Chronosynclastic Infundibulum

meenakshi temple

My visit to Meenakshi Temple in Houston was an interesting experience in more ways than one. For starts, it was the first time that I actually went out on a joyride with people I have known for over a semester, and I realized how little I really knew them.
But far more interesting was what I saw in the temple itself. There was a fair bit of crowd there (although it is nothing compared to the density of human crowns often seen in India). The temple was built to be as exact a replica of Meeakshi temple back in India. The fervor and devotion that I saw there was very different from what I have witnessed in India. In India, when you see devotees at a temple, you see fear of god, the love for Him, awe and surrender to His powers. It wasnt the same here.
What I saw here was fear of losing Him, something I hadnt seen before. There was an elderly person sitting at the foot of the inner sanctum of one of the dieties singing hymns to the praise of the goddess with his mind staring into infinity. The intensity of his chanting and prayers betrayed his paranoia of faith slipping away from him. I could hear the splashes of a desperate swimmer simming against a current too strong for him. He was not alone. I could see it in the eyes of many there. There was a definite attempt to hold on to their identity. Yet there was little panic in the excercise. To them it was clear. It was a choice they made. The choice to trade the security of home, the protection of established and imbibed culture, for greener pastures. It is a losing battle that they are fighting, but they refuse to slow down, they refuse to give in. They want to make their stand.
Established religion is a powerful force. It is the source of stabilty and order. When man sees that eroding away in him, there is every attempt made to restore his balance, like a plant uprooted and thrown on the ground growing roots to stand up again. Hinduism to them is so different from the perception back home, yet in so many ways the same. They are rediscovering religion, despite being a part of it all their lives… What an irony!