Tirupati's Balaji now owns a Rs 42-crore crown! This super rich "offering" to the super rich god has come from a super rich Karnataka minister. However, there seems to be no uneasiness of the head that wears this crown.
But how much more coal will we carry to new castle? Gods might be crazy (no blasphemy intended!). But the devotees are crazier.
This minister, also a miner, apparently wanted to “repay back” to the Lord for raining riches on him. His "cut" to the Lord is a cut above the rest.
Oh, to be fair to the minister, he has also decided “repay” the society by setting up an industry that will employ 25,000 people. What benevolence! Employing a handful of the unemployed millions on one hand and giving back to one of the most prosperous temple committees a crown worth Rs 42 crore--what a balance!
An obscene amount this, when the wealthy can afford to rise above the ordinary and allow their “gratitude” to percolate to the needy. Why can’t villages be adopted, why can’t we have a more sustainable literacy drive in those village units? Why this largesse to divinity?
An upcoming Hanuman temple in Chennai, that had already caught the imagination of temple hopping maamis, had put up a huge notice board asking for “generous donations” for a golden gopuram and other golden accessories. The Ram bhakt, the lore says, led a spartan life, chanting raam naam in the rough terrain. And now a golden gopuram for the austere brahmachari!
The idea is not to ruffle feathers. But why material gifts, when we can shower goodwill and spread lateral benefits to fellow humans in our small ways. We need not be industrialists and rich politicians to afford such charity/social service. Probably, I am sounding preachy. But I feel pouring milk over images when millions of kids are dying of malnutrition and hunger in our country is gross insensitivity. Is there a small way we can rethink on our devotional mechanisms?
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Very true - Devotion in many Hindu settings boils down to bribing "god". Some of course hide in the garb of donations to charities on one side and rudeness to their subordinates on the other. When will they ever learn! When will they ever learn!
ReplyDelete