The past few days, we have been
covering Thiruvananthapuram, total gluttons for the sights, sounds and smells
of this bio-wealthy state. It seems to have everything; beaches, mountains, the
backwaters, rivers, rain, spices, gold, temples and to top it all, these rich
resources are beautifully showcased against a fertile, friendly and median
weather.
The province certainly appears to be blessed although there is the sceptre of communism holding this potential tiger in leash, so to say. The girls love the food even though some experiments like ‘fruit chappati’ and ‘karupatti coffee’ and ‘jaffel’ threw up unexpected surprises. The bilingual skills of the local populace are proving to be the proverbial icing on the cake.
The province certainly appears to be blessed although there is the sceptre of communism holding this potential tiger in leash, so to say. The girls love the food even though some experiments like ‘fruit chappati’ and ‘karupatti coffee’ and ‘jaffel’ threw up unexpected surprises. The bilingual skills of the local populace are proving to be the proverbial icing on the cake.
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| Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple |
Appreciative of the place and
people of this ‘Abode of Lord Ananta’, it has been the temple darshans that
have challenged them the most. Like most other young and unafraid people their
age, there is a natural resistance to the authority that religion represents.
The lamp of the sacrificial lamb does not glow in their hearts at this age.
There is something contrived in their bows, a clear indication that they do not
understand the rituals and rhythm of the revered and ancient edifices although having been brought
up to respect all cultures and beliefs, they do take care to observe the
protocol and code of conduct. There is acknowledgment of the devotion evident
around them yes, but without letting it into their own personal selves as yet. There are
too many questions, too many contradictions, far too many inconsistencies to
warrant a conversion at this point.
At the Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple
today, dedicated to Lord Vishnu, they dutifully trotted after their parents,
gulping down the butter prasadam and
letting the mother push them in front of the haloed deities for a little bit of
the holy blessing rub off. But there were questions on their lips, a frown on
the foreheads and an effort to fathom, in their eyes. The architecture and
sculptures impressed them as did the physical symbols of India’s ancient and
advanced knowledge but there was also a sense of the increasingly commercial
nature of the practices.
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| Temple East Gate |
Other than marvelling at the
100,000 crore INR worth of gold found sealed within the thick stone walls and
vaults of the temple, currently under review by a seven-member panel appointed
by the Supreme Court of India, I wondered at the intangibles on display for anyone who cared to look beyond what the guide pointed out. There was the obvious zeal and
dedication behind the stone carvings and creations. In the colonnades,
labyrinthine passages and reliefs depicting processions and combat, I sensed the
power and control wielded by the temple at one time. In those walls were some
of the most superior remnants of the human past. I got goose pimples thinking
of the effort and perseverance of people who built this obvious dynamo of
influence.
Considering that ancient civilization
was hierocentirc, surely one of the outcomes of this temple was civilization itself.
And yet, why did I feel a sense of sadness and oppression in the presence of
the golden grandeur? Was there a whiff of mould in the magnificence around? In the midst of all this mental mixie churning,
I remembered to fold my hands and asked the Lord to bless my girls with
stability, humaneness and wisdom.
As we left the holy and silent precincts, I wondered if the supernatural lines will ever hum again. Will God take up on mankind's behalf anytime soon?!
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