Saturday, December 25, 2004

TOW ... Scoffes and the Temple of dHoom

Merry Christmas !
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Three , dude ....three !! ... generally its once every week , but it was 3 in one shot today !!
That's the no. of temples I've been to today .... ok not exactly been to , cuz I never enter temples ...

Every Saturday morning I drive my mom to the Temple nearby , and refuse to get in .... it does bother her , but she has grown to accept tat there is no point importin "wisdom" into her son's head { the dble quotes are meant to signify the sarcasm } ... So whilst she goes to the temple , and recites all those hymns I know for sure she doesnt understand ....I sit inside the car reading a book (...the passers by wondering where they can hire a chauffer who reads Michael Crighton's books!! )
It makes me feel like Amitabh Bachan in Deewar , who waits by the steps of that temple they've been showin in every Bollywood movie since the 60's to present day !

I've not gone to a temple in the past 5 years ( saving the one time wen, on a col trip I'd to get into Eskon temple in B'lore ...but that place rocks!! ... 3 samosas for 10 bucks and printed Krishna-Man tee shirts for 100 ... if tat doesnt make ppl join the Hare Krishna cult then wat will ??!! ... but , then its not like a regular temple ... the guys there are actually decent and they are active in helpin the poor and the needy ...)
Not that I used to be a major believer five years ago , but I'd not read 'The Godfather' then ...and, I dint know how to "reason " with my mother (as the Don wud put it ) .

I've never understood the whole idea of going to a temple ...
What do they basically do in there ... sure they do pray , but why cant tat be done at home ... why do all the hard work of going to temple... standing in a queue for hours together ... taking the risk of being killed in a stampede ... recitin hymns in a language that became extinct even before the dinosaurus .... showing ur LOU for the human race , by swearing and pushing fellow devotees just to get a glimpse of a statue , a regular rock made of silica and other minerals , carved and painted to give it a human look !!... offering money and respect to some jerk who claims to know it all , to perform a so called puja that involves wasting of a lot of milk , that cud have been used to feed that poor girl with hunger written in her eyes , standing outside the temple!!

I sit in my car outside and observe the people around ... they make really funny hand and head movements ... which is a function of the deity they worship !! ... there are supposed to be some 12 to 13 gods and goddesses in each temple , each having their own specializations ... and I see these devoted ppl(even those who seem educated) acting like they are part of some amozonian-tribal-ritual !! .... what adds to the whole drama is the BGM ... that blarring 'noise' from the loudspeakers tats supposed to send spiritual waves , but in reality tears the serenity of early saturday mornings !!... now instead of birds chirping I hear "Rama-krishna-bhuta-subhastute...lalala...swaha " , or "Ambe Ambe jai jagdambey" to the tune of ILU-ILU ...remember ilu-ilu ?!

once outside , these gud devoted religious ppl.... would fight with the guy who parked the vehicle , in no way more awry, than their own .... they dont mind , kicking tat same girl we talked about a while ago .....or spitting on the sidewalk..... or even easing themselves ( I mean pissing .... urinating ... some euphemisms jus dont make the point !! )
but sure they are very nice ppl bcuz they go to the temple and make those unearthly motions and pray in some outmoded dialect !

its all so fake and loud and caricatured .
Amoung these ppl are businessmen, teachers ,and students (probably praying to do well in their science exam , wen wat they are doin is against all scientific education !! )

wen will ppl start using their heads ?!
and wen will I stop posting blogs on religion ?!


3 Comments:

At 7:01 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

i agree d whole temple thing has become a big load of CRAP "NOW".but i dont agree wid e'thin.i am not a temple goer myself.but i dont scoff at ppl who do.
d imperative word is FAITH.dey ve faith in it n it works for dem.dey r scared of "somethin" n dis fear is wat makes dis world liveable(if u might call it dat.)
crimes are not commited cos ppl are god fearing.not dat thieves dont pray.but it does help.
as for why v go to temples n dat why cant v worship at home?? well e'thin has a proper place..u shit in d toilet..u dont ve ur dinner there.its not dat u cant but u dont.
i personnaly love goin to puttaprthi(its d place where sai baba lives) not b'cos i believe in dat guy but cos of its quietness n cleanliness.it gives u peace of mind. some ppl get their peace of mind by jus goin to temples....whether its clean or not.dey dont care if its noisy.dey r happy wen dey r in a TEMPLE.n dats wat matters.
d hymns u were talkin abt....d ppl recitin it can be criticised but not d hymns.recitin dem aloud helps ur body.n i am not jus sayin dis..its been scientifically proven.i know ma aunt recites d whole of hanuman chalisa EVERYDAY.but d way she does it is of absolutely no use.
i got sooooo much more to say..but i am really hungry n i dont like d idea of jus typin.i need someone to argue wid me den n der..so dats it for now.chow

 
At 5:34 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

hey sandy.. Hmmmm good one i shud say.. though completely against the methods actually followed in temples for decades..a very practical thought!keep up the good work!...a regular reader of ur crap..pavi!

 
At 3:16 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

try finding something worth while 2 do a la cooking or eating wat is cooked.....

 

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