HINDU AMERICAN WAY OF LABOR DAY CELEBRATION

HINDU AMERICAN WAY OF LABOR DAY CELEBRATION

(Discourse by N.R. Srinivasan)

USA has adopted first Monday of September as Labor Day in place of May Day (International Labor Day) celebrated as workers day all over the world. This was initiated by the Central Labor Union Of New York  in 1882 which later became a  National Holiday approved by the congress. It is also popularly enjoyed as labor weekend or long holiday week end. Majority of Americans being Christians, attend special mass worships  in all churches conducted on Sunday of the Labor week.  Hindu Americans do not lag behind. They go out of the way to keep the Temple open on  Labor Day Monday, all day long and also observe it as a special religious day of observance  and conduct special pujas. Hinduism is a religion of conveniences and compromises as we all  know. One justification for holding such special poojas  on non-religious Hindu days seems to be,  the holiday weekend attracts crowds from neighboring towns and so temple should be kept open for longer hours. It is a good idea to keep the temple open on all days so  because not all the people who attend temples are working people. By and large in Hindu families only one of the parents  is working, there are  unemployed (who feel the importance to visit temple as the proverb goes when in trouble dial Venkateswara) and retired people  too. They attend temple  at their convenience as we have seen. But why to give it a color of special religious observance day is not understandable? Other major religions do not act that way interfering with their faith or accommodating other faiths. The other reason seems to be to accommodate the feelings and sentiments of Hindu Americans married  to someone from  the major religion of the country. At present this happens to be Christian community. It is to welcome and attract Interfaith married couples to Hindu Temples and allow them to participate in Hindu religious worship,and impress upon the public  of the broad outlook of Hindu community. Unfortunately such worships are not possible in India if Interfaith couples reveal or expose their identity as they enter a Hindu temple. On the other hand Christians and Jews welcome the same wherever they are  because Bible says; "My House shall be called a House of Prayer for all peoples" (Isiah 56:7). No such open declaration and practice is seen in Hindu worship  as temple worships are of recent origin and are regimental as decided by the religious and temple authorities. Muslim countries give no scope for this even though there are isolated Hindus who are married to Muslim community which is rather insignificant.  Migrant Hindus  therefore do not  have to observe Ramadan as a special fasting Vrata Day. May Day is a National Holiday in India but has not entered the portals of Hindu Temples in India for any kind of celebration like Independence Day and others.

Worship pattern in Hindu Temples in migrant countries  by and large depends on major contributors,  founding fathers and  chosen management and not necessarily oriented  to the needs or feelings of the community drawn from different Traditions or logic. Therefore let us leave this matter to the wisdom of temple authorities. They often work as Private Institutions though take public help a lot and need their participation. It is however true we owe an obligation to our country of adoption and also want to blend with the local culture. It is also true the social fabric of  Hindus wherever they are settled  is so knitted that no human activity is segregated from the divine. That is the reason why Hindu temples rush to celebrate every National Holiday with a divine fervor unlike other faiths. It would have been proper to leave some of them to their original intent like Independence Day, Valentine's Day, Thanksgiving Day, Halloween, Christmas etc. 

Major faith and  culture of America  blends some of these National Holidays with itsreligious faith. They do not however invite people on Laborday  Monday to hold a special  mass worship. How can we as Hindu Americans   then adopt Labor Day to suit our religious practices? Every such worship need not end up with Abhishekam or Homam to the Main deity or on the same day as Labor Day, taking the clue from the major faith of the land. Other faiths do not react like us.  Hindu temples  in migrant countries  are temple complexes and should be appealing to all Sampradayas among Hindus for active participation.  It should also reflect the importance of the day like Saraswati Puja Day. It should be appealing to Interfaith families to participate.  Here it is important to stress the importance and value  of Labor. As we know all over the North in India Viswakarma Day is observed as a religious day of great importance, particularly in Bengal, Orissa, Jharkand, U.P., Madhya Pradesh and others. Usually this is celebrated on   September 17 or 18. Bengal observes on 18th this year. I do not know whether America drew inspiration from India to have  Labor Day in September?  Some States observe Viswakarma Day on the Sankranti  day prior to Ganesha Chaturthi. Some other States observe on the day next to Diwali. There is a good following among Hindus who call themselves as Viswakarma Community.  I need not stress the importance of Viswakarma Pooja who is popular with all Hindus and venerated.  Even south Indians keep one day exclusive for Ayudha Puja during Navaratri (eighth day) and in turn pay obeisance to Viswakarama indirectly,  who is the son of Brahma who helped him in his task of Creation and building the Universe and townships. He was a product of Milky Ocean like Lakshmi. Let us therefore dedicate this day to the great Architecht of Industrial development for Humanity and make it more significant to our children to stress the value of Labor and hard work!  Fortunately even among Hindus in India there is no particular day ear-marked for Viswakarma. It is a National Holiday in some  States when observed. Viswakarma puja should be appealing to all the Hindu Americans drawn from different traditions of  Hindus from India and there can't  be any other day better suited than Labor Day. It should also be appealing to specialists migrants who are by and large engineers or specialists from India and who are in large numbers. Incidentally Hindu Temple worship in migrant countries  is also Puranic based and traditon oriented  as in India and not spiritually motivated to avoid all confusions. No doubt Puraanic following keeps the temple running economically viable than spiritually driven worship which is dry and philosophical!

TULSI GABBARD ON LBOR DAY OF 2019

Today we celebrate the working men and women across this country who make up the backbone and engine of our economy and whose hard work too often goes unsung. 

 Labor Day has a special meaning in my home state of Hawaii — one that has deep lessons for our country today. The history of Hawaii is rooted in agriculture. At one time, the majority of the land was held by sugarcane and pineapple plantations run by four major corporations. 

Wages were meager. Working conditions were miserable. Laborers were treated as though they were dispensable. Immigrant communities from all different parts of the world were pitted against each other as the company bosses worked to undermine their ability to organize for better working conditions and better wages. 

Finally, the working people of Hawaii stood up and said no more. They went on strike, shut down the economy of the state and held strong, refusing to be divided against each other for scraps of the livelihood they earned with their hard work. They organized under one rallying cry — an attack against one of us is an attack against all of us. And things began to change. Their voices were heard. 

But it is this history of standing together and fighting for each other that lays the foundation for how we can advocate for a better future. Hawaii is one of the most diverse states in the nation, representing cultures, religions and ethnicities from all parts of the globe. The fact that we are able to maintain a sense of unity in the face of adversity is due not only to our history of organizing, but to the spirit of aloha that is at the heart of who we are. 

Aloha means that I come to you with an open heart, with love, respect and care — regardless of the color of your skin, where you come from, how you worship God, who you love, or what political party you belong to.

 Dr. King understood that the fight for racial justice and the fight for workers’ rights are inseparable. Our fight is not simply for a bigger paycheck or better benefits — we are fighting for our dignity and our humanity. We are fighting for recognition for the people who built this great nation — people from all corners of the globe. People who came here willingly in search of a better life and people brought here by force. People who poured their blood, sweat and tears into the roads, bridges and railways, fields, forests, mines and factories that created what we know as America today. Teachers, doctors and nurses, first responders, and our veterans and servicemen and women who make up the vast majority of union members today. People who put service above self every day, serving their country, their community and each other. 

What our country needs now more than ever is to stand together in this spirit of aloha — the spirit of respect and love for one another and love for our country, regardless of the color of our skin, our culture, our religion, to say we will not be divided.

We will not be divided by the self-interested, powerful politicians who foment partisan hatred for their own gain. We will stand together, recognizing that an attack on one of us is an attack on all of us, because we are all brothers and sisters, we are all children of God. 

--Tulsi Gabbard on Labor Day September 2, 2019

 Hinduism says "sanghacchadvam samvadadvam" come together speak together and also pray together  as our sages did;t o achieve your goal --material as well as spiritual; and krinavanto viswamaryam ennoble this world; yuddhyasva vigata jvarah-by acting without hesitation! NRS