Monday, April 9, 2018

Fast Tracking Guruvayurappan @ Rs.1,000/-

Serpentine queues of devotees waiting to have a 'darshan' of the good Lord is a daily sight at the Guruvayur temple. Things have been made easier for those people, these days firstly, by the provision of benches so that they could sit while they waited for their turn to reach the sanctum sanctorum and secondly, by the periodic serving of drinking water. Whosoever had thought about providing these minimal amenities deserves a pat on his/her back.

I'm of the firm opinion that it's criminal to jump the queue and that no one should be permitted to do so. There are many who resort to this favour from the administrator or the other bigwigs of the temple administration and walk past the unlucky ones who've been waiting for long. Had I been in their place, I'd have cringed looking at the faces of the many that I was overtaking! Instead, most of them strut past as though it was their birthright to have got the privilege over their unlucky counterparts whose sole mistake was that they didn't know anybody in the pecking order of the temple administration/devaswom!

What makes people avoid standing in a queue? The long wait or the fact that they're too small in the society for not knowing influential(?) people/those who make things happen? I've a strong feeling that it's the latter for most. Anyways, those who come visiting the temple should keep adequate time in hand for the 'darshan' to cater for the unusual rush of pilgrims/delays due to unforeseen circumstances.

The temple administration has come up with a great new idea. Permit out-of-the-queue-darshan to those who pay Rs.1,000/- for the 'Neyvilakku'(A lamp where the wick would be immersed in ghee).

And on the first day of its implementation, the temple authorities had announced that they'd made a paltry Rs.4,500/- through the new scheme! I'm yet to decipher the Rs.500/-....Was it for a child? Or did anybody back out of the special darshan, half way through? Or ridiculously, was a lamp placed minus the wick and the ghee?

Another doubt is as to what happens to those who come with the administrator's/devaswom bigwig's letters of introduction? Or are the 'neyvilakku' subscribers over and above the privileged variety, mentioned earlier?

Am thoroughly confused! Wonder who'd thought about this hare brained programme?

My take.

Scrap the order forthwith!


Tailpiece.

Why can't people just join the queue as and when they arrive and wait for their turn to have the darshan of the good Lord, the waiting period notwithstanding? And no favours, no division into categories, please!

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