HOLY COWS, JEANS AND THE PRIEST

The garden resembles my room. Torn, dirty, dusty and strewn around. The roses are gone, the banana devoid of their plantains and the soil all dug up. The culprits are cows, including a calf. But, the only thing i can do is shoo them away. Their clientele involves the local temple. They are worshiped  in return for milk, holy urine and some fresh dung. The priest turns a blind eye towards our destructed gardens and the overturned dustbins.
However, the priest strains his eyes and more when the neighborhood aunties gang shows up at the temple. Their daughters, some in jeans and some in tight-fitting clothes, draw in more devotees than the Gods. They get extra prasadam, fresh flowers, and some more time with the Gods. Hey! the priest throws in a special aarti for them too. For us, the meek and the simple, and those with warts and acne, we are shown the God and then the door. Beauty and divinity is in the eye of the beholder, in this case the priest.
Yes, the priests do frown upon the kids who show up. They are no longer the representatives of Gods, but that of the Devil. Apparently, the priest with his dhoti around his waist is a mascot. The kids give a hard tug, and the truth is laid bare, literally. It is a Jockey for some and VIP for the other.
There is no dress code for visiting temples. For girls, God doesn't differentiate between jeans, Tshirt, sleeveless or a low neck. This becomes a reason why uncles and grandpas, with their testosterone pumped sons and grandsons, show up in temples on auspicious days, without fail. God has answered their prayers. Damsels in distress are aplenty. A young mother trying to control her kids, a girl struggling to light the lamps, a young bride trying to locate her sandals; all this requires a divine intervention. That is exactly what the men over there have come for.
Yes, you have the right to blame that i too am a participant in this visual voyeurism. It is human desire and nature, given to us by the very Gods we have come to worship. But, a midst the chants, this unfolding scene sure makes for an entertaining evening. The ways of the Gods are strange, but human behavior is more or less predetermined. Do visit an Indian temple on any auspicious day to have your share of this holy offering. Hari Om or Hurry back home, all the best!