Rituals—you have surely heard about them from your close ones. What are rituals, and what is their purpose? Surely, I have heard more than you that rituals should be followed. They must be performed to impress some supernatural power, which we commonly denote as "god." If we don't follow them, we become enemies in the eyes of the same people who insist on them.

People who devote a significant part of their lives to following these rituals will never consider going against them. Some perform them regularly, while others occasionally seek blessings. These same people are often considered conservative, yet they hold social influence in most matters. Their hypocrisy goes unnoticed, giving them a free pass to practice their beliefs. Their ignorance fuels the ritualistic methods they adopt because a lower caste cannot perform rituals like them. When I say "lower caste," I mean those struggling to make ends meet, already caught in daily survival, saving whatever little they can to remain part of this ritualistic society.

Now, what exactly is a ritual, and why am I using this term repeatedly? Many people use "religion" to refer to an authority figure or an organization. Mind you, this is an MNC—one of the biggest players in this market. Religion institutionalizes rituals, giving them shape and priority like no other. They never attempt to rationalize or make adjustments, much like how patriarchy functions in today's cultural settings.

Coming from my background, I have followed rituals because I felt they demanded nothing from me in return. Unlike concepts like the caste system, which require courage and a strong background to resist, rituals seem to impose dignity upon you, as if society has already assigned you a place. If you challenge them, you are seen as a misfit, an outsider, or even an invader. Rituals become rigid if followed since childhood.

I have often wondered why I can't be flexible with them. Why do I take them so seriously when they were simply placed before me? Why do I feel so exhausted, as if I have no concept of freedom from these rituals? They feel like an MNC deadline—something to be completed morning and night. Rituals are never common across all castes; they come with a set of prescribed practices based on social hierarchy. The ritual business ensures that everyone follows their assigned script. I don’t see any practice that isn’t morally guided, yet morality, in their sense, exists only to serve power structures.

Morality is a tool used by those who demand dignity from society but do not grant it to others. The only real challenge to their authority is caste. Rituals cannot be questioned, and even when they are, a small elite group ensures that outsiders cannot enter their circles. Morality functions like an organ within this system—it is inseparable from rituals. You are like a newborn forced to wear specific clothes without questioning their origin or meaning.