Commercialization...

Who doesn't wanna fulfil their dreams and what do we not do to achieve it ? Right from backstabbing my colleague to even bribing the pandit at the temple.

I'd been to Guruvayoor recently. I try to keep away from the crowd as much as possible, but this was mom's offering (I've not managed to study her list so far). Am quite religious, Going to the temple don't excite me much, even if there's a lot of a female crowd, Com eon, Atleast there i would like to keep my eyes to the floor instead of hunting for butterflies.

Mom started with her daily chaos of trying to wake me up at as early as 6am on a saturday morning... Perhaps she forgot that, thats the only day i get to sleep for long, The other days of the week where i sleep for long is between breaks, Yes, From my home to the cab, cab to the office and office to the cafeteria is when most of our eyes manage to remain open, rest of the time, its either on the bed or on the office cubicle that we rest our eyes.

Temple Scene : Guruvayoor: Unarguably one of the richest, biggest and famous temple of kerala. Home to many oldies, Perfect location for all the film makers to shoot and probably where all women agrees to be having a single boy friend (Lord Krishna). So whats men's job there ?

I am asked to stand in a que, more than 4000 odd people waiting before me (Its unfortunately a less crowded part of the day) and just before my entry into the temple, i read a Board " MOBILE PHONES, NOT ALLOWED INSIDE THE TEMPLE PREMISES ", which is also read in "change the voice" style in different languages. I walk through a metal detector, where a security guy checks me. ( I wonder, what would i be carrying in one pocket of my shirt), are you thinking where my pants are ? Sorry, I wasn't wearing one, Rather i had to be dressed in the traditional dhoti. Yet the security guys, checked all the men of their thighs and butts (Saala Homo).
Mind you, this is the month of march and the time is around 9.30 am in the morning and i am still waiting behind approx 4K and the sun, seems even hotter than a mid-day sun at other parts of the world.

I was almost down and out and instead of shouting out Pepsi, Coke or mineral water, i asked mom if i can get some Sambaaram (buttermilk), mom looked and me and grinned..., "I wish i too could have some... " She said..

A wait was finally coming to an end, when the que started squeezing into the main temple area. "Krishnaaa... Guruvayooor appa.... " was being heard from all over, I heard it, but dont know if Lord Krishna did really manage to pay attention to each and everyone, however, i too called him within heart.., as it is, not many manage to hear me, my voices falling on deaf ears is nothing new, i wanted some hopes for these cries of mine not be fallen on deaf ears atleast.

In between all of these, there were security guards monitoring the lines and asking people to squeeze into every possible place that you find. No matter if u're waist size is 26 or 38. I was finally there, Right infront of the Nada (thats where the idol is kept), a blink of the eyes and it was all over. The wait of 2 hours in a line, empty stomach all ended in 2 seconds... Those securities there were pulling and pushing people as if i was the North and South pole of a same magnet.. T R A N S F O R M A T I O N man....

Could not do much about it, But i had to remember that there were 4K people ahead of me and probably another 8K behind me. Once i was out from the main temple area, I felt as if i came out from a dungeon. It was so suffocating inside. I'd to come and pray., " Thank you Bhagwan, Atleast you take that none of your devotees, run out of oxygen..."

Then it was all about getting prasadam.., Nothing extra ordinary, even if you go to any other temples, you'll have to pay and get prasadam. Little outside the temple, i also see another board "Now, Thirupathi in Kerala... " Amazing naa ? If i know geography well (i know that i dont have to travel from Bangalore to Goa Via Chennai), Thirupathi is somewhere in Andhra , Close to TN border, But how does this logic suffice ? In short, they'd have it more commercialised saying...
" Minting started in Kerala... Like in Andhra.." should be an equivalent to the board that i read.

I've not been to Thirupathi or Sabrimala, But i dont think it would be any different. I also heard that one has to take a token for getting a darshan at Thirupathi. Hmm.. We are quite used to bribing, to see the doctor, bribe the compounder, to see the officer, bribe the peon. So here too.. bribe the pandit and temple to see god. All is fair till there are sinners, like the one who is glued to this blog.

On the way back, I had a brief conversation with mom, "Why did you get me to this temple ? " Even after knowing that i try to keep away from crowded places and at times these kind of surrounding can also get me Asthma... Her reply was., some astro suggested her to take me there and pray, coz i have a lot of Doshams. Amused... ??

I was amused., some person told that i've a lot of doshams and he says it would be cured if i go and pray at Guruvayoor ? Surprising... isn't it ? I just got a little more curious and asked her what else have you offered ? She told me some 4-5 temple names. 3 of them in the surrounding and 1 was a little far away, probably another half a day's trip.

And there were a lot of pooja's to be performed in each of these temples ranging between 1K to 2K each temple., for a moment i was wondering.., does this astro gets a commission from these temples? coz, he always asked mom to take a receipt of poojas that has to be performed and give the slip to the pandit there and it would be taken care of.

For a person who lives in a city and close to all the good word in the world like Recession, Business, Commission, Economy and so on, It does look like commercialization in the name of god. The Astro gets his commission from temple, The temple would be giving out bulk order to these offerings suppliers (incense sticks, oil, lamp) etc.

In another instance, the same astro had asked to conduct a weekly offering for almost 21 weeks in 3 times, which makes it 21 x 3 (63 weeks, Almost 16 months, which is 1 year+) .

And guess what...., I guess all these are tax free. :-)

Is it just that people are getting more dumb, or is it just the temples are pandits are getting smarter or on the other hand, are the listof sinners increasing ?

Whatever be the case.... Its commercialization in silence....