Gamblers’ Diwali

Gamblers’ Diwali

Shiva and Parvati playing Chaupar : Folio from Rasmanjari Series c.1694-95, attributed to Devidasa of Nurpur. (Miniature painting, The MET)

Today is Saturday, and Monday is the big Diwali celebrations night.

Diwali is mega Christmas for us Indians. Like Christmas, the preparation for this festival also begins with decorating the house, preparing, cooking, and gorging on a lot of food, especially Indian sweets (mithai) and starts days in advance. Yes, there is crazy amount of shopping and serious exchange of gifts too. As are prayers said on the birth of Lord Jesus, for us the worship of Lord Ganesh and Goddess Lakshmi (for health and prosperity throughout the year) is what gives the day its religious sanctity.

Like they do to celebrate Christmas, families follow their own traditions for Diwali as well. Strangely enough, one of these is playing cards or to put it bluntly, gambling. This is done among family and friends and is generally preceded or followed by hearty dinners. Starting after Diwali puja (worship) and the meal, it was a traditional ritual not linked with winning or losing but merely playing the game. Yet slowly the sessions came to be continued through the night and it is no surprise to see most people with their hang-dog looks mourning their losses, whether small or big, the next morning and a few looking for more ways to use up their winnings.

With time, as for everything else, the flavour of these card parties has also changed and like kitty parties, Karva Chauth or kids’ birthday celebrations, taash (card) nights have also become important social extravagant events and sometimes, a symbol of showing off one’s social status and high place in one’s milieu. They begin a few days before Diwali mainly with Flush (Teen Patti) and last for a couple of days after the festival night and some enthusiasts hop from one house to another for several days, carrying their fat purses. Most seasoned players follow their own tashan/totke (superstitious gimmicks) to win. From family events and small stakes, these sessions, say the media and the police, have turned into mega events, with huge sums of money and wagers tempting the people around the table.

These taash parties are held at private residences with friends and family where no commission is charged.

Photo: Architectural Digest

Like for everything in India, there is a story to this ritual too. Legend goes that Goddess Parvati played dice with Lord Shiva on Diwali night and declared that whosoever gambled on this night would prosper throughout the coming year. Ganesh and Kartikeya, their two sons, are also said to have joined in, which put it in the category of family activity. It is no wonder then that gambling during Diwali is not frowned upon by elders.

If you are a big zero at cards and a non-believer in the ritual like me, be warned that the one who does not gamble this night would be born a donkey in their rebirth, goes the superstition.

To me donkeys seem like animals who have attained a high level of detachment. Haven’t you ever seen one standing in the middle of the road, unperturbed by most of the hectic activity around him? In India, however, they are known only as the beasts of burden and nincompoops among the animal world. Bless the soul who was so elevated that he could see the rebirth of a non-player as a donkey or the sharp brains that invented this reason to gamble away Diwali night. So be prepared for bright lights burning for the better part of many nights in most houses with the sounds of laughter and arguments filling the atmosphere. These are the people trying their best to avoid being reborn as the animal with perhaps the biggest grin in the world.

Some rationalize that the custom probably started as part of a harvest festival. With money in their pockets following the sale of kharif (summer) crops, farmers celebrated with family and friends. Dice games were popular in ancient times, (Who can forget the dice game in Mahabharata which changed the course of the story?) so naturally they were included as part of the Diwali celebration.

A friend explained that Diwali is about prosperity and hospitality, which comes with money and what better way than to play cards? Or maybe it makes people aware of the impermanence of good fortune and the importance of balance in material pursuits.

Another one enlightened me- Diwali is the time when the sun is passing through Libra, which is a symbol of balance, so playing cards signifies abhyaas (practice) of balance and moderation.

Do you believe anyone would go to one such celebratory taash party with this philosophy?

The preachers might say it is an inappropriate activity during a religious celebration, but the supporters call it spreading holiday cheer and promoting togetherness.

Most Indians consider Diwali period auspicious to acquire new assets and the market exploits that with crazy discounts and temptations to buy. Diwali also marks the Hindu New Year, so traders and businesspeople start their new financial year. Just notice the hectic activity in the share market during this time! No wonder then, a little bit of money exchanging hands over a game of chance is not seen as a sin or crime.

A lawyer friend explained that any game involving money where the outcome depends on luck and not skill, is illegal. Games of chance are illegal under and invite punishment as also gambling in gaming houses.

A friendly game of cards with some stakes is not illegal and the following judgement by the Punjab and Haryana High Court in Kanwardeep Singh vs Union Territory Chandigarh (2008) Crl.M.P. No 54959 of 2006 (India) has been cited by judges of various High courts.

“There is no dispute to the fact that the incident is in immediate proximity in time to the Diwali festival. Any and every case of playing cards, particularly during festive season, in private property not for the gain and profit of the occupier or owner of property cannot be termed as gambling in a common gaming house, under the Act, to constitute an offence. I am of the opinion, taking in view the facts and circumstances of the case, that it is a case of playing cards during Diwali festivities.”

Yet when it comes to online gambling the rules perhaps need more clarity for a layperson in India. So better read the fine print before swiping your card to sink your money, whether hard-earned or easy-gained.

Happy Diwali!

                                                                                           -Anupama S Mani