Days sans pomp and glory

The ‘ashada’ month will not see any celebrations take place in the City .It’s that time of the year again when there will be no big celebrations in the City.

Since it is ashada, Bangaloreans will have a gloomy and inactive month with no festivals, weddings, housewarmings etc.

Couples also refrain from tying the knot and businessmen refuse to even start or invest in anything new during this time.

While there are some, who strongly believe that doing anything new this month will bring them harm, there are others who choose to ignore this calling it a superstition.
Samyuktha, a professional, is one of those who has grown up observing the month of ashada.

“When I was a kid, I never really understood the whole concept of ashada but I knew this was one month when there would be no big event in the family. We don’t follow it strictly, but I believe in it and don’t want to take any risks,” she adds.

The belief in ashada is so strong that many in the Kannada film industry choose to wait for the dark clouds of  inauspiciousness to disappear before they start a new film.

K V Chandrashekhar, president of the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce, observes that many register their films way before ashada and start working on the project much later.

“While production and shooting don’t stop, nobody registers movies or conducts any mahurats during this one month,” he adds.

This is a lean period for many. Marriage and party halls, which are normally booked months in advance, face a sudden lull at this time. To make up for it, these places are rented out for exhibitions or sales.

“It is believed that if people get married during Ashada, their marriage won’t last. So very rarely do we get any bookings for weddings. Earlier, most of the halls in the
City would be shut. But of late, many halls have started the trend of renting out
the space for exhibitions,” says Manjunath, who owns a wedding hall near Ashoka
Pillar.

A professional, Suparna, feels that the entire thing is a superstition. While she doesn’t  believe in it, she does admit that she follows it.

“Ashada usually falls during the monsoon period, hence people avoided going out anywhere. That’s why no weddings or big functions were conducted. But now, it has become more of a superstition. Nowadays, many simply follow it so that they don’t hurt anybody’s sentiment,” she adds.