Karnataka muzrai minister Kota Srinivas Poojari is a worried man. The monsoon sky – alternating between grey and blue, but shedding very little rain – has got him worried.
But while most of us can do nothing except wait for the rain, the minister, it seems, decided that he has had enough. Poojari is not going to sit idle and twiddle his thumbs any longer. The minister has decided to intervene. How? He has decided to placate rain God Varuna.
In an announcement that was bizarre and baffling, the minister on Friday ordered special pujas to be conducted in over 34,000 temples coming under his department across the state to please the rain God. Needless to say, the exercise is not going to come cheap: the total expenditure for the pujas could cost over Rs 17 crore.
The muzrai (department of religious and charitable endowments) minister said a special puja and homa will be conducted on July 27 and August 2. Temples with water bodies and located near rivers will have to conduct parjanya japa (special prayer for rain God), homa and a special puja. Other temples will have to perform jalabhisheka puja (showering holy water on idol).
An order to this effect has been issued to all deputy commissioners, zonal officers, tehsildars and CEOs of zilla panchayats by the under-secretary of revenue department. Temples have been authorised to spend up to Rs5,000 each from their temple funds.
Defending the decision, Poojari said, “It’s purely a spiritual event to invoke divine forces, and it’s a prayer for rains against the backdrop of drought. The government has understood the necessity of conducting such a special puja.”
The decision to invoke the divine has raised questions. Does it make sense to squander so much money when the state is reeling under a severe drought?
Can’t the money be spent in more judicious ways? The amount, if used for development, could have made a big difference to the lives of people.
This is not the first time a muzrai minister has ordered special prayers in temples. It may be recalled that when Krishnaiah Shetty was muzrai minister, he had ordered a special puja to be conducted in the name of the then CM Yeddyurappa. Shetty took back the order after the move was condemned from all corners.
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