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Temples and Tragedies


Long ago, when our ancestors descended from the tree and started walking on the earth, we allowed religion to hijack everything from our entertainment to our morality, from our pains and joys to our gods and devils.  When the immensity of the cosmic mystery overwhelmed those primitive creatures, it was understandable that they sought solace in superstitions and rituals.  Today, when science has broken through most of the mysteries, revealing the principles of gravitation and quantum mechanics, unseating gods from their celestial thrones, replacing heaven and hell with black holes and stellar bodies, why does religion continue to inflict us with tragedies?

For details: The Hindu
The latest tragedy in a Kerala temple, like most other such tragedies in places of worship, is a man-made one.  The organisers and operators of the fireworks display flung all norms to the cosmic winds for the sake of enhancing the impressiveness of the show.  It’s a kind of competition.  Our temple festival must be more ostentatious than the festival of all other religious institutions in the neighbourhood.  The grander the display, the greater the religion!

We have to liberate ourselves from our snobbery first of all if such tragedies are to be avoided.  Not only firework displays, but also religious processions, conventions and a lot of other means are employed to show off that one’s own religion is capable of making more noise than the neighbour’s.  The greater the noise and grander the display, the more attractive is the religion!  In other words, religion is not really about religion but about our pretentiousness and its satellite vices.

Secondly, we have to liberate our gods from their bondage in our temples, churches and other such places.  When the gods are gone, perhaps we will learn to look within.  And discover the delights of simple humaneness which doesn’t need temples and fireworks.


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  1. Shrinidhi HandeApril 11, 2016 at 8:45 AM

    very unfortunate incident..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalApril 11, 2016 at 10:18 AM

      Undoubtedly. So many lives lost. So many wounded seriously. Houses destroyed.

      Delete
  2. Kishor KApril 11, 2016 at 8:47 AM

    If the God is omnipresent, why look in temples? Never understood the concept, really.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalApril 11, 2016 at 10:22 AM

      That's just the question. And the answer is that people are not looking for god really. It's about a lot of other things: social celebration, display of superiority, psychological comforts...

      Delete
  3. IndraniApril 11, 2016 at 10:13 AM

    Very tragic... some the pics were tear jerking ones. Hope they get well and recover from this trauma soon.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalApril 11, 2016 at 10:23 AM

      In addition, I also hope that people learn the necessary lessons so that tragedy won't be repeated.

      Delete
  4. Amit AgarwalApril 11, 2016 at 11:44 AM

    Tragic indeed!
    'We have to liberate ourselves and our gods'..so wise and true!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalApril 11, 2016 at 1:31 PM

      Evolution is a painfully slow process, Amit ji. Mutual liberation is possible only through mutation.

      Delete
  5. BikramApril 11, 2016 at 1:51 PM

    TOTALLY with you on LIBERATE OUR GODs.. yes we need to I think its time we the people did something too ..

    it is a tragedy such a incident happened..

    Bikram's

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalApril 11, 2016 at 2:29 PM

      I'm happy to find more and more people who think like me. I used to wonder whether I was an odd man out.

      Delete
    2. BikramApril 11, 2016 at 4:14 PM

      No you are not, I am of the beleif that if we take religion out , people all over will be much more happier .. but then thats me ..

      Bikram's

      Delete
    3. Tomichan MatheikalApril 11, 2016 at 5:52 PM

      Let our tribe increase, Bikram. Actually religion owes its popularity to herd mentality mostly. If the herd thinks secularism is superior to religionism we will be lucky.

      Delete
  6. Manisha SharmaApril 11, 2016 at 2:23 PM

    When the roof of the Puttingal Devi temple fell down, hundreds of people died, hundreds of people were injured, but in this all, where was God? Did he die under that roof, was he injured in that chaos or did he ran away?
    Did anyone try to find where God was?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalApril 11, 2016 at 2:31 PM

      Your comment reminds me of what Albert Camus said when he saw a car run over a child, "Look, the heavens are silent!"

      Delete
  7. Ravish ManiApril 11, 2016 at 6:33 PM

    Yes, liberation is the only solution.

    ReplyDelete
  8. RakeshApril 11, 2016 at 6:42 PM

    I won't call it tragic or unfortunate. It's plain damned stupid! Brought on by bloody hypocrites! If it weren't for the lost lives, I'd have said that they were served right. But, do you think that they are going to learn from it? Of course not! There will be a bit of brouhaha, a few crocodile tears and everyone will gear up for a similar function on a grander stage. Bloody idiots!

    Only the Almighty will know when are we going to grow up! :(

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalApril 11, 2016 at 7:04 PM

      They won't learn, no doubt. People never learn the real lessons.

      Delete
  9. HemaApril 11, 2016 at 9:46 PM

    I really agree with your last paragraph, 'to liberate' our gods from bondage. What a tragic incident!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalApril 12, 2016 at 6:02 AM

      Just imagine how helpless god must have felt sitting imprisoned in that temple while the tragedy unfolded.

      Delete
  10. Shesha ChaturvediApril 12, 2016 at 12:12 AM

    90% of the man made calamities are due to the disturbances by religious zealots. What a pathetic state that people somewhere follow similar teachings and talk about same similar God who has made everything on earth and then he fights over what exactly His real name is... He just can't stand others with different opinion... Tragedy across the Globe, religion today is everything what is wasn't meant to be!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalApril 12, 2016 at 6:05 AM

      Religion is the greatest cause of hatred, strife, violence, calamities... It's high time that mankind delivered itself from the nemesis called religion.

      Delete
  11. Vinay NagarajuApril 12, 2016 at 3:28 PM

    I like the coinage liberating our god Matheikal, it is such a shame that religion has become a matter of a societal pride than a personal thing. Kinda defeating the whole purpose of religion.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalApril 13, 2016 at 6:03 AM

      The purpose has been defeated already in various forms. What good does religion do today? I wonder.

      Delete
  12. CifarApril 12, 2016 at 4:19 PM

    this festival happened because temple authorities neglected denial of permissions backing by some political masters which didn't bother to hurt religious sentiments in election time but are cool now to gain from this tragedy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalApril 13, 2016 at 6:05 AM

      The election plays a vital role, you're right. Mr Modi and Mr Gandhi rushed to the spot because of the election.

      Delete
  13. KalpanaApril 17, 2016 at 8:04 PM

    This was so sad, such a waste of life and all because of a lack of regard for safety.

    ReplyDelete

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