Thinking Activity- Sheetla Satam

 This Blog is written in response of the thinking Activity given by Kavisha Ma'am At the Department of English, MKBU

Sheetla Satam 

Sheetla Satam is a Festival that occurs in the month of Sravan on Saptami. It is for the worship of the Goddess Sheetla and to prevent the disease  of Sheetla (Smallpox). On the day of Sheetla Satam people eat preserved food of the previous night as on that day cooking is not allowed. It is mostly celebrated in the State of Gujarat and its rural areas. The people of Gujarat are highly believers of this festival.

What happens on Sheetla Satam

The Day before Satam is the Day called Randhan Chhath, on that day people cook food for the next day Satam because on the day of Satam people can not cook meals. They have to eat the food that was cooked the previous night on the randhan Chhath.

On the day of Satam, women do the worship of the Goddess Sheetla, to prevent the disease of Sheetla and for the health and peace of the family. People eat the cooking of the previous day for the next 24 hours during their meal time and that on the next day of Atham they start the fire in the kitchen. They do pooja of Sheetla Mata and Read and listen to the story about the Goddess Sheetla.

Sheetla VS Smallpox

Smallpox is a serious and often deadly viral infection. It's contagious, that means it spreads from person to person and can cause permanent scarring. Sometimes, it causes disfigurement. Smallpox has affected humans for thousands of years.

 

Edward Jenner was the person who invented the vaccine of Smallpox and that created the revolution of wiping out the disease. 

 

However, the people of India still believe in Goddess as she is the controller of that disease and can give it to the people as punishment for their sins or bad deeds.

It sometimes reflects the mentality of the society that can not resist the religious ideology of their and can not differentiate in the common disease and make it as a goddess that punishes people. 

Reading of Jonathan Swift’s ‘A Tale of a Tub’ and its implication on the even of Sheetla Satam

As Swift in his ‘A tale of a Tub’ Describes how the three Brothers Peter, MArtin and Jack interpret their father’s will and do as they believe. In the same way people of India do to their religion as they have lots of different beliefs and different sectors and lots of Gods and Goddesses. Even the religious scripture have different type of interpreted beliefs.