Living here for 29 years and working for over 6 years, I have lately realized that the life here is getting different, tougher,insecure for several reasons some within our control and more outside our control..same is happening in all parts of Kerala, as informed by some of my friends living across the state. Though we are at the best of freedom ,it seems like we are falling into the arms of slavery by Spirituality and also cultivating within us some seeds of arrogance bred by political affiliation.
As this reality is said aloud the family, friends, relatives ,anyone known first crosses their lips,then urges us to cross ours..whole society crosses their lips..if still any one speaks out then following questions erupt..
let us take a look..
Scene1:Home- sundaymorning: A few guys clad in dhoti(sorry, kavi dhoti is the most common, no offence) come to our house and say our temple
Scene 2:Working day- Road to office :
Its 8.15 am and if we start in car can reach office by name thanks to traffic and
extra narrow roads gifted with potholes..Hey why traffic is more today..no its hardly any movement..some one passing by says, its festival in "so and so" temple. What!! then why traffic..festival should be in temple..festival in temple but the 40 foot tall arch is across the road..the temple authorities dont want to disturb the foot path, so the the pillars are erected in the road itself..extra narrow road to ultra narrow road..One thing we must remember is that some people ie arch and decoration contractors benefit from this spiritual business.
Then the most powerful tool for spiritual business to be a fortnight success is Ponkala.. adding to the woes of traffic mothers and sisters with pots for ponkala to the newly found out family kavu deities..Thank God if we reach office in the morning itself..
http://www.keralatourism.org/video-clips/attukal-pongala,-thiruvananthapuram-66.php
scene 3:Road back home: Cruising over the festival arches that took an hour we reach the big junction..no we see the big junction a mile away..road blocked!!
Scene 4: Home working day night:
The journey to office and back was really tiring, so we think of taking rest/sleeping early..Then as we fall asleep while the festival committee who has pledged to provide value for our contribution starts to work..
another group living with the spiritual business is the sound and light contractors , with the large loud speakers in the telephone post make sure your ears have extra soothing rock music...dont ask anyone what western/filmi rock music has to do in temples..its for the believers..But my wife, she believes a lot..pray to every stone..its truth but she is carrying..what should she do..she can atleast try to bear it, what the kid inside do ??
Finally we fall asleep some time very early before the dawn breaks the darkness we are awakened by the filmi soft music/romantic songs etc..
As we desperately wake up..traditional string instruments rubbed up with bows and accompanied by folklore of the of kerala..oh god my ears!!, then my father tell me that this is a part of our culture!!but my father forgot one thing our culture did not include loud speakers that force us to listen..if some one want to hear they go to temples for it..Right and why the well wishers forget that their peace is also interrupted but forgive everything for the sake of "daiva dosham". Ok at least the poor traditional folk musicians arehaving some visibility with Spiritual business.Let them also earn.
Now some one with the sweet Amrish puri voice will be making the announcements that reaches us through the 10000 watt speakers..
We should not forget this,the people benefitting from the whole spirituality and festival business sessions are many starting from hotels, street vendors, event managers, other organisers, liqour in legal and illicict..so the society benefits from spiritual business but all at the expense of denying peace to a large section of the society.
Rebelling the sytem
This a leaf from my daily life, any keralite living in a busy town or city knows very well that what ever I have observed above is true.
So do most of the commoners, they are happy with the societal functions, believe in unions, politics, we celebrate and enjoy but at no one's expense..We all believe that the freedom and rights which democracy and constitution assures is applicable to all.. whether we want this way of spirituality is the only question!!
Wake up blind believers
Hello blind believers , you might be my friends or relatives or any one knowing me or anyother believer
As this reality is said aloud the family, friends, relatives ,anyone known first crosses their lips,then urges us to cross ours..whole society crosses their lips..if still any one speaks out then following questions erupt..
- Are you against Spirituality?
- Dont you believe in GOD?
- Are you not a part of a religion?
- Dont you go to temples?
- Dont you like festivals?
- Dont you like celebration?
- Dont you have a sense of social unity?
- Dont you have political affiliation?
- Are you against democracy?
let us take a look..
Scene1:Home- sundaymorning: A few guys clad in dhoti(sorry, kavi dhoti is the most common, no offence) come to our house and say our temple
- They :" so and so name temple, so and so place" is having festival ,please give your contribution for that..
- we: "So and so" place? we know the place very well but never heard of such a temple,when it started?
- They:this was a family kavu we are expanding it.
- We: then why the hell I should give money for some ones family temple..and more over we have numero temples in the neighbour hood..
- They: you live here only naa..we will see you in the road.
Scene 2:Working day- Road to office :
Its 8.15 am and if we start in car can reach office by name thanks to traffic and
extra narrow roads gifted with potholes..Hey why traffic is more today..no its hardly any movement..some one passing by says, its festival in "so and so" temple. What!! then why traffic..festival should be in temple..festival in temple but the 40 foot tall arch is across the road..the temple authorities dont want to disturb the foot path, so the the pillars are erected in the road itself..extra narrow road to ultra narrow road..One thing we must remember is that some people ie arch and decoration contractors benefit from this spiritual business.Then the most powerful tool for spiritual business to be a fortnight success is Ponkala.. adding to the woes of traffic mothers and sisters with pots for ponkala to the newly found out family kavu deities..Thank God if we reach office in the morning itself..
http://www.keralatourism.org/video-clips/attukal-pongala,-thiruvananthapuram-66.php
scene 3:Road back home: Cruising over the festival arches that took an hour we reach the big junction..no we see the big junction a mile away..road blocked!!
- we : Accident??or breakdown??
- Passerby: no ..its a meeting of "All India .....trade union", national president Chorsinghyadav came down all the way from chambal for its "so and so" branch meeting..moreover state minister for traffic( or traffikking votes) is also attending,he belongs that party.
- we : then why the hell the road is blocked..
- passerby: Live telecast is in national channels..so the party want to show its strength.
Scene 4: Home working day night:
The journey to office and back was really tiring, so we think of taking rest/sleeping early..Then as we fall asleep while the festival committee who has pledged to provide value for our contribution starts to work..
another group living with the spiritual business is the sound and light contractors , with the large loud speakers in the telephone post make sure your ears have extra soothing rock music...dont ask anyone what western/filmi rock music has to do in temples..its for the believers..But my wife, she believes a lot..pray to every stone..its truth but she is carrying..what should she do..she can atleast try to bear it, what the kid inside do ??
Finally we fall asleep some time very early before the dawn breaks the darkness we are awakened by the filmi soft music/romantic songs etc..
As we desperately wake up..traditional string instruments rubbed up with bows and accompanied by folklore of the of kerala..oh god my ears!!, then my father tell me that this is a part of our culture!!but my father forgot one thing our culture did not include loud speakers that force us to listen..if some one want to hear they go to temples for it..Right and why the well wishers forget that their peace is also interrupted but forgive everything for the sake of "daiva dosham". Ok at least the poor traditional folk musicians arehaving some visibility with Spiritual business.Let them also earn.
Now some one with the sweet Amrish puri voice will be making the announcements that reaches us through the 10000 watt speakers..
- Sound system sponsored by.....company
- Temple poojas sponsored by ....company
- food sponsored by .....company
- Arches sponsored by ....company
- stage sponsored by ....company
- all other expense sponsored by ....company
We should not forget this,the people benefitting from the whole spirituality and festival business sessions are many starting from hotels, street vendors, event managers, other organisers, liqour in legal and illicict..so the society benefits from spiritual business but all at the expense of denying peace to a large section of the society.
Rebelling the sytem
This a leaf from my daily life, any keralite living in a busy town or city knows very well that what ever I have observed above is true.
- So if we protest against this spiritual business how come this is the voice against religion, political party,freedom to unite,
freedom to speech..why they dont understand that the commoners do have all these rights. - When the people who are supposed to maintain the law becomes the law breakers should we not protest at least voice ourselves in peergroups..or does they feel that democracy is elections only and not in rights??
So do most of the commoners, they are happy with the societal functions, believe in unions, politics, we celebrate and enjoy but at no one's expense..We all believe that the freedom and rights which democracy and constitution assures is applicable to all.. whether we want this way of spirituality is the only question!!
Wake up blind believers
Hello blind believers , you might be my friends or relatives or any one knowing me or anyother believer
- but why dont you call a spade a spade and stone a stone..this is not spirituality but ruthless business.
- when are you going to realize that GOD and Religion are different from the spiritual and political business you are psycholgically/spiritually black mailed into..
- How long you are going to put your fingers crossed in fear of "daiva dosham"..
- When will you stop branding me and any one else (who think that the whole spiritual revelations as nothing more than a dirty business) as a rebel.
Dear Deepu,
ReplyDeleteVery gud work!!..giving a realistic picture..n nice way of presentation.
According to me such people may be grouped under the class 'pseudo spiritualists' and the discrimination is to be done between real spiritualism & such pseudo spiritualism /politics.
Keep the good work going!!