I’m sorry, can someone please explain why caves can’t have clothes hangers? Is it written in the Bhagavad Gita that people meditating in a cave should come without any clothes? It’s a cave in Kedarnath, not a hamam in Hungary. So why is everyone piling on to India’s greatest Kotler awardee? And what’s this idiotic insinuation that spiritual activity must somehow be divorced from all material comforts? Who said so? I’ll tell you: a stupid fellow on social media.
Do you know which is the world’s most spiritual nation? India. We are the most totally spiritual people that god ever created.
True, in day-to-day matters we may be money-minded, and power-hungry in a very petty way. But every single Indian I know wants money and power for one thing only: to serve god. Why else would so many donate their wealth to Lord Venkateswara in Tirupati?
In fact, all the retired uncles in my neighbourhood have only one topic: how to attain moksha and avoid rebirth in a place like Sakinaka. There are many ways to achieve this objective. But the most scenic route goes via the Himalayas. My father keeps telling me his biggest wish is to go to Kedarnath/ Badrinath/ Haldirams and meditate the hell out of cosmic reality. But he’s never attempted it. So far as I know, nor have any of the elderly gents who sit and laugh vigorously as I walk past them in Boboli Gardens at Piazza de’ Pitti (name and location of the park I use for morning walk have been changed for security reasons).
The bare necessities
Yet, they are spiritual men. All they want is to sit in a cave, bundled up snugly in a thick, saffron cloak and meditate away. If they haven’t acted on this dream, it’s for one reason only: poor infrastructure.
My own grandfather’s only ambition in life was to go and hang his muffler in a cave in Kedarnath. But he never became Prime Minister and so never got the opportunity. But now, thanks to our beloved leader’s initiative, India is beginning to realise that there is no contradiction between asceticism and clothes hangers.
If I am going to spend, say, four to six hours sitting still in a hole in the mountain, the least I am entitled to is physical warmth, a full belly, and a cameraperson to record my tapasya for posterity. So I don’t really understand the fuss over the basic amenities provided to the PM . Yes, his cave had an attached toilet, a heater, a bathing area, an electric geyser, a telephone, WiFi, and a grand view. But did anyone notice that it did NOT have a home theatre system or bathtub?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi meditating in a holy cave near Kedarnath Temple, during his two-day pilgrimage to Himalayan shrines, in Rudraprayag district, Saturday, May 18, 2019.
I’ve always resented this reverse spiritual snobbery. Why should poor, mendicant-type sanyasis be the only ones to enjoy the ascetic pleasures of meditating in a freezing Himalayan cave? Why can’t asceticism be a luxury experience accessible to anyone who can pay for it? If you ask me, India’s biggest problem is that people who have the material means to achieve spiritual goals are put off by an ecosystem that doesn’t much care for ease of doing spiritual business.
Public-private spirituality
But now, thanks to the example set by a sitting prime minister, the Indian spiritual sector is all set for astrological growth. I feel India should waste no time in developing every cave in every nook of every one of its mountains into world-class spiritual complexes.
Using the PPP model, the government should auction off these caves to private players, who will then develop these ancient spiritual properties into modern nirvana centres.
We must also stop being apologetic about using the best of material comforts in aid of a higher calling. If a multi-millionaire is going to spend his time, money, and effort seeking spiritual wealth, then the bare minimum he deserves is a spa attached to the cave — as you know, the best remedy for stiffness in joints induced by hours of sitting cross-legged is a nice warm massage with jojoba oil.
To my mind, in addition to a spa, every seven-star cave should have a sauna, jacuzzi, climate control AC, a mini-bar, bathtub, butler service, and an attached multi-cuisine restaurant with Mughlai, Chinese, South Indian, Thai, Continental, Mediterranean, and Gujju options.
Imagine how much better off we’d be if India’s most powerful were spiritually evolved individuals and not the Khan Market gang? All the more reason to encourage them. If the Himalayas can roll out the red carpet for the well-heeled spiritual seeker, who knows, the day may not be far off when we could, as a nation, learn from the wisdom of a monk who sold his country.
The writer is Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu
