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Gold, the Essence of Indian Festivals

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AUGUST 27, 2004: It has been treasured, sought after and coveted

from the beginning of human history. It has inspired some of the

most wonderful art and craft the world has ever known and triggered

some of the greatest human obsessions. It gave birth to the science

of chemistry. To this day, it is the only guaranteed hedge against

inflation in any culture anywhere in the world. In the 21st century,

all over the world, gold is still regarded the way it was in the

misty beginnings of race.

 

In India, however, it always was and still is, much more than just a

precious metal. It is part of the fabric of our culture and an

inseparable part of our belief system. It is the essence from which

the universe was created. In a dark and lifeless universe, the

Creator deposited a seed in the waters he had made from his own

body. The seed became a golden egg, bright and radiant as the sun.

>From this cosmic egg of gold was born the incarnation of the Creator

himself — Brahma. From the root word Hri meaning imperishable, comes

Hiranya the ancient name for gold. Brahma is referred to as

Hiranyagarbha — the one born of gold.

 

"Gold has always been an integral part of Indian society even

outside religion and mythology," says Dinesh Parikh, a bullion

consultant and authority on gold. "It has been considered auspicious

because it has formed the basis of the concept of stridhan, the

woman's endowment at marriage that is a buffer against a rainy day.

Gold is, therefore, an essential part of the Indian social fabric.

There are established patterns for gold acquisition at festivals,

especially Diwali, all over India, Durga Puja in the east and Onam

and Pongal in the South. The agriculturist usually goes in for kadas

or bangles and necklaces of traditional design, with gold content

the only real deciding factor. Adivasis and other tribal societies

go in for their traditional designs and patterns." Parikh says that

in urban areas, apart from this traditional buying, the new branded

jewellery has made some inroads into middle-class buying

patterns. "They have targeted mainly the younger generation and have

achieved some success in getting them to buy bracelets and rings and

in getting a brand name to matter." Parikh stresses, however, that

the main drivers for gold acquisition in India still remain

festivals and occasions like weddings.

 

ROOTED IN TRADITION

 

Indira Bhojwani, a jewellery retailer who is continuing a family

tradition with solid roots in traditional jewellery, observes

that "the new Italian and French styles and even platinum jewellery

don't really suit the Indian psyche. They're nice and they certainly

have stirred some interest, but the bulk of Indian jewellery buying

is still rooted in tradition — something that has undoubtedly been

modified and shaped by fashion trends and a design element over the

years." Bhojwani makes the interesting point that the Gaurishankar

pendant, one of the most important types of traditional jewellery,

which consists of a 22-karat pendant with figures of gods and

goddesses in relief, strung on rudraksha beads, was originally worn

by priests during religious ceremonies. "Over the many years, the

wearing of the Gaurishankar moved gradually from religious

ceremonies to festive occasions and it is now worn also simply as a

design and fashion statement. The important thing is, it also moved

from being the prerogative of priestly men to women."

 

This kind of rooting of many current fashion-driven trends in

religion and tradition is apparent in the navratna jewellery. Says

Bhojwani, "The navratna gems are representative of five planets —

Mercury, Venus, Mars, Saturn and Jupiter — as well as the sun, the

moon and separately, the ascendant (rahu or dragon's head) and

descendant (ketu or dragon's tail) phases of the moon. Each stone

draws energy from the cosmos and in their specific, traditional

pattern, the navratna are said to be an unending storehouse of

energy, enhancing the life of the wearer. For this combination of

gems to be efficacious, they have to be set in gold."

 

PRACTICAL BASIS

 

Part of what makes gold auspicious in Indian society is the solid

practical philosophy behind traditional gold acquisition. Stridhan

was the only insurance available to women who traditionally were

never given work skills and thus had no earning power of their own

when enveloped by an ill tide. But since gold has traditionally been

a major component, stridhan was able to act even as a hedge against

inflation or collateral for loans in a fluctuating social and

economic environment. Which is why the Indian preoccupation with

gold goes far beyond jewellery. While jewellery can be worn and

enjoyed even every day, it has the drawback of leading to wastages

when being melted for its gold content. Thus gold bars and coins

have long been a tradition in India. Says Parikh, "Currently, what's

in favour are 1- and 2-gram bars as well as gold coins. Each city or

locality will have a bullion dealer who has built up a relationship

and reputation with people and will issue gold bars with his own

stamp on them and sealed in plastic bags as a further guarantee of

quality."

 

Some 700 years ago, the British had standardised the minting of the

gold guinea. This was a coin with a guaranteed weight of 8 grammes

of 22-karat gold. The British had also developed hallmarking of gold

bullion as a guarantee of purity. The Indian association with the

British gold guinea, however, began only in the 19th century when

gold from India was used to mint the coins during the reign of

George III in 1817. It was during this minting that guineas first

displayed the motif of St. George slaying a dragon.

 

It was, however, during the 64-year reign of Queen Victoria from

1837 to 1901 that guineas became a particularly valued possession in

India. The Victorian guineas were minted with three different heads

of the queen — the young, the jubilee and the old. The prosperous

British empire spanned the globe and royal mints were set up in six

Commonwealth countries including one in what was then Bombay. The

mint in Bombay was the one that provided the most guineas for

Indians. The guinea became established as a standard of gold weight

in India. Successive monarchs including the current Elizabeth II

have minted gold coins, which also came to be known as sovereigns.

 

FESTIVE ASSOCIATION

 

Given that it was the symbol of the world's most prosperous empire

and stood as a guarantee of gold purity, it is no surprise that the

gold acquiring and giving traditions of India soon came to be

associated with the guinea or sovereign. In this association, the

guinea too underwent a change. Guineas are even now minted in the

country with the imprint of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and

prosperity replacing the traditional head of the British monarch.

The guinea has thus become a part of Diwali or Lakshmi Puja. Some

families even worship Lakshmi in the form of a sovereign. Social

customs too have absorbed the guinea and it is now routine to gift

guineas to new members of the family — daughters- and sons-in-law

and newborn babies.

 

The goddess Lakshmi, it is said was bathed by elephants which

carried pure water in golden vessels. In fact the Rig Veda states

that "the giver of gold receives a life of light and glory" and

that "to receive gold is to welcome Lakshmi." Which is why Diwali

and gold are inextricably tied together. This festive relationship

is most evident in the jewellery acquisition and gifting that takes

place during the festival. The Arthasastra, which goes back 1,700

years, stipulates rules for goldsmiths and specifies the alloys that

can be made with gold. The great poet Kalidasa even specifies how

and when each ornament should be worn. Akshay Tritiya, an auspicious

day in the Hindu calendar is also associated with the purchase of

new gold and gold jewellery.

 

Says Mr Raval, a journalist who writes about gold, "The association

of gold with festive occasions is based on the assurance that gold

provides people in their everyday lives. So even the jewellery that

is worn for these festivals is grounded in that assurance.

Traditional Indian jewellery hasn't changed in design for millennia.

What does vary in every piece of traditional jewellery is the amount

of gold it contains. That gold is always there to assure the woman

that she has something to fall back on in times of need." Raval goes

on to make the point that Hindu custom and belief has, over the

years, quite naturally, evolved to include that constant assurance."

 

Given the deep-rooted association of gold with almost every aspect

of Indian life, it is hardly surprising that the use of gold is

integral to many traditional systems of healing such as Ayurveda,

Unani and Tibetan medicine. Ayurveda divides the human body into

many different chakras or vital nodes. The heart chakra, which

inspires divine thoughts, is defined as being golden yellow. The

fact that gold does not rust spurred the interest of the traditional

healing systems in using it to cure ailments. Dental cavities have

been filled with gold since ancient times. Several systems advocate

the use of gold jewellery as a curative for many ailments. Some

festive sweetmeats even contain thin gold foil. Indians love gold so

much, they even eat it!

 

The ancient alchemists spent their entire lives trying to turn base

metals into gold. They failed completely, but in the process of

trying, they added chemistry to the many streams of human knowledge

that dispelled many ancient myths and propelled humanity into the

21st century. Gold really is the foundation of our society. This

festive season, when Indians go out to buy the special things they

do, the vast majority will, as they always have, buy gold, precious

not only because of its monetary value, but because it is a vital

part of Indian life.

 

Source: The Hindu, Chennai, India

URL: http://www.hindu.com/lf/2004/08/27/stories/2004082700690200.htm

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