Secondly, the point of Ramnavami celebrations of this scale being unprecedented in West Bengal is no case for alarm. India has a history of festivals spreading to different parts of the country either spawning originally as a product of greater cultural interaction or for raising political consciousness. In pre-independence phase, one may remember how Lokmanya Tilak used Ganesh Utsav as an annual public event for harnessing the collective spirit pursuing nationalist objectives. It was a form of cultural appropriation of identity for political objectives of the national movement. While a different set of factors can also shape spread of festivals. In post -independence phase, for instance, the growth in popularity of rakshabandhan is attributed by many to Hindi movies like Chhoti Behen (1959). In their approach to assimilating festivities, societies aren’t static entities, they are open to influences.