Holy Worker

I’m not an atheist nor do I hate idol worship. This could amount to blasphemy, however, I’m never inclined to join my hands in reverence for idols that are seen every nook and corner. I could be termed as an arrogant person, but as if to support my claim of questioning any idol’s sanctity, I witnessed something that made me contemplate.

Recently, I happened to visit a training institute since my company decided to conduct an inevitable training program over a weekend. In the reception area of the organization stood a giant Ganesha statue made out of black stone that was of six feet. It was evident from the surroundings that Ganesha is being taken care of everyday.

Not long before I finished this thought appeared a priest with his son – who was a frisky little kid not more than 8 years old. Apparently, he had come to perform the daily pooja for the idol. Fair enough, I thought.

The priest flung his bag in one of the visitors’ chairs and ordered his son to be seated while he finished his task. He began his job by stripping the idol of its clothes meanwhile inquiring the receptionist of his paycheck for last month. The idol is devoid of any clothes now and he took to the task of cleaning it. Once done, he started rolling sandalwood paste into his palm to festoon Ganesha – all the while chattering with the watchman about the prevalent weather and ordering his mischievous son to be calm.

He had now reached the process of adorning the idol with the garland – this time teasing the old cleaning lady of her husband’s visit to see her at the workplace. “He can’t stay without seeing you for a single minute, can he,” he sarcastically asked. The old lady, in turn, replied with her side of the argument and this went on for a while until the idol is fully adorned with garlands and the sandalwood paste with vermilion is pasted on its forehead. He gave the idol a fleeting glance after all is done.

The idol is now ready for ‘Aarti’ and he started to chant the requisite mantras – interrupting in the midst to call out his son to bring the ‘karpooram’. He did not forget to tell us to join the process – while still muttering the mantra – of Aarti.

All the while, Ganesha was smiling at him peacefully.

After observing him performing his duties with perfunctory ease, I couldn’t stop but think that it’s just his job and he treats it as lackadaisically as anybody else treats his/hers.

I couldn’t bring myself to think that the Ganesha idol has now become holier than it was before.