A short story about Ram – who is Ram, how is he getting enlightened about the God story and finally what he does with God.
Ram was brought up in an orthodox Hindu Iyengar family. Two things are common in his daily routine - waking up to Suprabatham and a filter coffee. Ram grew up to become a typical boy falling into “thayir saadam” (curd rice) or “ambi” category, according to his friends. He was always seen with a tilak in the middle of his forehead - three vertical lines, two white lines and a red one in the middle - ‘always’.
Ram moved out of his house for the first time when he started doing his masters. Though he stayed in hostel, his “orthodox-ness” never changed. Unlike his room-mate who took bath two days once, who used to smoke at least 10 times a day, Ram used to clean his room daily, took bath twice a day, and did puja to the photo replica of God(s) in his room every day.
One day, his friends in college decided to go to a big Shiva temple nearby for Shivrathri. All of them took a cab and reached the temple. Ram just erased the tilak in his forehead and all of them joined a big queue waiting there to see the Lord. They stood there in the queue for more than 1 hour and the queue wasn’t moving. Ram lost his patience and asked the person in front of him, “Why is the queue not moving?” The person replied, “Silai ku alangaaram pannitrukaal” (“They are decorating the statue”). Ram said to himself “Even God is taking too much time to do make up than girls!”
Realizing that the queue was not going to move for some more time, all of them sat in the steps. They were discussing something while Ram was wondering why the person said “They are decorating the statue” instead of saying “They are decorating the God”. This just took him to the most controversial and still unanswered question “Is GOD a fact or myth?” While he just began to think whether any of these things that he does makes any sense, he just remembered something that happened when he was a small boy.
When he was a child and whenever he tried to tell a lie, his mom used to threaten him saying “Poi sollatha da. Poi sonna saami kanna kuthidum” After he thought about that, he got how he was introduced to God. His mom used God to threaten him like the way she used to threaten him with ghost sometimes – “Seekirama sapidura illana poochaandi vanthu pudichutu poiruvaan”. He thought fear was not the reason only for him to get introduced to God, but fear could be a logical reason why people could have even “Created God!” Yeah, you got it right. Ram thought that it was not God who created people but it was people who created God.
When there was no Indian Penal Code or something similar in other countries, people could have found the necessity for someone/something on whom/which people should have fear, someone/something who/which could prevent people from wrong doings. He thought that’s why people could have “Created God”. He also thought that to make people afraid was the reason why many of the Gods have many weapons in their hands.
Ram was very much convinced with his logical idea that “God isn’t someone who creates us or monitors us or regulates us but it is humans who have created God – to instill some fear in people’s minds – to discipline the human way of living”
Now the queue started moving and he entered the main shrine where the big Shiva "statue" was there. Though Ram had a conflicting but a logically convincing idea, he did not come out. One reason was, he couldn't move out because there was huge crowd in front of him. The other reason was that ‘something’ forced him to be there. He joined his hands, prayed to God. He stood there for some time. He saw tonnes of milk were being poured on the Shiva ‘statue’ and the entire crowd shouting “Om Namashivaya!” After milk it was honey and the crowd cheering continues..
On the way out to the parking area, he found a lot of beggars and a lot of hawkers selling picture and small statue replicas of God. Ram was disturbed. He didn’t come to any conclusion but after that day he stopped all pujas he used to do every day in his hostel room – even during his exam days! :P
After exams he went back to home. Next day his mom woke him up at 6’0 clock in the morning and said “Inniku sani kilamai da..seekiram kulichuttu, perumaala kumbittu saapda va da..” He woke up and went to his mom and asked “Amma, naan unkitta sila kelvi ketkuraen. Nee mudinja padhil sollu”
Ram: “Thappu panravaa ethanaiyo per iruka.. avaa laam nalla thaana iruka.. avaalukku perumal mela bakthi yum illa bayamum illa…avaala perumal onnum panrathum illa..naama mattum en perumaal mela bakthi kaatanum?”
His Mom: “Arasan andru kolvaan theivam nindru kollum nu periyavaa summa va da sollirukka? Avaala ellam perumaal kandippa thandipaar”
Ram: “Thappu pannittu neraya per nimmathiyaa poi sethuraale.. avaalukku enna pathil solla pora?”
His Mom: “Avaa laam kandippa naragathukku thaan da povaa..”
Ram asked several questions. To all his other questions his mom’s answers were very simple – “kaliyugam”, “munjenma palan”, “vithi”, etc.,
Ram got the spark. Now he got the complete picture. Humans are notorious. When you ask a child not to do something, it will be provoked to do it and that’s essentially how the human mind works. Ram thought that when people created God and asked humans not to do anything wrong – though what was right or wrong was completely subjective to those who created god – some people wanted to test it. They crossed the line – they did something wrong – and as expected God didn’t do anything! Then creators of God understood that they have to do something to support their creation!
That‘s when they created these stories. If we look at Ram’s mother’s answers and the stories behind them, none of the answers could be tested. You cannot live long enough to see whether “theivam nindru kollum” is happening at all or you cannot die to see if someone is going to hell. Ram understood that stories and artefacts are very important not just in organizations but in societal structure too.
Ram even doubted that people could have created wonderful stories like Ramayana or Mahabaratha and used God as the protagonist to preach how one should be a good son, husband, king, etc., He thought that if it is Ramayana and Mahabaratha for India, it is Iliad for Greek and the list goes on.
Ram was seriously upset. Ram was shattered when he felt that all the beliefs that he had held so far in life was meaningless. His feeling intensified when he thought of the fact that all of the world’s greatest sins were being committed for Religion and God.
But Ram couldn’t believe this. He was not yet convinced. Because there were still a majority of people in the world who believed in God. He thought all these people cannot be fools. That’s when it struck him that majority of these same people believed for so long that earth is flat and not round. Even when a scientist said earth is round and not flat, all these intelligent people hurled stones at him and killed him. So Ram thought, it is not impossible that all the people are ignorant of something – it is possible but very difficult.
God is the only person on whom humans have held strong belief even when God has not been scientifically proved. Ram was not an exception. So, even though all of Ram’s logical and scientific conscience proved it otherwise, he still decided to believe in God.
Ram went to the temple next day to express his concerns and seek answers from God. He even put Rs.50 in the "hundi" there. No response from God. Next day he did puja to photo replicas of God(s) in his room. None of the Gods responded. So, he decided to write a letter to God. But he didn’t know the “to address”. Ram almost lost all his hope and patience. Finally he decided that posting it online will have wider reach and all Gods could also read it. Now that IPC does not have 66(A), he was also a little confident that he won’t be arrested.. He put all his hope in that final post and wrote as follows.
Dear God,
I believe in you. But I see a lot of imbalance and injustice everywhere in the world. And people are committing biggest sins in your name. Well, you can say that these are all human created imbalances and you are not the reason for them. You could say that you didn’t ask people to do any of them. Agreed. Ok. But if you can’t do anything for that then I see no reason for your existence.
I am not saying that you are not there. If so, I wouldn’t even have written this letter. All that I am saying is, “Do something positively to make your presence felt - to make your existence meaningful”.
At least now I don’t see you doing any great work. Whenever I come to see you, you are always in relaxing mode receiving all abhisekhams, alangaarams, donations, golden house and what not? I always see you on the receiving end and not on the other end. So if you are free, please call me at 94438 33351 or comment below.
God, it can be even that I am foolish enough to not see anything that you are doing. In that case I am really sorry. But even in that case, please take at least some minutes in your busy schedule to enlighten me about your job description.
Waiting for your phone call or reply,
Thanking You,
Date : 28-03-2015 Yours Bakthifully,
Venue: Earth Ram _/\_
After posting the letter, Ram continued to wait…
Will be continued (GS-II)…
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