The word ‘festival’ has different meanings such as ‘celebration,’ ‘event,’ ‘fete,’ and some more, and all have a positive feel. In India we say ‘festival of colours,’ for Holi; ‘festival of lights,’ for Diwali, ‘festival of Hindusthani classical music,’ and the famous ‘Thyagaraja aradhana’ which is a musical ceremony of adoration held annually in January or February, on the anniversary of the demise of the saint. It is conducted in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka and in several countries where Indians have settled.
Generally ‘festival,’ signifies a religious event but for some reasons it is now linked to electronic music and dance (EDM) events which are anything but religious. An EDM which is a cacophonous affair and a flurry of high-pitched songs belted out by music bands and solo singers, is not a ‘festival.’
It is more like a rave party where people, especially youngsters, meet to sing, groove and grind and a kingly good time is had by all. The organisers and newspapers could desist from using the term ‘festival,’ in conjunction with EDM happenings which are not festivals, per se.
