Of late the secularist part of me was fading away and a slight sense of "Hindutva" has been prevailing in my thoughts. Here, the word Hindutva is NOT to be taken in its real sense i.e of a principled way of life but in the twisted and turned sense and meaning that has been given to the word by today's politicians.
I owe this to the drama that unfolds everyday in news channels these days, thanks to the on going elections. Its unbelievable that most of the candidates still bank upon the same old pseudo-secularist theory which only furthers the divide and kindles the fire of separatism. And also to the frustration that the age old system of Reservations to the minorities/ so called backward classes that has taken away our right to be judged fairly and equally as the rest. I see it as another kind of divide and rule policy.
So when I saw that the recently discovered Temple treasure in Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Trivandrum was back in the news, I surfed the news channels one after the other. I wasn't surprised that all of them went round & round the same things to fill the show. So I gave up & went back to watching my favorite shows but it seemed like the news was following me! lol! I mean I couldn't help bumping into it no matter which channel I put.
It seems someone from the expert committee that was assessing the wealth alleged that Marthanda Varma has not handled the assets transparently. Agreed that people wanted an investigation. Fair enough. If people blabbering in the news channels had stopped there, perhaps I wouldn't have been disturbed, angry or frustrated. But they didn't. On and on they went, so much so, that like last time, everyone bravely expressed how it should have been used for the betterment of people, for development, for the poor and blah blah. If people like Swami Vivekananda or Mother Teresa were saying these things I would have felt really happy, proud and secure. But these were corrupt and self centered people who only spoke for the people and never did anything substantial without filling their own pockets. Even if they use it for the country, I suspect how much of it will they eat from it.
If they were so keen in distributing wealth, I wonder why they live in bungalows and have 5 cars. Its easy to advice and ask someone else to share but when it comes to sharing one's own things, only few do so. So, whose wealth is it anyway? Some of it were offerings by Royalties, some from people and some from taxes. In the present scenario to be fair two things can be done according to me, 1) Use only the taxes for the betterment of people and let the rest be used for the temple. This is impractical as its not labelled on the various coins/jewelry if its tax or an offering! 2) Order all the religious centers- temples, churches, mosques etc. to part with their assets for the betterment of the nation.
As far as I can foresee, neither of these will happen. Thanks to the unfair, dividing Government, only the assets of this particular temple will be seized. It will be celebrated among the leaders, divided, shared and enjoyed. What remains will perhaps go into the schools, hospitals etc. which will make P.S finally a little happy( I am referring to Lord Padmanabhaswamy here for the obvious reasons that his name is too long and that I know for sure, that he would not mind at all)
Now, comes the Revelations Part, and if you have come this far, I would urge you to read the following too, as its gonna be the heart of my post, its true purpose.
As my mind was busy deepening the divides between me and my brethren from other beliefs, busy drawing lines and busy becoming more and more angry at the unfair Government, I opened my heart to my husband (who is agnostic). He obviously disagreed with me. When he asked me what else do you think should be done with the money? I defended saying you could put it in a museum which would also generate income for the Government and employment to people. But the moment the words escaped my mouth, I realized that it was a weak proposal. He asked me, " Do you have any idea of the amount of security it would demand and how much that security would cost?" It went on and on. After much high volume retaliations and rebellion there reached a point when I couldn't deny the truth in his words.
All the rage in me vanished into thin air and I began listening to him like a small child, " Lying in the temple or in a museum, it will be of no use to anybody, if anything it only poses risks to everyone. Deep down we all know its good to use it for the people. While doing good deeds we should not depend, compete with or challenge others- if he does, i will too; Or I am doing it now its your turn; Or he gave hundred so even I have to give hundred. If you have the heart to do it, just do it. May be the others would follow. Even if they don't you'll be proud you did the right thing."
The words touched my heart. And the former impatience of a separatist was replaced by the impatience of a blogger to share these words of wisdom with the world :P
Jokes apart, it was a moment of great pride for me. I always prayed for a husband whom I could not just love, but also respect. It was very important for me. P.S gave me more- a husband I could love, respect, admire and learn from!! I am eternally grateful to you God. :) <3 i="">
Surprisingly, my non-ritualistic husband reminded me of the ultimate truth in all the religions- of Love, Compassion and Humanity & I can never thank him enough for saving me from becoming a separatist- precisely the reason I named this post- Tujh me rab dikhta hain ( I see God in You)
An athiest, agnostic, and a theist all are at different stages in the path of realization- the ignorant, the seeker and the believer- Encyclopedia of Hinduism
