March Comes In Like A Lion, And Goes Out Like A Lamb

The month of March began with an exciting trek to Handi Gundi. The following weekend, my niece Varsha and I visited a Puja at a relatives place. I have great regards for them as they had offered me a job soon after my graduation. I had spent 3 months working in their factory. As the family is a follower of ISKON and its ideology, I gifted them a painting of lord Krishna. This was done in a style that I had created during a visit to Belur temple. 

During the event, sitting close to the homma (Vedic fire ritual), it was impossible to see the madness practiced by people of faith. 7 or 8 priests had booked a tempo traveller from Mangalore to reach Bangalore. They had brought all the required items with them. It was of course paid for by the family organising the puja. There were two or three different mandalas drawn for various types of Pujas. In the homma they poured litres and litres of ghee, several kilograms of cooked rice and other stems and leaves. It was a heart wrenching scene. I felt disgusted by the sight of it. They wrapped up all the rituals and then quickly distributed all the things into 7 or 8 unequal portions. They made sure that not even a bottle of ghee or a grain that remained was left behind. Each of it was distributed among these portions with the head priest being offered the better and expensive items. Finally, the family offered all this to the priests as daana. In a hurried way, they took their portions and packed it and got ready for lunch. Soon after lunch, they had to board the vehicle and reach Mangalore by night.  

I honestly find the job of priests useless in the modern society. Even a sewage cleaner contributes significantly to the society than the custodians of a religion. In this case, the family paid for the elaborate ritual only on the basis of blind faith that nobody, including the priest can confirm. The priest has not put in any effort from his side - He used the things bought from the money paid and has thrown them into the fire, uttering a few mantras written thousands of years ago by a sage. And for that, we pay him again. There is no guarantee of any positive result from this ritual and yet nobody questions this madness. And these are the same priests who travel in big cars and wear loads and loads of gold on them. Such is the shameful state of our country. 

On Sunday, the 16th of March, Preethi and I drove to Hindupura to attend a house warming ceremony of ASP Shriram, a dear friend of mine who helped me during the mugging case. He has made sure to maintain that friendship by occasionally calling me. Despite there being enough valid reasons for not going, I chose to visit him. It is difficult to find unconditional friendships in this world and if you are lucky to find one, you must put in your efforts to maintain it. Preethi and I enjoyed the drive and the food - Andhra food with mouth-watering Pappu and other delicacies. I made another painting for my friend. 

On our way back, we stopped at Lepakshi Veerabadhra temple and Ghati Subramanaya temple as per Preethi's request. 

On Friday, the 21st of March, I headed to Parvathamalai. This was my third trek up the hill. I badly needed a break and a mental detox. A solo trip often does wonders. 

I reached the base of the hill at around 1:30PM. I had lunch at the temple and began a slow climb. By 4:30PM, I was at the top. Apart from me, there were two other people. Three more joined later that night. Now, they have a forest guard stationed below and there is an entry fee of Rs10. Now, they do not allow entry at night.

I watched the sunset from the temple steps. I was sitting there for so long that the monkeys sat behind me and began searching for lice on my shirt and hairs. It was a beautiful moment. 

I spoke to the gentleman from Chennai for a while before going to bed. He had done his engineering but now runs a highway Dhaba. We mostly discussed politics. It is always interesting to see that Tamilians are well aware of the current affairs, as one should be. 

I slept inside the ashram. In the morning, I woke up early and sat watching the thick clouds brush past the mountain. At around 6:30AM, I began my descent. I went to Tiruvanamalai and checked into the usual guest house. The owner recognised me this time and told me that I could call him in advance, the next time I plan to visit.  

Afternoon, I walked to the Skanda Ashram, Virupaksha cave and the Ramana ashram. Since last two visits, I feel a change in the ashram ambiance. Previously, there used to be singing by devotees. Now, it is more Brahminical in nature - with chanting of mantras, and prayers to Shiva linga. The community feeling of the ashram seems to be diminishing. 

The March therefore arrived like a Lion, not harshly but roaring with many events and it departed like a lamb. The last weekend was relaxed. Time was spent meeting family, friends and colleagues.