Devotional fervour is at its peak, if overcrowded temples are any indication. Queues to the main shrines wind several metres long. Even the so-called special entry option does not seem to help the situation. Festivals are a different story altogether, with devotees making a beeline to the temple well in advance leading to a veritable stampede at the appointed hour.
Tensions and worries, wants and wishes or simple thanksgiving – reasons for visiting a temple could be anything. But the underlying idea is to forget ‘self’ and melt in the presence of the Supreme, even as the eyes take in the proceedings. Right? Not quite, going by the trend among visitors to the temples these days. The hands that fold in prayer are busy taking pictures. Yes, bhakti has been hijacked by this fever to capture images on gadgets.
Walking past a group of tourists (read foreigners) that listened in earnest as the guide said, “Photography strictly prohibited,” I turned away in guilt. Do rules only apply to them? It has indeed become a challenge to have a view of the ritual or the deity, the utsavar to be precise, over the raised hands that hold mobiles and ipads for that ‘vital’ moment. These ‘ardent’ devotees do not pay heed to the pleas of others who have come with the sole intention of offering worship.
This conflict exploded the other day at a Chennai temple, where a Brahmotsavam is in progress. A devotee has lodged a complaint with the temple authorities seeking a ban on this disturbing practice.
Saint poets including the four Saiva Seniors and Nayanmars and Azhwars have in hymns described how festivals and Vedic recitals in temples bestow a positive energy on the devotee. Tiru Mangai Azhwar in his Periya Tirumozhi refers to rows of houses, lining the streets of Therezhandur, in whose porticos beautiful women, a picture of devotion, watch the glittering procession of the Lord. Many verses in the Divya Prabhandham talk about the vibrancy around the temples during festivals and how people come out of their homes to have a glimpse of the deity on different mounts.
The procession of Tiruvarur Tyagaraja, Kapaleeswara of Mylapore and the Arudra appearance of Nataraja are themes of exquisite poetry that move one to tears. The crowd, so packed that there is not an inch of space, waits for the curtain to open. The devotees get ready for a glimpse while some get their smart phones ready too. The minute the deity is revealed many hands go up clicking furiously, oblivious of the disturbance this might cause to fellow human beings. A display of utter lack of sensitivity.
Better access now to sleeker versions with good cameras has led to intense competition among the devotees, who vie with one another for that perfect shot . What is happening is not expression of ‘surrender,’ which scriptures underline for salvation. This photo and video mania has reached unacceptable limits and is turning out to be a serious distraction and menace.
Worship now is more about photo posts on social media and photo exchanges on Whatsapp.
In decades gone by, a mother would show the child the way to pray with folded hands at the sanctum sanctorum . But now, even children are being encouraged to take video shots. Parents even teach children the best angles and positions. Where has etiquette gone? Prayers should be marked by silence and discipline. These unwritten codes of conduct are handed down through generations. Well, the chain seems to have found a weak link here.
It is sad the mania to record their presence at an event is taking people away from the essence of why they are there in the first place. As they head back home, the question asked is “Where is the photo?” and not “Did you have a good, peaceful darshan?” Talking on the phone even while performing a pradakshinam and texting and taking pictures at all times and at all places leaves one wondering where we are heading.
Will temple administrations wake up to the situation and come to the rescue of those who enter a place of worship only for the purpose of worship?
Unholy scramble
K. Parthasarathy, a resident of Thiruvallikeni for over six decades, who has watched Oyyali at Sri Parthasarathy Swamy temple from his school days, was disturbed the other day by the behaviour of some people, who went berserk with their gadgets. He says, “For the past three years, I have made requests to keep the mobile phones switched off during Oyyali but in vain. The latest fad is taking ‘selfies’ with the deity, and this is not in good taste.” He also wonders at the decision to allow the Ghoshti to have mobile phones in their possession during Prabhandham recital when they are not even allowed to wear a wrist watch.
R. Shiv Kumar has been a regular at the Kapaliswarar temple, Mylapore, for many decades and recites the sacred verses there at 5 a.m. He is totally frustrated at the phenomenon. “Our voice seems to be a lone cry. We are not reformers; at best we can express our feelings. What then is the solution?”
Vaishnava Sridharan, a member of the Saathatha Vaishnavas family, which has been doing service at the Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam, for 100 years, says that he was shocked to find a video clipping of a ritual strictly prohibited from being photographed doing the rounds on social media. “I am entrusted with the responsibility of keeping mobiles and cameras out of the sanctum. In spite of the announcement, the event was captured and circulated.” He adds, “We try our best to prevent distractions to devotees within the Arya Bhattal Vaasal. But outside of that, there is no control with the devotees racing to capture the Lord on the camera.”
“Things have worsened,” observes M. Krishna, engaged in kainkaryam at the Kanchipuram Varadaraja Perumal temple. “We try our best to educate the devotees on the need for self-discipline. The first thing a lady asked recently on entering the temple was if she could take a photo. It has almost become an exhibition of sorts, not purely devotional.”
