A Counter-Intuitive Approach to Religion and Politics
“What is the robbing of a bank compared to the founding of a bank?”
All Panwalas in Maharashtra divulge in a beautiful platter that is their gadgetry. Enumerated with an Idol, most prominently Shiva’s, the decoration over the many cups and bowls that dot its landscape are covered with the beautification of a religion. It is at this platform on which begins the journey of a paan, from a literal paan to one infused with ramifications that make for an excellect after-meal munchie.
10 PM at one of the numerous shoppies. The rush at the traffic stop overwhelmed most of the conversations going on between a few teenagers looking to rewind and their adult forms also looking to rewind albeit for reasons that the teenagers shall do for after their degree. Honking ensured as the lights began rearranging.
“How do you reconcile the fact that you have an idol and your shop is but a makeshift ornamental store for religion and that you sell cigarettes?” I asked the panwala.
Most of the customers seemed to be leaving, and it was just the both of us in the world. He remained stoic. I have known him for 2 years now. He regularly refers to people my age as ‘beta’ which remains poetic in itself. Despite having being an ‘immigrant’ to Pune from Bihar, he seemed well-accustomed to understanding how to play the power game, as he had lasted through the years while many had already given up and left for their homelands.
“Son, what is the smoking of a cigarette compared to devoting your life to this bullshit? This is a greater nasha (addiction, high), par none.”
My eyes widened. I adjusted my glasses and crept two step closer with my hand on the counter and my attention directed towards what he had to say.
“What?”, emerged my singular reply.
“You see, people come here to smoke everyday. They want themselves to be deceived. It isn’t that there is something inherently troubling in their lives that they would come for a smoke, or any nasha for that matter. You can call me the story-teller for elder people.”
I was startled. The introduced to a completely new line of thought was uncanny.
“What is your belief in religion?”
“Everything has its purpose. You go to schools and are told to repeat a certain action. That will then give you the opportunity to develop your scholastic skills. It is the same with religion. You must take one step at a time, but there will be fruition at the end.”
I was amazed at the direction the conversation took. His composure remained as it was a few minutes back selling tobacco products to young children and just as it would be a few minutes after when selling the same to adults. A dog passed through the legs of one corporate employee whose tea fell on his pseudo-gilded trousers. The moon had already taken over, and so had the corporate machine begun releasing their employees, leading to a traffic.
“You see, religion can be found in every nook and cranny not only in India, but in the world. The only reason is because people wish to be deceived. They do not want to know and understand the world from education. It provides comfort and addiction that I can never hope to give with my poor little corner.”
There is a Latin saying that goes ‘Mundus Vult Decipi’. First introduced to me by reading Kierkegaard’s Concluding Unscientific Postcripts, what was striking was the similarity of his and the shopkeeper’s thought. It translates as ‘The world wants to be deceived’, and Kierkegaard emphasizes on how his training into that fundamental knowledge about humanity leads his path in life.
“I agree. What do you think is the solution to all this? Where do you stand?”
“The solution is now part of the problem. In Bihar, we are taught of the importance of being part of governmental institutions because they seemed to be our only hope.”
Hope.
“The sansad (polity) promises to uphold the sanity of our society. This means maintaining the values of plurality. What is the point of writing a constitution if we can allow people who bear no resemblance to its ideals within it? Who else are we supposed to put our hopes on? Ourselves.”
He continues, “I take pride in what I have been able to achieve here. I do not intend to give it up to politics simply because they cannot tolerate how well i am doing.”
An urge to politicize the conversation emerged. “What do you think about local politics?”
“Politics doesn’t affect my life and my trade. I don’t affect theirs.”
“But surely, there could be some meaningful way to redeem ourselves?”
He leaned towards me. His eyes shot and up and his back straightened itself. “We must get rid of all fake religions if we want to make any meaningful political progress? You think leaving cigarettes can create a better society? Have you considered how we would be if we weren’t stuck to imaginary beings? Religion may have had its positives at one point. Today, 90% of everything wrong in society can be found in religion.”
Give our limitation on time, I had to take his leave. We both intuitively had an understanding that this wasn’t where our conversation was meant to end.
The next day, he seemed busier than usual. It seemed as though a few friends of his had joined the corner, conversing in their mother tongue.
I had to intercept. “Where do you see yourself in 2 years?”
“Son, I cannot know. Meet me after 2 years and I will give you an answer.”
