Monday, August 06, 2007

Great History...but a lack of respect for it !!!

Been doing some travelling in the south of India...to a few holy places. Was amazed again at the magnificence of the work, the architecture & the artistry...not to mention the planning that went into the construction of all these awe-inspiring temples!!

On the one hand you have these magnificent monuments, a testimony to the culture of our civilisation and then there are the roads that you use to get to them...the roads in some places have to be located between the potholes...it was like a scattering of holes !!! Also the attitude of the people at these holy places was too 'unholy' for my liking. An absolute lack of regard for anyone is norm ....none for the elderly or for the young ones or for the physically challenged. A disregard for one and all...without fail all are equally disregarded.

Makes we wonder if it’s worth going all the way to bet 'blessed'. I might as well stay home and pray. The only plus I see with going there is to see and admire the work done hundreds of years ago. the sculptures, the architecture...the 'plumbing' (for lack of another word to describe how the water flows out of the temples after the 'Abhshekams' et al.) Also the ventilation is very good and so is the use of the openings in the roof for lighting. Brilliant !!


I also did notice, that a lot of people are willing to follow the dress code when they go to a disco/pub, but when you go to a religious place they don't seem to be bothered to come attired as per the 'dress code'...you go to a pub or a party in a Capri jeans and top definitely NOT to a temple. If not for a lack of respect at least for the sake of fashion, a Capri jeans just does not go well in a temple!! Surely you can come dressed in ethic wear. Well I, for one, completely endorse the 'dress code' in temples & religious places. If not for anything else to maintain the decorum, of the place.

I do realize that all this sounds very negative, well it wasn't all bad...there were quite a few of the 'officials' at the temple, who went out of their way to help in different ways. And I am very thankful to them. They sure do add to the experience of the visit. There were also the occasional priest who took the time to explain the significance of various places to the ignorant and willing to listen. Then there were the friendly co-passengers, who could easily get into action to help out or to share their snack with us. And not to mention the very repetitive conversation, repetitive but very interesting nonetheless.

Well surely I did learn a few things on this trip, like all other ones. I learned that if the hotel guy says that the tariff for the room is Rs. 850, what he really means it is Rs. 325 !!!!! Also that when you say you want new bed sheets...what they understand is new towels !! It took me 4 attempts to get the man to understand me and get the sheets, albeit we were conversing in Telugu, and we both spoke it very well too.

The best part of all this was I was traveling with my parents, despite having numerous arguments...it was absolutely smashing to spend so much time together. My Dad never ceases to amaze me with his insights into the minds of people, while my Mom is the best at making s trip wonderful with her enthusiasm to just take a walk to the local market or going to the temple for a second visit!!


Overall this was a pleasant and a very much absorbing trip!!


posted by Sreedhar @ Monday, August 06, 2007

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