‘Uparwala sab such dekh raha hai’ is not only the basis of almost every film in India, no matter the region, language or subject matter but it is also a corrupted corollary of the whole karmic cycle. God sees everything, all the time so I should always be well behaved and not sin, nor harm anyone and only do good. Mmmmm okay. Now the corrupted part; people forget about not sinning and harming others coz, well they’re human but unique to the subcontinent is this culture of God is watching every time we do good thus we will be rewarded. So each time we want a reward : Want a job? Feed the blind. Want your son to pass his kindergarten with good grades? Offer a coconut/incense/light a candle to the Gods. Want your daughter to marry? Give up coffee.
It’s fantastic that most temples are one stop shops! There is the Lingam for fertility, right across from Hanuman the purveyor of abstinence, And there’s Lakshmi for the cashola, of course!! And Krishna and the Ayodhya trio. Oh let’s not ignore the Sai baba devotees, all it takes is a statue right? The more the merrier. So it’s basically like going to a mall you know. If you have to return your jeans at Levi’s, and buy new shoes at Nike it’s a done thing. Exactly like that. You can make an offering of 101 Rupees to Ganeshji because you got the job and you can also put in a request for better vibes in your home to the Vastu God! Cool ain’t it? Everyone gets to shop for their wishes and desires and wants and needs. Now if they could just add a few more counters altars to incorporate the Buddhists and Christians and Sikhs and whoever else is out there - we’d attain world peace! Alas! there’s this whole thing about copyright infringement. Disney and Mattel are sold separately they’re competitors. Disney will sell Mickey and Donald and Elsa and Rapunzel but no way a Barbie is getting shelf space next to Winnie the Pooh. The blasphemy of it all. And it goes both ways!
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| You’re not one of us Barbie. You’re different! |
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| I’m the real deal! My followers know that. |
Since uniting various devotees is a profitable strategy, why don’t other religions and faiths get onto the bandwagon? Why isn’t there a Buddhist altar in a Church or vice versa? You know there’s been that thing about inter faith marriages - it’d be so convenient for the children! If I could pray for wisdom to Saraswati on one altar and still be able to send the kids to Sunday school in the adjoining room, wouldn’t it be fantastic? It makes commercial sense. Just a big win-win for everyone. What? What did you say? Religion is not about money alone? Who knew?
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