Come is the month of continence. Let it rejuvenate us as does an all parched-up Jaishtha before the renewal of all nature in Ashadh. Religion emphasizes the cleansing of the individual'through the rigours of Siam in Ramadan. We are here in need more of cleansing the collective entities — honesty and accommodation, efficiency and loyalty to social weal. Will those in politics refrain assiduously from thinking in pejoratives and vituperative about adversaries, for this one month, to start with? Can they? What kind of a Siam will they be observing if they continue to wallow in ill will and dreams of rolling heads?

Shirking in duty and malingering in different garbs have come down as attending companions of Ramadan. The logic is to provide relief to the suffering caused by fasting. This is dishonest and is a travesty of religious injunctions. Keeping away from one's normal chores and duties on the plea of fasting can render the expected merits or sawab of fasting straightway into makruh. From government establishments to schools, from business houses to all industrial enterprises, timings are adjusted to make things easy for the fasting ones. Anyone seeking more from working still less will surely compromise his appointment with piety. In fact production and services should improve in Ramadan when there are fewer distractions.

Ramadan comes as redolent of pristine purities of the olden times. It lends certain regenerative strengths to those who go for it and practises Siam as a Sadhana. But for those who can afford it, Ramadan also comes as a month of feasting and for some, unabashed gluttony. This is not only in utter bad taste, it is also a direct insult to the Ramadan spirit of self-denial. As if this was not bad enough, the government and the political parties have introduced a new culture of Iftar parties — a streaming drain on collective coffers. This should go. The nation has every right to know about the money spent on these by government leaders and record their disapproval.

We plead to our readers, please have a kindly thought every day of Ramadan for the well-being of the society if you cannot at all turn in a good deed.