Author: N.S. Rajaram
Publication:
Date:
The hoped for blessings have to
come not from God or Jesus but Delhi.
The suspense is over, finally. In
a garish display of lights and sound to rival any WWF extravaganza,
the miracle worker Benny Hinny (his correct name among several known),
his plump well-oiled face beaming across TV screens in Bangalore,
stepped on the make-shift stage at the Jakkur Airport generously
gifted to him by the Congress led Karnataka Government. The rest,
as they say is history.
The crowd was not what it was promised
to be- not a tenth in fact. A few years back, the pop musician Yanni
drew a bigger crowd than this pop godman, even while charging exorbitant
entry fees. But what Benny Hinny lacked in numbers, he made up in
the importance of the guests- or at least their self-importance.
At the lead was the Karnataka CM Dharam Singh, looking like a WWF
performer- not quite wrestling fit, for making him look athletic
was seemingly beyond the miracles of Benny Hinny.
Then there was Oscar Fernandes,
the aspiring Kathak dancer, looking out of place in the glaring lights
and the blaring music- like any dancer would in a WWF wrestling ring.
There was also Ajit Jogi who looks out of place everywhere. These
worthies were vying, it seemed, for blessings not from any god in
heaven but the goddess in New Delhi's 10 Janpath.
Some critics complained about Government
sponsorship of this pop religious show, especially since the Jakkur
Airport is a defence facility that now lies in ruins. But secularism
is a higher cause than national security. At Benny Hinny's next extravaganza,
which is rumored to be a fireworks display, the Government should
place the country's nuclear arsenal at his disposal. May the whole
country be blessed by the fallout!
The issue is not only secularism,
but also the cultivation of the scientific spirit, which too the
Constitution enjoins. The Government should sponsor the Benny Hinnies
of the world to educate us heathens with their scientific miracles-
just as it now sponsors Haj pilgrims to follow such scientific rituals
as "Stoning the Devil."
What if political leaders appear
meek and submissive, open to ridicule before the world? Since when
did the Indian politician ever act in way that upholds dignity and
national respect? That will take a true miracle- one that a Benny
Hinny will never perform even if he can, for he surely knows that
it will put him and his ilk out of business.
In the meantime, the meek shall
inherit not just the earth, but the blessed name. Henceforth, thou
shalt be known as Benny Hinnite.
