The day after India lost the Test series in another embarrassingly inept show in Perth,the Herald Sun,a leading Australian newspaper,wrote: India just seems to lob along,its players pocketing millions each year and too spoilt to make major sacrifices. It was an observation echoed by Andy OBrien,who wrote a piece in the Kolkata Telegraph headlined: Let go of that cockiness and arrogance. He went on to say: Perhaps it is time to ponder if that positive aggression and over-zealousness have at times given way to a self-defeating,overconfident cockiness. He adds that he was shocked when he came to India just before the tour began to find that the Indian media and public had taken it for granted that the series was in the bag. Even the most pessimistic Indian cricket fan thought it would be a close affair.
What,then,explains our passionate devotion to these idols? When it comes to politicians,celebrities and Bollywood stars,the sycophancy and public idolatry only seems to get bigger and more unrealistic. Even B-listers here are feted and fawned upon,never mind the A-listers whose tantrums and self-absorption never seem to deter fans. So too for our politicians,forever surrounded by sycophants,who prostrate themselves before a Jayalalithaa,bend low to touch Mayawatis feet,sing hosannas to Sonia Gandhi and try their best to ingratiate themselves into the countrys concentric power circles.
The relevant question is whether our culture somehow intensifies this idol worship. Every day,Indians will stop at wayside shrines to many,many divinities,including animals and rodents,to ask for blessings. Of course,Hindu scriptures give no licence to idol worship,quite the opposite there is a verse in the Vedas that says: Those who worship visible things born of the Prakriti,such as the earth,trees,bodies (human and the like) in place of God are enveloped in still greater darkness,in other words,they are extremely foolish,fall into an awful hell of pain and sorrow. Vivekananda is more charitable,calling idolatry the attempt of undeveloped minds to grasp high spiritual truths.
Whether or not it is rooted in religion,we tend to worship our idols,ignoring their imperfections. Writer Mark Driscoll warns of the dangers of misplaced worship,because icons invariably disappoint. They arent perfect. They arent continually faithful. They dont endure forever. Perhaps part of the problem is that we feel compelled to worship what everybody else does,whether it is cricketers,film stars,celebrities,fashion icons or even politicians. In an age of over-the-top marketing and consumerism,everybody becomes a brand. Theres a verse in the Gita that seems to say it all: Those whose intelligence has been stolen by material desires,surrender unto demigods and follow the particular rules and regulations of worship according to their own natures. Our nature,sadly,seems to demand an idol we can revere,careful to avert our eyes from the feet of clay.
dilip.bobb@expressindia.com
