Wednesday, 1 April 2009

FlashFiction 2009 Longlist Aliya Khan

Socio-Economic Status of Deities
 
Mrs. Deepa chocked her voice when she heard her husband’s jeering on the Hindu Godhoods.  It is all owing to her day long intermittent worship on gods and deities that have crowded the walls of her inner bed room to the threshold holy basil plant.  Deepa for the first time got confused with her vision blurred and perception undergoing utter deception.

Akash could probably feel the nerve of her better-half.  He said with his tone containing the same amount of derogation.  “Do you know Deepa, the Hindus in our country worship as many as thirty-three crores of gods and a genuine ration of godman population in the land will be one is to three.  In other words, there is one deity employed by the almighty to take care of three men and it is still a hard concept to believe as to why there is anarchy, parochialism, disintegration and gross inhumanness prevalent in the land.”

Akash kept making his speech more relevant and clear.  “There are major five different types of gods reigning the ecclesiastical as well as the socio-economic worldly status of India :
Deepa was thunderstruck to hear such casual, playful and godless categorization of deities by her husband.  But there was no way out.  It is because she knew the temperament of her husband who had talk-o-mania then.  He did not mind gossiping and arguing on issues, for hours together and for this, she kept mum and she thought it would probably serve as a better silent appreciation.

Akash continued, ‘See, Deepa, the proverb goes ‘Man is the maker of human destiny.  It is in other words, has been a much talked acknowledgement that it is man who has created god and for that reason, he has made all worldly gods maintain a socio-economic status for the betterment of the human living.

It is here that Akash’s humour crossed the perview of sanity and he categorized Indian Hindu deities into five major categories – each according to ability and each according to capacity and credibility.
The first category to remain top in the list as per Akash, there are certain gods in India having multi-millionaire identity.  As per instance, there is Vaishno Devi, there is Tirupati Balaji and infact, a score of powerful deities who enjoy darsanas and worships round the clock and went back to their nativity in the evening having lacs in collection.

The second category, as Akash perceived, are the middle class deities.  They also enjoy customers who offer them with sumptuous alms and satisfy them with burnt offerings.

Akash guffaw knew no bound when he further categorized a quite different category as the gods in the BPL list quite dependent on truckers and motorists whose sole offering during their enroute tour.
Both, Deepa and Akash, chocked with their heart throbbing.  The wife prostrated before the house deity to forgive her husband and to bless her only son.

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