initiative that functions with GISA money, i.e. funds from the larger student community,  this raises a fundamental question for GISA – can GISA funds be used for religious activities? If yes, then this has to be clarified across the board – how do we ensure that the religious affiliations of all the students (more than one hundred nationalities celebrating thousands of festivals) are incorporated into these celebrations?

The next question is more complex because the context is important. When we throw in words like pooja, it becomes pertinent to acknowledge that India’s Hindus are in fact not a homogenous group, but follow multiple traditions, rituals, and variations even for a widely celebrated festival like Diwali. Then whose/what kind of pooja are we following? Who is administering these rituals? How do we make sure that this representation is fair and that we are not just representing the upper caste narrative of the festival? How do we make sure that even the academic spaces in foreign countries are not taken over by savarna liberals who quote Ambedkar in their research papers, but fail to challenge the casteist origins of their religions and cultures? 

For the diaspora, religion, home, festivals, and culture are often synonymous. I scrolled through the SIA Instagram page to observe the posts from previous years. Many happy faces, dancing, singing, wearing their traditional outfits, and celebrating their culture with friends from other parts of the world. Why did we need an additional religious element this year, when we have already found the inclusive celebratory spirit of the festival in Geneva? How are things different this year? 

Well, as we speak, the secular ethos of India, particularly the wall between the State and religion is breaking apart. Two weeks ago, the sitting Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India, D.Y. Chandrachud, publicly stated that he prayed to god to find a solution in the Ayodha Ram Temple case. Last year, PM Modi and his band of priests inaugurated the new parliament house with a one-of-its-kind religious pooja. Against this backdrop, after witnessing an oppressive regime take over the helm to reshape a secular nation into a “Hindu Rashtra” (Hindu state), I felt a similar discomfort when I saw the invitation for a pooja hosted by a student initiative at the Institute. I am not trying to connect any dots here, yet one cannot ignore a larger pattern;  India’s complex relationship with religion and caste has been undergoing a transformative shift within and outside its geographical territories in the past decade. Our actions, whether small or large, inevitably become part of this transformation — sometimes intentionally, other times by mere ignorance.

All I want to do is remind us that this is an innately sensitive issue, and everything is political in our world. If bringing religion to the public space, I urge SIA, as an official initiative of GISA, and its representatives to be well-informed of these sensitivities and be willing to listen, learn, rebut, challenge, and improve themselves to do better if they wish to be truly inclusive and diverse.

Yours sincerely,

A distressed Indian

Editor’s Note: The author’s views are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board of The Graduate Press. In accordance with TGP’s anonymity policy, The Editorial Board deliberated over and voted to approve the author’s request to remain anonymous.