It was a YouTube advertisement of an online film screening platform and a film trailer was shown. It seemed as casual as other film trailers hit the screen but what made me curious about it was the title.
Click Here to watch the trailer.
Yes. Shiva Baby. Indeed an eye-sparkling title for Indian audience. Digging deeper got me to the real fact about the real context of the word shiva. The film has no connection with Hindu god Shiva but it has a completely different perspective. Well, this makes me question that are we open to multiple cultures? How much do we know about other religions and their rituals and myths around them? These are not the questions of national interest or whose-who-GK kind but they too have their places.
Cultural Openness
The world has become a global village and in the time of fast progression and development, one needs to be open and sporty about all the cultures and religions around the world.
Meaning and the Context
Shiva is a Hindu god and the supreme strength in all respects among the Trimurti - Brahma Vishnu and Mahesh. But shiva is also a name of ritual of lamentation, mourning in Judaism. Isn't it beautiful that how two cultures share similarities and yet they are celebrated in different contexts? If one looks with wider view point, many stories of gods are much similar.
Here's a paragraph on this ritual. According to Wikipedia entry,
Shiva (Hebrew: שִׁבְעָה, literally "seven") is the week-long mourning period in Judaism for first-degree relatives. The ritual is referred to as "sitting shiva" in English. The shiva period lasts for seven days following the burial. Following the initial period of despair and lamentation immediately after the death, shiva embraces a time when individuals discuss their loss and accept the comfort of others.[1]
Its observance is a requirement for the parents, siblings, spouses, and children of the person who has died. It is not a requirement for an individual who was less than thirty days old at the time of death.[2] At the funeral, mourners wear an outer garment that is torn before the procession in a ritual known as keriah. In some traditions, mourners wear a black ribbon that is cut in place of an everyday garment.[3][4] The torn article is worn throughout the entirety of shiva. Typically, the seven days begin immediately after the deceased has been buried. Following burial, mourners[5] assume the halakhic status of avel (Hebrew: אבל, "mourner"). It is necessary for the burial spot to be entirely covered with earth in order for shiva to commence. This state lasts for the entire duration of shiva.
During the period of shiva, mourners remain at home. Friends and family visit those in mourning in order to give their condolences and provide comfort. The process, dating back to biblical times, formalizes the natural way an individual confronts and overcomes grief. Shiva allows for the individual to express their sorrow, discuss the loss of a loved one, and slowly re-enter society.[6]
A detailed, well-documented guide of how this ritual is conducted and followed in Judaist culture.
Now we have two contextual meanings of Shiva. Let's be open, and think global.
Happy Perspectives !!!
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