According to Hindu belief Shani is the lord of the seventh planet (Saturn) out of the nine celestial powers which govern our life. Shani is believed to destroy evil and remove obstacles. As such, he was the obvious choice for those praying for destruction of the evil of corruption.
When there is no hope left in anything else, one turns to God. That might be a common aphorism. But, for the people of Kanpur, who have lost all hope against corruption, Lord Shani or ‘Shani Dev’ kindles the faith that the losing battle might, after all, be won.
The devotees paste or nail pictures of corrupt officials and ‘netas’, who have been the source of their troubles, on the walls of this temple praying to the Lord to deliver them to justice. Interestingly, the latest addition to this shamed list is Yadav Singh, the notorious former chief engineer of Noida, who allegedly made crores by embezzling government funds in abetment with top officials and politicians.
In the congested Vikas Nagar area of Kanpur, the peculiarly named “Bhrasht Tantra Vinashak Shani Mandir” (Shani temple which destroys corruption) attracts many despairing devotees who have all but given up their fight against corruption. Locals say the steady crowd on weekdays swells to double the regular numbers on Saturday (‘shanivar’ in Hindi), the day consecrated to Lord Shani.
“We pray here as we believe that Lord Shani delivers justice,” says Ravi Sharma, who was the person behind establishing this unique temple with like-minded people. “After, I faced many hardships in life and suffered at the hands of corrupt officials, I turned to God. When one loses all hope, this is the only path left,” he says, talking about how the temple came into being.
According to Hindu belief Shani is the lord of the seventh planet (Saturn) out of the nine celestial powers which govern our life. Shani is believed to destroy evil and remove obstacles. As such, he was the obvious choice for those praying for destruction of the evil of corruption.
Ravi Shukla, an activist associated with Bharat Punarnirman, an anti-corruption organization, says people coming to the temple write down their problems and put it in an envelope, which is dropped in a box kept in the temple. The letters, addressed to Lord Shani, are fervent prayers against corruption, he says, adding that the people come back for thanksgiving when their job is done.
Others paste or nail pictures of the corrupt netas on the temple walls hoping the Lord’s fabled “vakra drishti” (oblique gaze) would destroy them. ‘Shani Dev’ is believed to obliterate anything or anyone he sets his eyes on.
The cynical may doubt whether the desperate hopes and prayers of the distressed are answered at all. But, the devotees’ unequivocal faith surely serves as a ray of hope for all suffering due to corruption.
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