As far as I am concerned, everything else dropped naturally, effortlessly. I was anyway not much into rituals and knew that many of these things are aadambar and have little to do with Hindu Dharma. Neither the Gita nor the Upanishads advocate things such as vrata, upawas (fasting). They advise the path of moderation instead. So doing things which one no more believes in is a kind of hypocrisy.
Of course, sometimes one is living in a social situation where one does these things only to maintain a kind of harmony. One cannot always avoid certain rituals connected to the family as that would create disharmony. If that be the case, then it is best to think only of the Mother inwardly while engaged in these outer pujas, which surely does not please any true gods. It is only vital beings who take pleasure in these kinds of worship. The true and great gods see your inner movements and attitudes instead. 🌼
Affectionately,
Alok Da
