It was an alluring evening, I was having a walk with my husband, adoring the admirable beauty of Chandigarh. It is good to go for a walk regularly to stay fit and healthy. Apart from that it was really soothing to see everything - so green, so beautiful, and feel the immense gratitude of nature. We were enjoying the sense of togetherness with the rhythm of the place. There were many trees, on the way we walked through. Nature is the most adorable beauty with a rhythmic hymn. After a long walk, we returned home.
The next day, while having a walk, we noticed some of the old small idols of God, lying at the base of the trees. May be somebody would have cleaned their house, and to get rid of the old idols, replacing them with the new ones, they would have left it beneath the tree. Anyways that was not the problem. Actually it is bad that we do not dispose things off properly. Disposing just means getting the things out of our house. The next day, we found those idols arranged properly beneath the same tree, with some flowers before them. We thought, that out of devotion, somebody might have arranged them. There are many blind followers of religion in India. Smiling at each other we walked away. The third day, while walking, we observed some incense sticks, lighted up before those old idols. We were observing the emerging superstition with just some old, rejected God’s idols.
Anyways, we were out of the city for a month. After we returned, we were surprised to see, a raised platform being constructed under that tree, covering most of the area of street making it hard for the four wheelers to pass through. It posed a hard situation for the people living nearby that area. There was some road construction going on nearby, a wise man reported, and requested them to destroy that newly built platform. The platform as it was illegally constructed, was turned into soil without much affecting the emotions of the people. If it continued, the very next day there would have been a temple there, very soon acquiring the blind-minded people’s faith.
It is the case with most of the curbside temples in India, making the road/town planning crash down. The people claim their religion and devotion, without knowing or trying to explore the basis of their devotion. Which may be just some distorted, old, rejected remains of idol of God. Our devotism is not measured by the number of temples, mosques or tombs, rather it is counted by a good heart and good deeds. God should be in our hearts and minds, rather than finding him a place.
I am not an atheist, nor am I asking you to be. Having faith in God, helps us in every way. It teaches us to stick to the moral path, it helps us overcome the adverse situations, and helps us to develop a strong will, which is the key to every achievement. But, if God wanted us to believe things blindly, why would have he given us brains. God wants everyone to be happy and on the right track, using their brains. God wants us to sensibly decide everything, be true to ourselves and not merely building temples over the rejected remains. God loves your devotion, and just needs your true love as every relation does.
Dr. Richa Agrawal ©
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