TEMPLE RUN

            Splash….!!! The day started off in a horrific note when mom poured water on me to wake me up. I was in a ‘fantastic dream’ then. However, it ended up without a climax like a cricket match being abandoned and declared as a ‘no result’ due to rain. (Guessing the theme of my dream is left open)

            I remembered mom had already informed me yesterday, “We are going to a temple at Sirkazhi tomorrow. You may have to wake up early. So, better off to bed now.” Damn, does ‘early’ mean a nap – like sleep? It felt like I had slept before some minutes. I slowly got up with groans and grumbles, only to find that the time was 6:00. I could have easily escaped this hell had I confidently opposed mom in their plan of taking me with them. But, the thought of my sufferings due to ignorance flashed through my rooftop. Even a small hiccup would be treated as the aftermath of my refusal to budge to the temple.

But mahn, it was ‘tooooo’ early, actually looking like dusk to me. My day usually starts at 9:45 AM when mom would wake me up, detailing the dishes for brunch and lunch (!!), after which she would take leave to office.

            It was bus travel as usual. Luckily, this six – footer got a convenient seat. In the course of travel, I asked mom why mom and dad always had this liking to go to temples all around Tamil Nadu, sometimes even to AP (Tirupati beckons everyone)  Mom always had some supportive points to reinstate her ‘relief through firm belief’ philosophy. She said, “Why do we have ortho specialist, ophthalmologist, dentist, surgeon, et al? Why can’t we have a single doc for everything? That’s because each of them is specialized in a particular field. Likewise, each temple and God has some powers vested. So, don’t complain.”

            I didn’t like this comparison of docs with temples and wanted to counter it immediately. Since it was a statement from the ‘top brass’ of our family, I controlled myself. This was my thought: “Do we go to doctors when we are well and good? Only if we are struck with some illness, we consult those people. Taking medications unnecessarily when we’re fine would bring side effects. Similarly, when life is going on smooth, why do you go to temples?”

            After reaching the temple, we learnt that it was Friday coupled with Ashtami (the eighth day after full moon/new moon), which made the temple even more special and auspicious. But, my mind was getting troubled as to which day is to be regarded as good and which not. I have always suffered because of this right from my school days. There are many intricate classifications of these thithis. Any kind of fee must not be paid on pradhamai, ashtami and navami. (There is this 15 – day cycle between Amavasai and Pournami, starting from Pradhamai). Further, there is a ’to – do’ list detailing which kind of things are to be done when. Explaining them is beyond the scope of this article. (Recollection of the matriculation subject books’ ‘Foreword’ :P) Still there is a bit of storm within me on why we celebrate Gokulashtami as Lord Krishna’s ‘day of incarnation’ and Shri Rama Navami as Lord Rama’s birthday. (On these days, the above – mentioned restrictions are relaxed)

            Let’s not go deep into this as my college days are about to start and I am deeply concerned about my well – being. So, full stop to the criticisms on these firm beliefs. I have studied here and there that there are specific scientific reasons behind each and everything stated in scriptures. The problem here is that those reasons are not detailed anywhere. (OK. So, please understand. I am not an atheist or so – called ‘rationalist’. I like temples at least for the prasadhams.)

            As it is, we worshipped with deep religious fervor. The visit to the shrines of Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu was over soon after. Since the temple was famous for Lord Bhairava in particular, we performed an archanai over there. When I was thinking, “This seems too easy. So, I would have enough time to play cricket in the afternoon, as usual”, mom asked dad, “Is that it?” Dad replied, “No. There’s the ‘Ashta Bhairava’ shrine”. Both of them stared cogently at me to have my nod. Though I wasn’t interested, I thought, “Dude, just one more. Why don’t you satisfy mom and dad, bloke?” (Even if I had expressed my disinterest in going there, they would’ve gone on their plan)

            But, my intuition stroked an alert message when I noticed the shrine from a distance. It was more like a central jail during visiting hours. The place was fully sealed on all sides with only a small gate serving for both entrance and exit. There was already twice the amount of people that it could accommodate. In a nutshell, it was ‘crowded and congested’. (Heard somebody saying, “Then, why do you elaborate this much, stupid?” How much should I have suffered then while reading Chetan Bhagat’s novels?)

            I went in with mom and dad. Actually, I was sort of pushed into some awkward place, which in fair terms, was not worth standing. I was sweating profusely in the next 300 seconds but not before I had noticed the atmosphere. There were these ‘spiritual’ people who would always shout hymns from the core of their vocal cord, another kind who would be supervising the chaotic crowd in an even more unorthodox manner, imagining themselves to be ‘strict officers’. Then, the place also comprised of crying babies, who couldn’t tolerate the heat, busy apprentices roaming here and there to help the main priests in some way. Not to forget the ‘busy’ personalities who would be yelling through mobiles at the peak of their voice only at public places. (These are standards of how famous a temple is. The number of persons in each of the groups decides the reach of a temple. I am an expert in accrediting temples this way as I had visited temples for my entire life even before I was 16.)

            It was abishekam time and the time was already fifteen minutes past 12 by then. But, mom would not budge without performing an archanai whatsoever, thanks to the scriptures which taught her so. I, with the half – hearted consent of mom, came out of the shrine along with dad, who, in the pretext of accompanying me, got off too. (He told me later that he had already been there.) Observing people and nature (or, in crude terms, being idle) has been my passion and dream and I continued it here also. (There was no other way, as my mobile battery had already drained, courtesy ‘Subway Surfers’ and ARR)

            There was the ‘kind’ man selling tender coconuts, who gave us a free one after emptying dad’s pocket, except for bus charges to reach home; there were priests chatting and sometimes abusing some third person about the borrowed money; there were beggars who had their ‘dream’ of satisfying their hunger during afternoon. Dad couldn’t wait; he went back to the shrine to see if the procedures were completed.  When the man who was in – charge of selling oil and camphor started eating idlies with ‘getti’ chutney, I had this tingle. It felt terrible to have no shop other than that for tender coconuts to even feed me with water.

            I thought of those beggars sitting at a corner. If a person like me, who am guaranteed of a meal, though not in time, could not give them something, then who would? Surely, they didn’t have sufficient money even for a tender coconut. I had some coins in the wallet, which I immediately gave them. One of them asked me to bow and kissed me in the forehead with the words, “God bless you, son. May you live long!!” It was a treat to watch as they divided the sum among them. One man, who was evidently the ‘Big Brother’, collected that money and went to a nearby mess to buy something for them. I wondered if he would return. Sure did he come back soon after and it was again a surprise to witness the manner in which they ate. There were no bustles among them to get more. I recollected my school days when we would quarrel and abuse each other to get a delicacy from someone. This would go to the extent of even scolding the guy who had brought the lunch we yearned for.

            I wondered why, when there were too many people in need of money and food, we always did these rituals and gave those comparatively wealthy priests more and more money? Had every person coming to a temple tithed the money that was given to these holy people for these beggars, the death count due to inability to get food would have come down. Just then, mom and dad returned along with another man. Dad introduced me to him and told me that he was also from Cuddalore. He told me that I was a gifted son because both mom and dad had this tendency of helping illiterate people with the banking procedures. I was embarrassed because I had the habit of always mocking them as ‘insane and stupid’ because of their hospitable attitude towards strangers.

            Mom told me, “You told we are going to be scorched in the heat. Here, God has sent a messenger to send us back in comfort. So, never ever complain about going to temples again. Got it?” I nodded. That was not the acceptance to mom’s belief but the respect and thanksgiving to the beggar who blessed me.