The temple is bustling with activity,
Young ballala is observing silently,
The pujari is ringing the temple bell,
In a fever pitch, hoping to awake the temple deity,
The head priest lights the lamp,
And sways it in a clockwise circular motion,
The devotees stand patiently,
With prayers on their lips,
Some are Praying to the God,
Hoping to get absolved from sins,
Commited or yet to be commited,
Some are Hoping to get rid of their problems,
Some are seeking protection for their families,
Most are praying to seek a change in fortunes.
The aarti done, the head priest carries the lamp,
to each devotee, to bless them with the temple flame,
Keeping an eye out on the coins that tumble into the plate.
The sanctum sanctorum houses 2 other dieties,
with their own caretaker priests,
Each vying for the attention of the devotees,
Trying to blare incantations,
The chants have an effect,
Visitors trickle in trying to hedge their risk,
With multiple Gods.
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Ballala notices a pujari,
handing out ash and vermillion.
Another handing out spoonfulls of panchamrita,
And another handing out spoonfulls of holy mint water,
The water and amrit libations for the deity
A blessing from the gods.
The barefooted devotees prostrate, concentrate, contemplate,
The regular motions done they perambulate the temple,
And finally they collect the prasadam,
A mix of jaggery and rise, banana and spice,
And file out of the temple in contentment.
Ballala notices a little boy,
Playing pachisi with an elderly man,
On a board carved on stone,
The boy throws the cowrie shells,
Hoping that his pieces reach the charkoni first.
They are lost in their game,
Giving little thought to the world,
Or to the Gods,
To the display of wealth,
To the din of frenzied prayer,
All that matters is their game..
The temple is still buzzing with activity,
The diyas are still being lit,
The people are still looking for answers,
The deity is still frozen in stone,
The questions are asked,
The answers do not come..
The little boy still continues to play,
With the ring of cowrie shells in his ears,
Ballala walks away with a smile on his lips.
