Another temple is born, in a park

Rajiv Sharma 

It all began with a small structure raised by a devotee in one corner of a public park. The brick-work of the square pedestal was given a final touch with sparkling-white tiles. An idol of the revered Goddess was positioned by the faithful on the elevated platform to add to the ever-rising number of places of worship. 

The man took upon himself the duty of keeping the sacred corner of the park spic and span by brooming away the dirt and stale flowers to the middle of the road. Slowly, followers of the tiny religious corner grew in numbers and strength. 

A religious flag was installed near the platform. A donation box, locked, sealed and firmly grounded to the structure came up on the scene to accept the offerings. Increase in the number of worshippers led to the expansion of the domain, inch by inch. A committee comprising a few senior citizens and a crony of a leader was formed to run the affairs of the temple in the making. 

Municipal officials arrived to deter the trustees from encroaching upon public space. But perhaps it was too late, and the fear of flaring up religious sentiments made them beat a hasty retreat. 

Once the administration was brought to its knees by the crowd that had more faith in their collective idiocy than the idol, the trustees lost no time in raising the boundary wall around the Goddess. A sizeable chunk of the land belonging to the park was seized to build the temple. Men and women turned out in large numbers to keep the authorities at bay and a concrete roof was constructed overnight. 

Now, the temple had a building of its own. Gods don’t need permission from mortals to draw power to dispel the dark. Therefore, a power connection was secured, directly from the overhead electricity cable. A loudspeaker was installed to raise the voice and volume of the faithful. A steel railing was erected around the sanctum sanctorum for circumambulation by the devotees. 

A priest was appointed to take care of the deities, bedecked with jewellery and lavish ensemble. Elaborate lighting in and around the building, several air-conditioners, fluttering flags, a shed to take care of the footwear of devotees  and an awning jutting out on the road, adjoining the temple, to provide shade to the devotees, and a parking space for their vehicles made sure that every inch of the vacant space was put to optimum use. 

Vendors selling sweets, prasad and flowers and beggars were quick to occupy the pavement to create a perennial traffic bottleneck on the road facing the temple. 

The faithful have devoured another garden meant for children to play, the blossoming of flowers, swaying of trees and providing a breathing space to the young and the elderly of my city.