On Cows and Poojas and Apartments
I am back, after a 10-month hiatus. I have been meaning to write some post or the other, but was just too lazy to write. But today, I just had to write; I had no choice on the topic!
About a couple of years back, when we were booking an apartment on the 18th floor of a building in a gated apartment complex, a colleague reflexly and very sincerely asked me (paraphrased)- “But what will you do for the go (cow) pooja? How will you take a cow to your apartment on the 18th floor?” I was totally nonplussed. The question was too funny and weird for me to handle. I just responded that of course we are not doing any of that business!
And then today, this email (from someone on the 10-odd-th floor) lands in my Inbox, on the mailing list of the apartment complex that I stay in (paraphrased)- “We are looking forward to perform our gruhapravesam in XYZ month. As a part of the ritual we need to perform the “Go pooja” (cow pooja). Are we allowed to bring the cow inside the campus?” This is way too hilarious! I had no clue someone would actually, seriously think of doing something like that!
You live in India now! Get used to it
Pradnya,
Its really common in the South. In our complex I have seen couple of people really bring in a cow for ghruhapravesham.
Guess it all depends on where a person is in their journey of “accepting everything as told” to moving to “critically analyzing what they are told before its followed”.
-Durga
Oh yes, we had a few really emaciated cows visiting our apartment complex. Thankfully for new residents on the ground floor! I just hoped that the soussed cow hand fed the beast atleast half of his takings for the day.
It is ridiculous when blind belief and reality clash in India.
I would like to witness this pooja to see how the cow will be taken up on tenth floor.
f