JOIN USIt was Good Friday. A long wail pierced the stillness of the lazy morning on the off-day. The granny residing in the dwelling below had passed away, I soon found out. Her daughter, a first-generation Tamizh Christian, desired her mortal remains to be airlifted to Chennai for cremation. An all-women household, one of her first phone calls, I presume, was to the church she attended. Soon, two to three young men descended on the scene and took care of the logistics involved: Taking the body to the hospital for autopsy, embalming, air cargo booking, air tickets and mandatory covid clearances. By evening, the young woman, along with her two young daughters had flown out of Delhi.
Now, that’s exactly what I expect any social institution, religious or otherwise, to do; be there with me in times of distress. A non-conformist, I don’t seek any god to be my saviour. When faced with crises, I would use my faculties to handle them. For me, these places of worship should have practical connotations. Be the support system that stands by me in good times and bad, one that holds my hand when my steps falter and an SOS helpline when my mind is boggled.
My friend’s husband is a priest at the Mar Thoma church in Kerala. She often talks about their deep involvement with the community. On the church’s payroll, their corporeal needs are taken care of. Pursuing his doctorate in Theology, he is better equipped to counsel the followers who seek his advice. These are the perks of organised religion. Their sense of community is commendable.
In contrast, Hindu temples are largely dependent on their patron’s generosity for funds. Temples have become islands of dogma and rituals with no social connect leading to shrinking patronage and vice versa.
Hinduism celebrates 16 'sanskars' commemorating various stages in one’s life, from being womb-borne to birth to vidya 'aarambham' to marriage and others in between and finally, death. The priest performs the ritual and records it, much like the census guy, noting down the new additions and deletions in the family. The practice became redundant when the Britishers implemented their census model. Such practices could, possibly, be one way forward with greater participation of the temple in the lives of its patrons and vice versa. The results could be symbiotic.