No Cake, Just Havan: Mumbai Hindus Flock To Temples To Celebrate Birthdays The Sanatan Way

Mumbai: ​In a break from ushering in their birthdays with cakes and candles, groups of Hindus are joining community homams at neighbouring temples to celebrate their birth anniversaries in accordance with their religious calendar.

70 Celebrants Gather at Powai Temple for Ritual

​On Sunday, March 1, around 70 celebrants gathered at Shree Ayyappa Vishnu Temple in Powai for the monthly ‘birthday havan’. Mahesh Sharma, a resident of Powai, was there to celebrate the birthday of his daughter. In February, he was there for his son’s birthday. In June, he will be joining the havan to mark his and his wife's birthdays. "It is a good initiative because our Sanatan children have forgotten that we once used to mark our birthdays with Markandeya puja," said Sharma, who added that more temples should organise such events.

​Manoj Nair, another resident of Powai, said that he had participated in such an event last year. "It was then an opportunity for me to take part in a havan at no cost. This year, I pitched in with a donation. It is a positive thing and I appreciate the effort to get people closer to their culture," said Nair.

Programme Marks 10th Anniversary

​The havan at Powai marked the 10th anniversary of the programme. Ajaykumar, a volunteer who started the tradition at Powai, said that he remembered his mother taking him to the temple on his birthday. "The practice has almost vanished. Most Hindus have not read our Granthas, Vedas, and Upanishads. So most of our knowledge of the religion comes from our festivals and mythology. In metro cities, most children have vague knowledge of our religion. It is our responsibility to reactivate our temples as centres for the youth," said Ajaykumar, who added that it is difficult to organise an elaborate havan at home, as it takes a lot of preparation.

​"Most people these days celebrate their birthday by having a party and blowing out candles. This concept of celebrating birthdays in temples is returning to our roots instead of imitating the Western way," he added.

First Havan in 2016, Seer's Blessing in 2019

​The Powai temple organised its first free community ‘birthday havan’ in March 2016. In 2019, Jagadguru Sankaracharya of Dakshinamnaya Sringeri Sharada Peetam, Sri Sri Vidusekhara Bharati Sannidhanam, had visited and blessed such a havan at a Mulund temple.

​Other temples in the city, such as the Ganesh Mandir at Dombivali, Bhajan Samaj temple at Ghatkopar, and shrines in Vasai and Navi Mumbai also organise the havans.

The havan is performed on the first or second Sunday of every month and all having birthdays in that month are welcome to participate after registering their names and astrological star. It is free for people of all ages. After the havan, the participants can take part in talks on parenting.

Janmashtami, Matru Puja Also Organised​

Over the years, the ‘birthday havan’ groups have been celebrating festivals like Krishna Janmashtami. Matru Puja and Kanya Puja are organised during Navratri in temples, where children wash the feet of mothers and girl children, seeing the Divine Mother in them.

​Around two years ago, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) joined the programme and is now trying to promote the rituals in temples across the country. The VHP's Math Mandir Archak Aayam, Konkan Prant, has been assisting community groups to start free birthday havans in more temples. "At least 20 temples have started the programme," said a VHP representative.

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