The Business of Devotion
Published by Aakarsh under India on Sunday, September 23, 2007This blog required an update several times. But i ignored it, only because it is increasingly transforming into a newspaper. But i really dont care!
Today afternoon, when i was driving across my street, i noticed a huge idol of Lord Ganesha (Vinayaka). It had been there since a week but i never bothered to look at it, only because the accompanying noisy (noise is sweeter) drums (the din-chak din-chak) and a swarm of drunken devotees always disgusted me enough, that i took some other route to reach my house. well, enroute, i used to see atleast 6 smaller Ganeshas...thats a different story. So today afternoon,when we were passing by that huge idol, my mother startled me with some local information, or say the information which only our colony people know. That idol was worth Rs.80,000. Shudder is the right word to describe my expression after i heard that. Rs.80,000. and the entire street is filled with posters of some esteemed rogue-like dignitaries belonging to the association which has put up that idol. Wonder how much money has been put into those hundreds of posters. The electricity. The sound arrangements for uninterrupted torture to the neighbours. How much does it all come to? How many lakhs?
People spend some lakhs on 1 such idol, and to think of it, in the entire city of Hyderabad, with thousands of idols being put up in every bylane, how much money is being invested in all this fray. We have a chief association in Hyderabad for organising this etire thing for the city. This organisation is headed by some bastards, sorry, politicians (i think it is high time the english pundits realize that both are synonyms, atleast in India)who hog money in the face of devotion(they do it for anything anyways). These people weild power in their hands. They are the people who execute this mass business and make a profit of it. They incite the people to put up so many idols. They procure the permissions from Government, and if they are denied permission anywhere, they protest on the roads, blocking the traffic and creating a havoc.
After putting them up, the Indian comedy show continues. Everyday, the locals organize a series of programs and stuff to keep the show running. These include, not just conducting prayers but also dances. I have seen people dancing to a 'Kajra Re' at one of the idols. Indeed, even devotion has come of age.
After the so called 10 days, when each and every politician involved is content with the bulge of his pocket,the time has come for immersion. Despite the cour order from Supreme Court that idols could be immersed anywhere, this great association throws every court order to thin air and passes a ruling that all the idols should be immersed only at Hussain Sagar lake. They stick to it, only because it has been TRADITION to immerse the idols there. Thus starts another comedy show. Now, thats the final call, where they can make some more money. Government itself spends huge money for immersion arrangements.
And when the D-day arrives, the investment runs into crores. be it for police, for arrangements, or for the posters(millions of them), for garlands, for procession, for drummers, arrack shops, just everything. People get drunk, and still perform the poojas. They create a mayhemwith the city traffic, and yet get away with it. the sound pollution. All this...worth some hundreds of crores. And where is that money going? Hussain Sagar Lake. Ironically, the lake wake is being cleaned 365 days a year, although i always found it stinking.
The show ends when everyone is happy, with their wants satisfied. The politicians are happy with their pockets. The public is happy with the merry ride they had, and will continue to believe that their drunk dance on the streets is enough to wash all their sins away. The priests are happy because they earned much more than what they usually earn. The owners of arrack shops and wine shops are happy because of the spike in sales. The deaf drummers are happy because they earned their share too. The police are happy because their share from the corrupt bounty reached them. The electricity department officials were silenced long ago so they dont have a reason to complain. the auto-rickshaw/trolley/lorry drivers and their owners are happy because the money reached them too. Everyone is happy. even Lord Ganesha is happy, for he has been a spectator (if he really was) to all this drama.Hundreds of Crores changed hands..and metamorphosized into devotion, dogma, fanatism, liquor,noise, insensibility and blindness. Everyone got what they wanted, atleast a share of it and there is no one left to complain.
But yes, there are few... far away. I heard that 40000 families are affected by floods caused by heavy rains, somewhere in the coastal side of Andhra Pradesh. 58 people died too.
Nevermind, we dont have time for all that. Dussehra is coming up. Its time for Durga Pooja folks!
India is a Developing Nation
Today afternoon, when i was driving across my street, i noticed a huge idol of Lord Ganesha (Vinayaka). It had been there since a week but i never bothered to look at it, only because the accompanying noisy (noise is sweeter) drums (the din-chak din-chak) and a swarm of drunken devotees always disgusted me enough, that i took some other route to reach my house. well, enroute, i used to see atleast 6 smaller Ganeshas...thats a different story. So today afternoon,when we were passing by that huge idol, my mother startled me with some local information, or say the information which only our colony people know. That idol was worth Rs.80,000. Shudder is the right word to describe my expression after i heard that. Rs.80,000. and the entire street is filled with posters of some esteemed rogue-like dignitaries belonging to the association which has put up that idol. Wonder how much money has been put into those hundreds of posters. The electricity. The sound arrangements for uninterrupted torture to the neighbours. How much does it all come to? How many lakhs?
People spend some lakhs on 1 such idol, and to think of it, in the entire city of Hyderabad, with thousands of idols being put up in every bylane, how much money is being invested in all this fray. We have a chief association in Hyderabad for organising this etire thing for the city. This organisation is headed by some bastards, sorry, politicians (i think it is high time the english pundits realize that both are synonyms, atleast in India)who hog money in the face of devotion(they do it for anything anyways). These people weild power in their hands. They are the people who execute this mass business and make a profit of it. They incite the people to put up so many idols. They procure the permissions from Government, and if they are denied permission anywhere, they protest on the roads, blocking the traffic and creating a havoc.
After putting them up, the Indian comedy show continues. Everyday, the locals organize a series of programs and stuff to keep the show running. These include, not just conducting prayers but also dances. I have seen people dancing to a 'Kajra Re' at one of the idols. Indeed, even devotion has come of age.
After the so called 10 days, when each and every politician involved is content with the bulge of his pocket,the time has come for immersion. Despite the cour order from Supreme Court that idols could be immersed anywhere, this great association throws every court order to thin air and passes a ruling that all the idols should be immersed only at Hussain Sagar lake. They stick to it, only because it has been TRADITION to immerse the idols there. Thus starts another comedy show. Now, thats the final call, where they can make some more money. Government itself spends huge money for immersion arrangements.
And when the D-day arrives, the investment runs into crores. be it for police, for arrangements, or for the posters(millions of them), for garlands, for procession, for drummers, arrack shops, just everything. People get drunk, and still perform the poojas. They create a mayhemwith the city traffic, and yet get away with it. the sound pollution. All this...worth some hundreds of crores. And where is that money going? Hussain Sagar Lake. Ironically, the lake wake is being cleaned 365 days a year, although i always found it stinking.
The show ends when everyone is happy, with their wants satisfied. The politicians are happy with their pockets. The public is happy with the merry ride they had, and will continue to believe that their drunk dance on the streets is enough to wash all their sins away. The priests are happy because they earned much more than what they usually earn. The owners of arrack shops and wine shops are happy because of the spike in sales. The deaf drummers are happy because they earned their share too. The police are happy because their share from the corrupt bounty reached them. The electricity department officials were silenced long ago so they dont have a reason to complain. the auto-rickshaw/trolley/lorry drivers and their owners are happy because the money reached them too. Everyone is happy. even Lord Ganesha is happy, for he has been a spectator (if he really was) to all this drama.Hundreds of Crores changed hands..and metamorphosized into devotion, dogma, fanatism, liquor,noise, insensibility and blindness. Everyone got what they wanted, atleast a share of it and there is no one left to complain.
But yes, there are few... far away. I heard that 40000 families are affected by floods caused by heavy rains, somewhere in the coastal side of Andhra Pradesh. 58 people died too.
Nevermind, we dont have time for all that. Dussehra is coming up. Its time for Durga Pooja folks!
India is a Developing Nation
