Damian Williams

Many who are born and brought up in India know for a fact on how religion works its way into businesses and politics. Religion plays a key role in the establishment of various policies and opportunities. It is, however, impossible to let go of religion when seeking an opportunity in the country, for it is a country of diverse religious beliefs, and no matter how much the people may deny it, religious enmity will always find a way amid diversity. 

Religion allows fraud- artists to outshine. Belief systems allow several people the audacity to gain from the devices of religion. Once in a while, there is always the dawn of a new Sadhu who delivers blessings disguised by money and ulterior motives. Often than once, money is blamed for degrading the essence of a religious belief pattern- aside other impure worldly accessories and needs, over the questioning of the belief system of the individual looted.

In the year 2020, a certain minister of a high office pointed out with much bravery, the consequences of ridding the country of lesser important religions. She pointed out that the country would be left by a Hindu majority of various casts that would, in time, take up domination over the less powerful. At this rate, it might as well be agreed upon that religious enmity, caste differences and human dominance will always be around to exhibit and display examples on why and how should religion be the de facto element of superiority. 

With these advantages, the beginnings of corrupt preachers take form and dwells on the sole purpose of spreading the belief, blind to the wealth offered to them and yet, not refused. A superior religion brings upon a superior society, one that is sought out by several proselytizes. These people overshadow, what I would call, a genuine preacher. They have the power to communicate and conquer the hearts of many through simple words.

Amid all these corrupt religious ideologies, a genuine preacher still managed to shine faintly. People from all over chose his cottage to triumph over some of the trickiest questions of life and overcome various sicknesses through belief. However, he didn’t identify with a particular religion as expected out of him, but he chose to be a simple nature- worshiper and humanitarian, serving God and Humans as one fold. He claimed to be the link between the mortals and God. He is what most of his followers consider the genuine preacher, but for the tourists that visited him on this somber occasion have concluded that his methods are quite questionable. 

Visitors were now a daily sight, but the mere sight of the group had him in a fix. He entered the little cottage, where his visitors stood up to greet him. The holy guru stood his ground, studying the people that surrounded him- eyes sparking of wonder and hope. 

If he was dazed by the group, as said by the tourists, it was just for a moment, but he was able to compose himself and proceed with his routine of visitation. He walked up to the tourists and without a word, shut his eyes and placed a rough, hand of toil on the heads of the tourists and prayed a prayer to the God he worshipped. When he had prayed over every single head, he finally opened his mouth to speak. 

“Where are you people from” 

There was a collective response, from which he was able to identify the few places that his mind- map identified. He nodded gingerly and proceeded to the prayer room, beckoning to the others to follow him in there. 

Once inside, he motioned towards the floor, offering it to his visitors to sit down. He then knelt before the altar and kissed the very ground on which he stood. He then stood up and called forth a tourist and laid a hand of blessing on his head. 

“What would you like from the lord?” he asked the tourist. The tourist shut his eyes and with immense faith, replied, “I want to know of the road to salvation” 

The young preacher shut his eyes and was immediately transferred to the lap of the God he so loved. 

“Oh, Lord” he prayed. “You hear what this man has to ask. What must I answer him?” There was a long pause as the onlookers stared back at him in amazement. It was described by one of the tourists as a moment of ‘indescribable feeling’ of being in the presence of a man who dwelt in the presence of his God. 

“Yes, Lord. It shall be done” answered the preacher to God himself and took his hand off the tourist’s head. “The Lord tells you to find your road to salvation as there isn’t a definite road of gold or tar to lead you there. Do what you think is right in the eyes of God and man. If you find happiness in this service, you are on the true road to salvation” 

The tourist bent low and touched the feet of the young preacher, but the Holy man stepped back rebuking the gesture and instead said “It is the Lord and not I that deserve your loyalty. Is there anything that you would like to give to the Lord in acknowledgement?” 

The confused man stared back at the preacher. A tense moment of perplexity followed, but the tourist spoke first- “Perhaps, a donation to the Lord might be good?” he asked. 

The Holy man said nothing, but simply closed his eyes and knelt before the altar, beckoning the next tourist to take the place of the former worshipper. The worshipper, in the mean time had placed a note valued, as he reported, the sum double the stipend that he would earn as an intern for after all, God is valued much more than money. 

“And how may the good Lord help you?” he asked the second believer. 

“A healing, Guruji, if it may be possible?”

“What is the problem?”

“Pa.. Pain, I’ve got a severe pain on my shoulder that no amount of medication seems to cure” he stammered.  

The Holy man stood up again and placed a hand on the patient’s head, imploring to his God that he may be healed. Almost at once, there was a change in the air. The preacher went limp, and he spoke to convey a message that God himself spoke through him.

“Pick up the holy beads he said, and as though controlled by an unseen force, he sauntered over to the altar and picked up the prayer beads. “God speaks through me!” he spoke in a voice louder than he had spoken before. Two tourists, dropped to their knees as he spoke to the tourist with the painful shoulder. “You shall do what the Lord asks you to do”

There was a murmur of disbelief and wonder as God proceeded to approach the man. “I shall touch your shoulder with this bead, and you will tell me if you feel anything” 

He did as he said, and then asked the tourist- “Do you believe in me?” 

“Yes” replied the tourist, “I do”.

“Then tell me, what do you feel?”

There was a brief pause followed by a loud exclamation of “Oh!” 

“What do you feel?” shouted God. 

“I feel… I feel hot!” he replied.  

“Go then. You shall be made well by the next three days. Do not forget your belief”

The man turned around and returned to his group, but was cut short by the preacher. “Where is your acknowledgement for the Lord?” Ashamed, the man stepped forward to touch the feet of the Holy man, but he was rebuked like the former believer. 

“You cannot be cured!” he said. “The Lord has looked into your soul. He found it infested with unspeakable sins. Sins that I cannot utter in the presence of your friends” 

“Oh! What can be done? Please help me!” he asked. 

“What can you do for me?” asked God, through the preacher. 

The man gave it a though and knelt before the altar. He reached into his pocket and withdrew his wallet, from which he placed on the altar a set of notes- money to buy his way to sanctify his soul. 

“For the needy, oh Lord” he said. The Preacher smiled and said “The Lord is pleased with you.” 

Presently, another tourist had approached him to be blessed, but a loud grunt from outside shook the prayer room. 

“What’s going on here?” bellowed the voice, and an old man walked into the prayer room. “Who are these people, Kumar?” he asked. 

The young preacher immediately trotted over to the old man and touched his feet. “Guruji” he said, pointing to the believers, “your visitors”. He bowed low and calmly walked out. 

The tourists were dumbfounded for a moment, when the tourist who had been cured spoke up to break the silence with, “What was that all about?” 

“”Well, I assume that you all have been brought in by my sweeper, Kumar?” replied the Guru. 

The Tourist immediately rushed forward to retrieve his money from the altar, but it wasn’t there where he had left it. From the story recounted by the tourists, we gathered that a search party had been issued for the fraud preacher, but he has yet not been found.