Promisses

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I had my schooling in Muthukur, a seaside Village, in the early 1950s where most of our time was spent fruitfully in outdoor games needing no equipment at all. The law of the land was the impartial "Might is Right" unless you have a special ability to flaunt. My specials were English (much in demand a week before exams) and a Father who happened to be the HM (it cut both ways).

That March in 1955 when exams were imminent, I was coaching Sudhakar, one year my senior in school, in English Grammar which was his bugbear, in his 'room' which he rented for a month. One evening Sudhakar was visited by his eldest brother for a day. The Big Brother (BB) was working in Kuwait (a new word for me) and had brought with him a Viewmaster (Stereoscope) to show it off to his kid brother and his friends. I had never seen anything like it before and was simply charmed. He had disks of the sights of London, New York and Benares. I begged him to lend it to me for half an hour to show my mom the sights of Benares which she never visited but was all the time talking about from hearsay. BB obliged. And watching my mom's fascination, being a rustic, I begged BB to send me one Viewmaster with a dozen disks as soon as he went back to Kuwait.

And BB said: "No problem; just visit your Post Office on 1st April and it will be delivered it to you."

It took me two good years to go to College and learn the significance of 1st April.

I then promised myself that I won't play such mean tricks on any kid. Indeed I also promised myself that I won't make promises that I possibly can't fulfill or have no intention to.

Of all promises men make, the shabbiest are to their wives and God (in that order).

Listen to our Autocrat:

"...That men are cowards in the contemplation of futurity he (Erasmus) illustrates by the extraordinary antics of many on board the sinking vessel; that they are fools, by their praying to the sea, and making promises to bits of wood from the true cross, and all manner of similar nonsense; that they are fools, cowards and liars all at once by this story: I will put it into rough English for you... 'I couldn't help laughing to hear one fellow bawling out, so that he might be sure to be heard, a promise to Saint Christopher of Paris, --- the monstrous statue in the great church there, ---that he would give him a wax taper as big as himself. "Mind what you promise!" said an acquaintance who stood near him, poking him with his elbow; "you couldn't pay for it, if you sold all your things at auction." "Hold your tongue, you donkey!" said the fellow,---but softly, so that Saint Christopher should not hear him,---"Do you think I'm in earnest? If I once set my foot on dry ground, catch me giving so much as a tallow candle" '..."

In my time I have been a coward and a fool many times over but perhaps not a liar to God. Whenever I am in deep distress I do sort of pray to ease my nerves, but no promises to keep and miles to go before I sleep. But I know many devotees of Lord Balajee at Tirupati who not only make promises in distress but also redeem them without fail. Human nature is like that. There are dozens of ways to please Balajee; the best and cheapest is tonsure of one's head. If you happen to visit Tirupati and take a local bus, you will see on your return trip many young ladies who have their heads clean-shaven...something they wouldn't do for anyone else than Balajee. They must have been in utter distress, mostly during moments of critical illness of their loved ones, to go to such an extent as promise of tonsure.

My elder sister (the MD doctor), while at Delhi, suddenly found her husband laid down with a massive heart attack. And promised Lord Balajee that they would visit Tirupati as soon as he recovers well enough to make the trip, and have his (IAS) head tonsured at the temple premises. My B-i-L recovered after a triple bypass and agreed to visit Lord Balajee. And, on their way to the Sanctum Sanctorum, she led her hubby to one of those massive Barber Halls there and asked him to go in. The poor chap was never told by her earlier this part of the Deal and resisted, as he was still an 'agnostic' as he used to call himself then. And my Didi, like all of their ilk, blackmailed him saying that one of them two had to go in and the choice is his...he thought a moment and sneaked in like that little lamb with fleece as white as snow, while his Mary was invigilating outside.

And came out a true-blue faithful.

I am told Lord Balajee's Trustees are now in a perfectly unique dilemma. It so happens that a couple of years ago, a politician suddenly became rich and gifted Him a golden crown studded with a thousand and more gems worth a few crores of rupees in redemption of his divine promises. Since such a super-rich gift happened for the first time in living memory, and since the Gifter is very like a King in politics, there was much hoo-haw and the event was telecast over all news channels and made headlines in all newspapers and everyone admired the gift and the Gifter and talked about it for a whole week.

It now turns out that the Gifter-King is languishing in jail for months without the hint of a bail facing massive corruption charges of swindling the exchequer by maybe a few thousands of crores (of which the diamond crown is peanuts).

Corruption is no news nowadays...its news value has nosedived to such an extent that an honest one like our Annajee's BP and Sugar counts tend to make some news...and his detractors would love to fish out evidence to nail his proclaimed honesty.

The real issue that is bothering all concerned is: "What to do with the Crown of diamond thorns? Would Lord Balajee agree to wear it or take umbrage? Should it be returned to the Giftee? Should it be deposited in the concerned Government's Treasury?"

It is a big Dharma Sandeh (Dilemma of Religious Virtue) because no gift accepted by Lord Balajee has ever been returned with thanks (so far).

My take is to keep it with the Lord...if you once start returning His gifts, there maybe nothing left on Him...who among us is so honest that they never sinned in this life or earlier ones?

What is your take?

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