All in the name of God
Published July 29, 2008 | Most of the Kerala homes get a few unique visitors on Saturdays, considered by many as the alms giving day. The bell rings continuously till you answer the door half heartedly, leaving behind the bread in the toaster to burn.
An elderly man with a poised demeanor, saffron attire and holy ash smeared forehead greets you with folded hands. His mission is to fulfill his vow of taking alms from a hundred houses before going to Palani, a famous Hindu pilgrim centre in neighboring Tamilnadu. The naïve and pious reason would force you to loosen the purse strings without further ado. He stretches a steel plate filled with coins and currencies of various denominations to give you a subtle cue of the ongoing alms giving yardsticks. He bows before taking the ten rupees note from your hand, concealing a smile for having trapped yet another prey in his trap this morning.
On the next Saturday the same person makes yet another visit to your home but this time in the garb of a Christian devotee supposedly on a pilgrimage to the Malayattoor hill shrine. He shows off a prominent cross in his hand and rosary around his neck to reiterate his identity. If you are good at remembering faces, (which unfortunately most of us are not) you can see that a wide network of thugs are involved in this gang, who make a fortune by bleeding the hapless public. Spare a thought whether to dole out donations, next time your door bell chimes. Remember, charity becomes meaningful only while you extend an aid to the needy and the helpless.
