It may seem absurd to many that a festival of ghosts, witches and monsters should be celebrated with such enthusiasm each year in a country where daily life has enough actual horror. This certainly is one big justification offered by those who mock people for wearing plastic fangs and capes and taking their kids trick-or-treating on October 31. Then there are the usual sanskaar-based arguments trotted out by uncles and aunties on all occasions from Valentine’s Day to Thanksgiving, and the shaming by those who see in these celebrations yet another occasion for the sitcom-conditioned minds of urban Indians to spend their hard-earned money on tawdry decor and tacky costumes.

From another perspective, however, Halloween need not be seen as a mere import or even just an occasion to party in st

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