After much thinking and reflecting, the only benefit I can see of observing Karvachauth is as follows-
Giving up food for a day by majority of the country’s women would go on to save a huge amount of food……..and be a substantial help in the foodgrain shortage problem of the country.
The Government should make a couple of Karvachauths in a year mandatory for both wives and husbands…
Apart from that, if men and women honestly search for the answers within themselves, they will not see any merit in this much cherished and much commercialised tradition…
As the dark age commenced and the whole of northern India was in social unrest due to the Muslim invasions and constant wars women were under constant insecurity of their hubby never returning home and if he did return home dead then the concept of “Sati” was the mandate. Especially the age difference in the women and men being very large Sati was convenient way of getting rid of unwanted progeny from widowed women folks and the morality of the other living male family members.
So the ritual of Karvachauth became pivotal for the women to seek the long life of the bread earner and well being of the family.
Today we find consumerism overtaking everything and commercialization of all aspects of life which is slowly eroding the family values. We find vulgar display of wealth is the norm and these wonderful practices reduced to just a regular drill. The changing social values and globalization has increased live in relationships which is outside the society values
We often see the worship of the village deity by all the village folks gathering once in a year for seeking good rain and harvest thus bring in prosperity and good health to all the villagers.
For eon the women were excellent home makers and the joint family tradition mandated that the male who were the sole bread earners and honor of the family were bestowed with good health and long life.
This is greatly influenced by the Sati savitri legend and the need for the women to be an ideal “pathi vratha” no matter in what circumstances as the male were forever in war and away from home which invited all kinds of ills of the society.
This ritual of ” Karvachauth” was to reassert the factor of purity and commitment to her home and her family .She is the symbol of perseverance and the factor that restores order and the fountain of love .So she has to remain in humility and under go lot of penance and so fasting was perhaps introduced.
The changing social values and globalization has increased live in relationships which is outside the society values and also majority of homes are now nucleus families.
Another important change is that women work at par with men as bread earners so thereby they now are more secured and independent. Any 21st Century woman will question the relevance of these rituals as they have no relevance to the current life style.
But deep down isn’t the family values that hold the society together and this is just a harmless and a poignant way of a women to express her love and reverence for her hubby.Nothing more nothing less.
A population that is disconnected with its roots will have to do a lot of soul searching in what hey are missing out as splintered families.
If done earnestly there is a great joy and happiness in it as it brings two souls closer to each other