Open Thy Eyes and See Thy God
Blurting out of a TV in a typical Indian home, in a typical weekday, is a cry to a deity in the times of despair. It is, in fact, a bargain, a trade off. The deity lifts a character out of a danger and as a return; he/she shall break 100 coconuts or donate to the “hundi” or of a special puja. Miraculously, the deity hears this plight. The despaired, pained character is happy and a beautifully choreographed sequence of scenes shows those 100 coconuts broken or the money being poured or the puja being sincerely performed. And to that, there might also be a diapason of a traditional Indian devotional song in the background, typically Bhagyada Lakshmi Baramma or Mahaganpatim Manasa Smarami in Kapi. The prolixity of believers in the matters of faith is truly remarkable. For them, the ubiquitous God is anthropocentric, the ultimate ombudsman of the universe. The creation, the destruction and the present of the universe is governed by His rules. For the opulent, God is pleased by diamond...