Have you been blessed ?

Have you been blessed ?

All roads in Bhubaneswar last week lead to the Janata Maidan! There was mad scramble when the jet setting soft spoken Sri Sriji arrived there last Saturday. For about two months mega posters of the smiling new age saint greeted commuters at all busy traffic junctions and roadsides of the twin cities.

I wonder why Babas require sales promotion like toothpaste and soap. If he does require a large crowd, the simplest thing he could have done was to make it free entry!

Ministers and top netas, business tycoons, movie stars and all others who matter and who are desperately seeking divine blessings to wash off their sins vied with each other for Baba’s kind gaze.

And the cream of the pudding was the dubious partnership with the sleazy Chancellor of the only private university who has an uncanny habit of hitching rides on the shoulders of celebrities to improve his credibility ratings! If you remember, folks, every few months he manages to get our dear Prez, the rocket man to inaugurate something or the other!

The unctuous operator usually hosts Baba on his visits to the state in his plush guest house. Wonder if he runs a university or a five star hotel! However, Baba does not discriminate between the crook and the saint like any other divine soul in this world.

Tickets being prohibitively expensive, only the rich could afford Baba’s darshan. If you could not lay your hands on a ticket, better fib about it, rather than reveal the truth. It was a sure path to perdition if you could not manage to make it to the Baba’s show !

The humble Maruti 800 owning chelas had to carry binocs to see the Baba who sat light years away from the janta. Fat banias with bejeweled sethanis, powerful babus accompanied by their elegantly coiffured wives, barishta sambadikas and ministers in spotless silk kurtas were the front benchers. And among this privileged crowd, the ministers were the most insecure lot since they always have nightmares in the day of the Queen kicking them out like used soccer balls!

The ignorant souls are under the mistaken belief that money and power can reduce the distance to Sri Sriji and salvation!

Special private audiences were granted by the great soul to bored housewives who drove up in their glitzy Skodas and Corollas to seek his blessings. Any simpleton can make out the cause of their suffering. Too much money and luxuries and nothing to do all day. What a bloody boring and empty life they lead!

Their fat husbands with bloodshot eyes were eager to get up at dawn and shake off the alcoholic stupor of late night drinking binges to make it. Joy eludes them since they hardly ever think anything other than winning contracts and fattening their bank balances. Baba has promised them to free them from all their worldly pains!

The stupid fat cats believe that wealth and happiness are directly proportional ! That life is only about slogging tirelessly to earn money. Only, if they would stop somewhere in their mad rush to just feed the poor in our state who do not even get a square meal to fill their emaciated stomachs !

This time, the dear Baba who vibes very well with the Queen had come to the MOU state with expectations. Yes he wanted some land to start an university and could the dear Orissa govt. help him out by giving him only 300 acres ? With an army of high profile bhakts firmly ensconced in the secretariat, who could put up a query, the favourite weapon of any babu who wants to stymie well laid out plans?

Baba had a smooth sailing and could manage to sign an MOU with the Queen sitting firmly beside him. But I do hope the government will charge him market rates, since the Baba can easily afford it and as we are a poor state we do need the dough!

What did I do to get inside the heavily guarded enclosure? Like any other bati pela sambadika I just tapped my reliable contacts and got hold of a VIP pass from the personal staff of a cabinet minister. If you are a true VIP, you get free entry. The 2 grand tickets were for the banias you see!

And did I get his blessings ? No way since I never tried to ! He is not God and neither is he his authorised rep. on planet earth. I honestly believe he is an accomplished yoga and pranayam instructor , thousands of whom you will find all over our great country.

Note: The previous post "The Faustian deal" has very interesting comments!
Readers may kindly see them!