Tomichan Matheikal's blog

Paras felt sick again and rushed to the washroom retching. Adarsh had been watching it for quite a few days now. Whenever the Holy Baba's voice rose from the lecture hall, Paras would turn pale and then the retching would begin. Both Paras and Adarsh were inmates of the Baba's Ashram.  Their duty was to look after the accounts. Paras was disconcerted with the fraudulent accounts. Money was being siphoned off to the accounts of two women who took turns to worship the Holy Baba in the night. The women, Paras learnt, had bought palatial houses. They came nowadays to the Ashram in luxurious chauffeur-driven cars. Their houses and cars were all bought with the money donated by naive devotees. Paras wretched again. He was in the bedroom shared by the two of them. This was new: this retching on hearing the sound of the woman's chauffeur-driven car. "Where are you going?" Adarsh asked when Paras started packing his bag, having returned from the washroom. "

It is desirable to have one set of laws for one nation. Moreover, the laws need be updated as time changes. If the Central government wants to bring a Uniform Civil Code (UCC), why do many people feel jittery? Mr Narendra Modi is the first reason. His dislike of certain religious communities makes his actions suspect even if there is little to be scared of. The man has made many hate speeches before the PM's chair mellowed his words. What happened in his state in 2002 is still fresh in the nation's collective memory.  Many churches were attacked in Delhi and around soon after Mr Modi ascended the PM's throne and his reaction was silence. How will anyone expect such a man to protect the interests of all the citizens? The Catholic Church in Kerala has welcomed the initiative, however. That's a good sign. The Church wants to see the proposed UCC before it is enacted to make sure that it's not a BJP Civil Code.  That's a fair demand given BJP's track histor

This is one of the thoughts that amuses me again and again: Suppose we give absolute freedom to people in matters regarding religion. No force of any kind. You go to temple or church or whatever only if you want. There are no priests. No preachers. No godmen or ammas.  No theology. No rituals. You do what your heart tells you to do in the temple or church or whatever. You and your god. Nothing in between. No middleman. Just you before your God. How wonderful that would be! Or Will the temple and the church or whatever remain desolate once there are no power brokers to perform their rituals? Is religion merely another power structure that holds people together for certain worldly benefits and nothing more? At least, will the killings in the name of gods stop? Will people rediscover love or compassion? I'm amused to ponder.