Oct 2, 2008

I just hate my forefathers !!!

It has been quite a while since I wrote something different and wow, it really feels great to come out of the never-ending series shell.

2008 according to me is one of the worst years for India in terms of deaths through terrorist attacks and communal riots. It has often made me thinking as to why people actually do this; what pleasure do they get by killing so many; what lesson are they trying to teach and most importantly whom are they trying to teach? To top it all, now, we had a stampede in Jodhpur that killed 147. If my facts are right, this is the second stampede this year at a Hindu shrine. Why is it that people are so disorganized when it comes to religion? We have processions on the road that blocks traffic, we have frequent communal riots, we still have sacrifices (humans or animals-both are uncalled for) and people queuing up until the roads to have a glimpse of their ‘God’, all in the name of religion. We donate crores on beautifying the place of worship, but the same hand shivers when asked to donate for a relief fund. Any idea on how much the annual income of the Tirupati temple is? More than 5 billion Indian Rupees. India is a developing country, huh?

Personally, I am not an idol worshipper and so I have tried my best to stay away from places that has its presence. But to wherever I have been, people, however literate they are, behave so ignorantly at these places. The public, at the religious sites, are so unruly that it is only justifiable to have a security to manage them (referring to the Guruvayoor temple in Kerala, Sabarimala in Kerala and the Tirupati-Thirumala temple in Andhra Pradesh). When Muslims and Christians can go quietly and come out the same way from their respective religious places, why on earth cant the Hindus exhibit a decent human behavior? Why is there even a specific dress code for devotees to enter the temple premises? For example, men are supposed to be topless and women are not supposed to wear anything that looks like pants (even the bottom of a salwar) when they go to Guruvayoor temple. Even more atrocious is the rule that girls aren’t supposed to enter temples when they are menstruating. If God makes women like that, why is there a resistant from his side to attend devotees that way?

All these years, I had been having high regard towards Muslims, probably because of the fact that 15 years of my life was spent in a Muslim country and also for the reason that they believe only in an ultimate power called Allah, which has no shape or form. But off late, it has been very upsetting that only Muslims were responsible for all the world’s recent terrorist’s attacks. They are degrading themselves by doing so and also by calling themselves a minority. They have that undying ‘spirit of Islam’, wherever they go and do just about anything to defend their community. Only wish they had used all these spirits for the betterment of their so- called community.

Everything seems so dignified and disciplined within Christianity, but again as I put it, the discipline is only within. There are communities among themselves who find it hard to exist with each other in harmony. It’s a fact that they have opened missionaries, charities and orphanages, but why does this section always remain adamant on converting its inmates to Christianity. Even in the schools they manage, their prayers are forced on all the students, which they easily put under the bracket ‘daily routines’. Why don’t they have a generalized pledge in their schools, which everyone could follow? And most importantly, why do they claim that theirs is the only religion and the rest are just derivatives from them?

This ranting of mine would never end here and its not that these are the only religions that has flaws, we all know what happened with the Sikh community recently. Except for the frequent festivals and riots, none of these religions even find their place in the newspapers these days for any of their activities. Do we really need these religions for our existence? Or have we created them to kill one another?

I am not against religion nor am I trying to bring out the agnostic in me. But I condemn all those who create India a difficult country to live in. These religions, which I believe, are a set of tenets aimed only at dividing the country and its people. The British back then, were smart enough in realizing this fact and they brought in the ‘Divide and Rule Policy’. Yeah, we did get divided and now it has become difficult to rule us. I hate my forefathers to have created these many religions. I seriously do !

Disclaimer : I know I must have hurt a couple of people on their religious sentiments. I am not apologetic since these are strictly my views and if anyone feels bad, it’s their own problem.

Btw, Happy birthday, oh Father of the Nation!!!

46 comments:

Anonymous said...

When i first read the header, i was thinking you would be writing something insane!! How wrong was that impression. Am glad it was wrong... you have written very well and you exactly mirror my thoughts... i am glad that today's youth is thinking differently and is not ashamed to say so!

Loved you Disclaimer!!

May God give "sadbuddhi" to all!

P.S. I have vouched never to go again to Tirupati Balaji! Hated my first experience there!

Anonymous said...

ur thoughts are really true..the way these things go on in temples are quite shameful if u compare it with Church or Mosque !
this kind of bad things( like stampede) at temples are increasing every year !

n 2008 is really a bad year for everyone! the year is full of loss ..n the loss of my grandfather is the reason for my absence these days.

Anonymous said...

hmmm...RELIGION..a big name with a big frame but no one knows what lies deep within.people believe all these so deeply and blindly and they done have a reason to any questions asked "why"...but whome do we have to blame..the management who can't make people understand or manage things in temples or everyone who follow things blindly....
nice post....

Reets said...

Nice post and Well written.. I totally agree taht the restrictions imposed for women are not right...

Anonymous said...

I have a feeling that this comment of mine might end up long...sorry about that in advance if it does!
Religion is a set of beliefs, values & practices in their pursuit to finding God.Existence of God has been debated off and on everywhere. Not going there! I don't think I would blame our forefathers though. At that point of time, they had some wisdom in their views. It is the idiocy (right word? ...don't know) of those who exist now that is the problem.
There were no stampedes then when the ancestors were there.
Ok...some points that came to my mind when reading this...
Women not allowed to wear salwars in temples like Guruvayoor - I was told I could not go get theertham from Sringeri Periyava because I wore a salwar; this was when I was in school so I did question the wisdom (asked amma actually...) She said this had started to fight the influence of Islam. The pant like clothing came into India due to the Mughal influence. Anyways, to me I just kicked myself for not wearing a pavadai. Going to a temple is just one of those things where I can flaunt my sarees now (pavadais then...) but that is me. The men if I remember right in Kerala have all to be topless (I just saw this as justice -there is a rule for men when there is one for women :) Don't know why that is there ;) )
Talking about dress code, aren't the women to wear burkhas in Islam? The cap (don't know what it is called sorry) for men?! Dress code has been given to most religions.
The no entry during menstruation - In olden ages, sanitary napkins were not around. Women used cloth. So, it was more for hygiene, and reduction of embarrassment for the woman that rule had come about (similar to setting the woman to stay away from doing things at home.) The 3 days were for rest. You should realise then, women did a lot of hard labour (like grinding all flours on stones, the batter and the likes....)
The Tirupati factor - I don't get it. I have not been there since college time when I went last saying I would rather just look at a pic at home and do my namaskar!
How can we blame our forefathers for the stupidity, selfishness of present day people?!? Because religions were formed? They did not ask us to throng places of religion with the me first attitude. Is not patience a virtue they have asked us to follow?
Again denoting Islam to terrorism...sorry...you are making a mistake of stereotyping. Following Islam does not make it that all Muslims are at fault. I am sure there are many who are disgusted by those fundamentalists which has started off this stereotyping.
Every religion has its flaws and plus points. It is easy to nit pick and say this is wrong. They should not exist. There are many who would say how faith has saved them.
It is up to us to keep up with the times and do the needful. Religion evolves with times. Following age old customs can be evaluated; for eg., it is only select temples that prevent women in salwars or pants. I have been to temples even in jeans...no one stopped me! And...isn't it the family and the woman herself who prevents entry into temples during that period of the month? Even here, there are 25 other days you can go to the temple; why go then? Why should the religious sentiments be hurt when you can avoid it? In the name of feminism/modernism?! Why not people use their sense and not throng temples when they know it will be crowded?! And aren't there stampedes, fires during Haj?!
It is really easy to point fingers and say they are wrong.
I guess I have rambled on for long already...I have spoken more about Hinduism because I follow it myself. I don't know if I have put across my point, because I feel like I have been beating around the bush.
I personally have really started even questioning the existence of God especially after the harrowing times I have been having...to me it is all about choice. Religion is a way of life. There is nothing stopping us from being atheist. Though one thing I have realised (thanks to age?! I don't know) everything has two sides. It definitely is all about balance.
I understand that this is a rant on your behalf because of all that happened...this is just my 2 cents on that!
Ok...on the lighter side, have sent you a mail...please respond to that also :)

Anonymous said...

omg...I just kept typing...Just saw how long my response is...I guess I could have written a post in response ;) Sorry Vimal :D

Anonymous said...

Amazing post, man! Awesome!

Every single word, i'd say Ditto!

Awesome!

Rakesh said...

I have always wondered if there was GOD....and now i know there IS...
And ITS MEE!!!
hehe
:D

I totally agree with u bhai!

Even i had this incident at One temple.I usually never go to temples,but i just went this 1 time coz they were giving free 'payasam'..hehe..

So whn i reached the gate they asked us to remove our shoes and and our shirts..i didnt like the idea of revealing my '6 packs' in public..hehe..but still i went along with my freinds bcoz they told it was a custom,blah blah..and tht it was for the cleanliness,sanctity,purity ete etc of the temple..

so i entered removin my shoes,walking barefoot inside.i really didnt like it...Thn i was shocked whn i saw this Temple guy,the "saint". This dude was actually spitting inside the temple area.If he Can spit inside like this freely,doesnt this affect the sanctity n cleanliness of the temple??? i felt so disgusted after tht! So wht happens if someone walks on it?
I dont get it!
all these rules !grrr....
......
anyway i still managed to get my free payasam after a long wait in the queue..
:)

I think God is in ourselves.Inside us.
We dont need to display our faith publicly by goin to temples!
we dont need loud speakers to contact him nor do we need to attend holy processions to grab his attention!

If God is powerful enough he might already hear us thru our minds!

Anyway i goin to end my Comment with an SRK song frm "swades"...hehe...

"Mann se raavan jo nikhale ram uske Mann mein hai!!!"

ie I AM also GOD..THE MOON GOD!!
buhahaha!

Anonymous said...

YOU HAVE SOME HUGE COJONES my friend! This post is out of the ordinary. You have dealt with a very sensitive topic here. You may expect some comments disapproving of your words here. But you have come out and said what you wanted to. Freedom of speech rightly used! Keep it up!

Anonymous said...

awesome post man..u stole words of my mouth ..
religion is the cause of many problems in India..even in world...
I always say the man should be kicked who found the word religion..
People misinterpret it totally ..
over the years ppl have formed their own dos and donts in the religion


@ myheadtrip
how do we know oif there were any stampedes or not..I am sure there would have been many...
well i agree totally with what u said about mensuration cycle ..ITs indeed for hygiene...
but over a period of time ppl misinterpret the actual meaning and bring their own logic into it ..thats crazy...and it dint just occur suddenly ..it has indeed taken time ... from forefathers of our forefathers :) ..i dont think title is wrong at all :P

Unknown said...

I am scared that I may loose faith in my God after reading this!

But will not blame the entire world,just bcoz of some idiot's mistakes.
But it was good to see,that there is someone to speak abt this.

AV said...

@ vimmuuu: a very nice post.. honest thoughts,well portrayed. Why is it that people are so disorganized when it comes to religion? even i have asked this Q a no of times. i infact hate going to temples for this reason. i believe that a place kept neat n filled with sane people is where God lives, not where people wud roll on floor all wet, dirtying the place. last time when i had gone to a renowned temple, i actually saw a huge cockroach crawling on lord vishnu's body! n wat were we supposed to do? ignore i n shower it wid flowers? oh- may b He had come to see us in tat form! lol.

literate ppl do behave ignorantly.. coz they r jus literate.. not educated. have seen a lot of ppl like tat. somehow cant bring myself arnd to respect them. they prefer to blindly follow wats told to them without questioning the logicality behind the issue.

i dunno if i really agree ur thots on Muslims, but i definitely do agree the ones on Christians on their attitude towards their own religion n a never dying instinct to convert ppl. (rather only referring to only those who do- may b not all Christians). i actually wud reprimand those who actually got converted to Christians. sayin this coz hav known a poor hindu family, who were promised money for son's edu n daughter's marriage n wife's operation in return for their conversion. wow.. tats gr8 business!

i have always been agnostic. but i think i m slowly becoming an atheist, i think.

@ myheadtrip: agree wid u on not blaming the ancestors for this. i think they were more educated than literate, probably an opposite of the present scenario. n yeah- i hate the stupid formalities on the 3-day issue too. but dont see a problem (as long as my grandmom isnt thr :P) neways coz i hardly go near the Perumal sannidhi even otherwise. lol.

@arvind1187: i totally agree on the misinterpretations of the actual meaning and bringing their own logic into customs. this is what i have been trying to say too. a lot of time, when i have questioned a lot of practices, even my paati hasnt been able to answer them. then the elders all would scold me to jus trust them n do wat was asked of me. i think jus doing without questioning- wenever this practice came about, that was when man started falling from an educated to just a mere literate. now, only the beliefs,the practices n the ideas alone remain, with no foundation, with no proof, with no answers, jus as myths. i really hope this changes some day in future at least.

AV said...

wow! mine was d longest comment i think- even longer than myheadtrip's.. :P

vimmuuu- u better ans them all ASAP

Anonymous said...

Why do you hate your fore-fathers because of terrorism?

I think religion should not be used to prove any point! It is a personal belief, and it should stay at that! All these fucked up netas are the ones who ignite unnecessary tension and create issues, which did not exist!

The recent attack on churches in Karnataka was so sudden, and without reason! Its gone down also the same way!

And Hindus are the minority! India and Nepal are the only two countries that have Hindus! The rest of the freaking world is Muslim or Christian!

There is just so much pain in this issue.. I am not a believer in God per se, but i believe in people, and that faith is being destroyed now!

Anonymous said...

There's a saying:
"Is God man's biggest mistake or is man God's..?"
Hehe! :D

Smita said...

Awesome Post and all I can say is I agree...

Vee said...

We talk of animosities between people of different religion. But have we ever talked of the fact that communities within a religion fight too. Take Hinduism for example: Brahmins cannot stand Shudras, Lingayats etc but they are all Hindus. Shia and Sunni muslims have cold war for ages now. Amongst Christians, Catholics and Protestants fight over smaller stuffs.... So till we get rid of these intra-religion differences, we cannot do much about inter-religion fights.

Unknown said...

So brother...you are back into the fold of non-worshippers now? :) I thot you went with them sometime back..? You seem to represent the hippie in the picture wondering where you are headed next!

Anyways, I believe that religion is something man invented to keep him under some sort of hierarchy, i guess we humans need some sort of power above us to be responsible for our actions, and for now, we are using the name of a totally unknown entity called "God". And like one of your fellow bloggers wrote, a religion has clashes within; they themselves are not clear on how they call out to their superior!
People will find solace in whatever gives them a "peace" of mind. A good example of this comes out in the movie/book "The Mist"(I'm not sure you will watch it as its got a lil scary stuffs), but the point is conveyed very relevantly in that - people (stuck in a supermarket for days) who are atheists, non-fundamentalists and unwilling to accept a hard core approach of a lady finally falls accepts her "way" because they are all terrified, and they need something to find peace in and to keep their spirits strong. I don't think we might have to go far for an example - we can look at people very close to us who have undergone the transformations owing to their experiences. And some change religion because they are in love - what they have practiced and preached for two-three decades seem to just get switched off by dipping oneself in something, or wearing a piece of cloth.

And btw, the indiscipline, I think its unfair to treat it to just the temples - its an imprint in our DNA - I don't believe the temple is the one area where stampedes have occured - ever hear about the Thanksgiving rushes in the US when the shops open during the Thanksgiving holidays? Or Christmas holidays? These are just for gifts for their loved ones or themselves! Or look at the stampedes that happen in football stadiums? There have been regular and recent incidents happening during Hajj where hundreds of people are dying. Its a mad rush for something we value the most - our life, and that of our dear ones.

I wish I could debate on each and every point you have raised ; but it kinda defeats the purpose of your entry. The points raised are all valid, but other than all of us venting our frustrations digitally, what are we doing in real life? Nothing. Accepting it the way things are, and trying to move in with the "flow". The climax of the recent movie "A Wednesday" was pretty much stating that point, although we do not have someone who has taken that first step!

And who said religion was the only divider - in India we are even dividing ourselves on the basis of language spoken - another human invention!!

And of all this is done (to quote Carl Sagan) on this pale blue dot we call earth![
http://digg.com/educational/Pale_Blue_Dot_a_quote_Mr_Sagan_puts_us_in_perspective]

Unknown said...

@wtml : You shudn't be blaming the netas for any of these - the religions have been at war since they have come into existence. The netas are just portion of people who are clever enough to make use of the situation and lead their "humble" life. And we are worried about them being uneducated and running a country,eh? :)

vimmuuu said...

@ Sakhi:

:) What happened at Tirupati??? The "jergandi" problem????

@ Rekha :

I am really sorry for your loss. Hope everything is alright at home now.

@ Soneeta :

Humans arent blind, but we prefer to remain in a darkness, a closed room. We always need or we probably wait for some kind of light to enter our lives.and we keep waiting...

@ Reets :

Its not only on the women, as I said even men are subjected to restrictions.

vimmuuu said...

@ Apar :

Phew, that was indeed a long post, I mean, comment :)
To answer some of ur statements there:

The stampede statement I made was on general grounds. The following statement said religions and not one particular religion as a whole. And like Arvind said, there are no evidences of a stampede from the earlier days. Back then, only good things about God, worship or temple were written. Muslim women arent supposed to go to a mosque; leave alone wearing a burkha and that itself is a big flaw. But the dress code followed by Hindus arent uniform. Muslims and Christins have their own dress code and they follow it wherever they go. Being a Hindu, sometimes Im confused as to what to wear or what not to wear when going to a temple. Regarding terrorism, how many other religion members have we heard who are involved in a terrorist attack. My question was why is that they become vulnerable when it comes to religion and their spirit towards their religion.

@ Priya :

Anubhavam Guru, le????? ;)

@ Rakesh :

How many times have you watched Dasavatharam? You seem to sound like Kamal Haasan :)

and thats an excellent line from Swades !!!

@ Pavan :

Shhh...my friend, not in front of the girls, LOL !!!

I know. I did receive a call from a couple of friends asking if I went mad !!!

vimmuuu said...

@ Arvind :

True. Any conflicts happening in the world is either due to religion or racism. Pavan had written an excellent article on the same grounds.

http://indiapavan.wordpress.com/2008/08/16/relative-peace-is-it-worth-fighting-for/

@ Imran :

No, I am not preaching anything here to mislead believers. I am just pointing what I feel towards religion. Let your belief save you !!!

@ AV :

Another loooong comment. LOL at the link between cockroach and Lord Vishnu. Of all the creatures, a cockroach, huh??

Even I have come across one such couple who had go themselves converted because of their financial status. Their names werent changed though. Why cant the converters let these people be themselves even after helping them???

and what do I reply more than this. You had written some more what I had in mind.

@ Aparna :

I hate my forefathers, not for terrorism but for creating these many religions and dividing us on that basis. Wouldnt India be a wonderful place to live if only we had one common religion to follow ?
this doesnt mean that we, in India, should be behind one religion thats existing now. But it shouldve been given a thought by our great great forefathers.

vimmuuu said...

@ Nikhil :

LOL. and I think only the former deserves a reply.

@ Smita :

Experience speaks, huh ? (Same reply for Priya)

@ Oxy :

Exactly Oxy boy. Thats what I have mentioned about the Christians. Though there are inter-religion conflicts among Hindus and Muslims, I feel it is more prominent among the Christians. Probably it could be because of their universal presence.

@ Vinoj(ettan) :

Now what made you come out from the shadow of the saintly sinner ???

That was a valid point about the stampede. A similar situation happens even on the first day of a Rajnikant movie or at the ration shops on a day when kerosene is supplied :)

And again, true on language being a source of dividing people. Why language, in Tamil Nadu, people are divided even on the different slangs they speak !!!

Reema said...

Ah well u know my views on religion. :)
very good post!!

Anonymous said...

Arvind & Vimal: Why I say there were no stampedes then - simple ..it is more common sense than records...there was a lot less population - and ergo...there would have been no stampedes.
Arvind: About the period thing, our forefathers had their reasons as I have already mentioned...It is the present generation and a few before us who are still stupidly hanging on to the antiquated rules in the era of sanitary napkins & tampons. Again I emphasize, it is not like we go to the temple everyday that we cannot avoid going on 2-3 days! I am woman, (of course not the religious kind) and I don't think I need to go those 2 or 3 days. The period happens in a cycle, so you pretty much know when you are due, so why not avoid making plans to visit a temple then? Btw, I recently heard from a Muslim friend of mine that they do not follow Ramadan during the 3 days of their period. So, you cannot blame any of our forefathers for their wisdom of protecting the woman from embarrassment of leakage, stains and things you guys would probably not be able to relate to. Trust me, even in this age of protection, we have problems. Don't think you asked for this kind of explanation! :)
av: Congrats on the longer comment ;) lol Well, my intention was not a long comment just to say what I felt :D And ditto...me neither. As I have written why hurt others sentiments? My mom, grandma live by certain rules; if I am with them, I follow what they say, show my dissent. At my own place, I do what I do or feel is right :) Again not like I am so religious the other days that I have to be so during those 3 days!!
Vimal: Yes, the dress code is not uniform; but if you intend to go to the temple; just ask somebody who has been there before hand;) simple? Better yet, be traditional and be in dhoti & shirt; if need be remove your shirt and get in :D It is more difficult for women who have to choose to pack traditional clothes. In this era where it is fashion to say they don't know how to wear a saree, it is even more difficult ;)Or best...do what I do...don't go to a temple at all :) lol
I have written I don't want to comment much on other religions..as being Hindu, I know only mine the way I have been taught. Besides, Hinduism is supposedly a way of life...anyways I digress. Yes, the Muslim women should probably fight it out like many women are fighting to go to Sabari mala.
Regarding terrorist attacks by other religions...again, what do u call burning Christian missionaries in Orissa, the Godhra incident, Babri masjid? They are by Hindu fundamentalists. The problem is the fundamentalist nature of certain people in religions that bring this about. I should probably be Buddhist or Jain to follow non-violence as a way of religion itself. Live and let live should be every person's mentality which unfortunately is not!
That is why I said don't blame our forefathers, blame the current generation who misinterpret, hang on to antiquated rules. they lived and are gone. We should be intelligent and re-evaluate things in the present era.
Oh no! In response, I have gone on and on! Sorry! Hope those forefathers I am standing up for bless me for this :) ;)

Anonymous said...

the clarity with which u've made ur opinions clear is too good. even if this post earns u a few enemies, give them a damn. Religion is being misused very much according t the whims and fantasies of the rule makers.
Religion was not created to divide people. they were created to divide people's beliefs so that conflict of thoughts do not arise. for egs, ppl worshipping God in the form of wind shud not fight with those believing God is fire. these are vague examples but the clear picture is elaborate.
now the purpose of religion has changed from dividing beliefs into dividing ppl... unfortunately so... hope for good...

Vishesh said...

well i don't like temples and i don't believe in idol worship...and well you forgot corruption...i am dragged along to temples alright,cause i am still not 18...but i hate to see people paying their way through,more so,when you belong to the same group...

well these people are bothered only about their houses and not others...

i think we should tell,the terrorists,to name what really they are doing...lets see then...

vimmuuu said...

@ Reema :

Yup, through a similar post.

@ Apar :

You seriously like your forefathers, dont you?
For the examples you have quoted againts terrorism, those are aimed at a particular community, but in terrorism, they are not sure if they are targetting the right people. and as i said, i hate my forefathers only for creating so many religions. Imagine an India with just one religion, one language.

@ Harsha :

Very true Harsha. But whom do we blame all this for?? We have grown up seeing each religion differently, some of us grew up bitching the other religion too !!!but none of these were our thoughts, was it? It was injected to us right from childhood....and by whom???

@ Vishesh:

Welcome to V-Lokam.

Your right. There shouldnt be any sort of discrimination atleast in the temples. Earlier, during our forefathers times, the lower castes werent allowed to go anywhere near the temple. Even this prevails today too, but in the form of donations and power.

Anonymous said...

Hello..read uer post. As some one said earlier, this might become a bit long..sorry..if it does.Hehehehe a topic on which I can go on and on…
Somehow don’t agree with u on some points.
To start with its ‘MY’ thoughts ok..no offence against anyone.
I do believe in God. For me God is a supernatural power. I believe there is something that controls our actions. Certain things are out of our control. For me I would say 90% is under my control..but there is this 10% which is not my control. And this 10% I call it as ‘God’ and some call it as fate/destiny whatever. That 10% does make a lot of difference in my life.
Its COMMON man who created the differences, why blame ‘God’ for it?? God didn’t ask people to divide among them. It’s when man tried to become God (in my terms – rule on all, control that 10% as well) all the problems started. Money/Power everyone wants it ..and if that’s something our forefathers (not politicians, again they can’t be blamed) created..then yes..they are to be blamed.
Everyone wants to be best and first in everything he does. It’s the survival of the fittest. If you are nothing you are nothing. I think we are all into this BIG ‘money’ game. Tirupathi, Sabrimala, Guruvayoor etc. were just famous sacred temples where people used to go to worship with a hope that their wishes would be fulfilled or just to have a glimpse of their God who has always shown them the right path at the time of their need. But now, when man started earning he wanted to become the best even in front of his own created God. So when one gave 1 rupees the other gave 100!! And then started the ‘Money’ business even at the place where once people used to shed out their worries or to just get peace of mind. A temple/church/mosque/whatever is free is do what it wants if it ran purely on private money. Religion is kind of like a club nowadays - you are part of it or you arent, non-members are mostly not tolerated.
I don’t much on why there is dress code in guruvayoor..but then again I don’t have anything against having one. Don’t so many of us have dress code @ work?? Does anyone make a big fuss of that?? Dressing for school, the office, each occasion and each place dictates a dress code and a certain way of behavior. It’s a rule set by man - you want to follow, follow - else find some other place where you don’t have to follow rules. When its @ work..I don’t there will hardly anyone who would say ‘NO’ to a good job just because he can’t wear what he likes to wear. Then why question temples?? If you believe or want to go to guruvayoor follow the rules that have been set. I truly agree that’s also man made. I don’t think guruvayoor appan would have told someone that guys should come to see me wearing mundu and no shirt and ladies only pavada blouse or saree lol. The temple has a management, just like any other organisation has, and this management has the authority to set a dress code. As society changes, dress codes will change. I do not think it has anything to do with God…
Read it somewhere ‘Removing the shirt is intended to show one show’s humility in the presence of the diety. It is a way to ensure equality among devotees.’

Let me stop here..its become too too long..

Anonymous said...

Ah..forgot to mention about my thoughts on stampede.. again competition is to blamed..to come first. Man wants to see his GOD first before anyone else can..
Some of uer friends have mentioned, its just not to see GOD when these incidents happen..I have got stamped so many time while climbing on bus :)…again you want to get first into the bus..you want to get seat before anyone else does..hahahha got reminded of days in college :-)..people in hosur used to throw in their ‘lungi’ to reserve place in the bus :)..anyways nice topic. After a long time got a chance to shed out my thoughts..hehehhe..thanks for it!! Have a nice day

Anonymous said...

no one is responsible now... its just an unwanted inheritance... however, the feeling is fading very slowly... hope it accelerates in near future... it all depends upon how we live and bring up our children...

Anonymous said...

wow! 31 comments...popular entry?! :) Well, it is not about forefathers! We won't be boasting of unity in diversity blah blah if religions don't co-exist and we had so many languages. I guess you are kinda missing my point here. Point is: it is the attitude people have now which is the huge problem. We all are selfish, intolerant and impatient.

vimmuuu said...

@ Veena(chechi) :

But I didnt blame 'God' at all. I only blamed my forefathers :)

and the dress code in office and school, u r forced to wear them. I dont think anyone of us liked wearing a uniform when going to school or wearing formals to office. and moreover, y should anyone be forced for anything when they are going to meet 'God' ???

@ Harsha :

The future generation??...I am afraid even some of us would turn out to be like one of our forefathers :)

@ Apar :

and we are also stubborn, adamanat and ignorant in accepting the facts !!!

Anonymous said...

take my word for it dude, i wont let my children think one bit about religion...
my closest of frnds who come home eat, sleep, shout, play, enjoy etc are from different religions and it has never occurred to my mind tht they aren't people of my kind at all. the religion devil in the country can be got rid of only if it goes out of our heads... agree?

vimmuuu said...

Very true. Thankfully, I was brought up in a way that I dont discriminate people based on religion / caste. Infact, the first time I knew my caste only when filling up my 10th form :)

Anonymous said...

Nice view and well put. Have been brooding on the same subject, same manner myself..my draft is still there!! Great! you instill rationalism in people!

vimmuuu said...

@ Verbivorehere :

Welcome to V-Lokam.

Thanks. When are you coming out with your post? would love to read it.

Indian Home Maker said...

Wow this was a good read. I feel the same way. Do you think God cares how you dress when you pray? Old rules must change with time. And we should reject any places of worship that spend all the money they get through us for making jewelery for gods instead of spending it for the poor and the needy.

vimmuuu said...

@ Indian Home maker :

Welcome to V-Lokam.

Yeah, I seriously dont understand the funda between dresses and gods. Ok, the slippers could be removed, cuz we do that when we enter our homes itself. But why fuss on a dress code in temples !!

I really donno why the government or even the so called generous temple authorities dont take any such step for the poor and needy. and the irony is, we have beggers outside temples itself !!!

Indyeah said...

will come and read this in detail..from what I have read so far have loved it!!

vimmuuu said...

Oh, great. Where do you go everytime like this? LOL. Waiting for your detailed comment.

Indyeah said...

We donate crores on beautifying the place of worship, but the same hand shivers when asked to donate for a relief fundFor example, men are supposed to be topless and women are not supposed to wear anything that looks like pants (even the bottom of a salwar) when they go to Guruvayoor temple.What??I had no clue!that is disgusting !as disgusting and hypocritical as no allowing women inside temples when they are menstruating!
Hypocrites!


They have that undying ‘spirit of Islam’, wherever they go and do just about anything to defend their community. Only wish they had used all these spirits for the betterment of their so- called community.true..one wishes…

different trouble with Christianity...but trouble all the same...
.which religion is okay really?all of them are the same!

wow!
just wow!for this post Vimmuu!

Dress codes,clean /unclean superior /inferior..which god cares for this kind of crap?
religion at best should remain a private thing and that will lead to peace..

religion in the public arena is a dangerous recipe.. a recipe for disaster


my thoughts are mirrored in this post too:)))
Vinoj too has said it well..

PS:-you can write a serious post?:P
I almost fainted :D:D

Indyeah said...

We donate crores on beautifying the place of worship, but the same hand shivers when asked to donate for a relief fundsorry the response to this got deleted when I posted the comment :))

this is something that is so so true...Human Beings are hypocrites arent they?

I mean I have seen people donating handsomely with out a qualm to 'religious places' but barely give even 100 bucks for noble causes...

makes me fume!

Anonymous said...

I'm looking forward to getting more information about this topic, don't worry about negative opinions.

Anonymous said...

Human beings can live ethical and fulfilling lives without religious beliefs.
Is it not time we moved on to humanism?

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