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OFFTRACK: KEONJHAR, ORISSA
God's
Own Cargo
A courier
service run on faith lets people have a shot at salvation.
By Ruben Banerjee
The innumerable
long-distance buses on Orissa roads that ferry passengers from one town
to another irritate travellers no end. The long hours behind the steering
wheel and the condition of the roads make drivers rude and belligerent.
Besides, conductors are not above finding ways to fleece travellers. And
no amount of entreaties work when the drivers are only intent on reaching
their destinations. Passengers sometimes wait for hours by the roadside,
only to have the buses whizzing by. Even government diktats have failed
to force errant drivers to fall in line. It's quite amazing, therefore,
that these speedsters should stop for coconuts.
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FAITH MAIL: Coconuts in their thousands arrive
every day at the Ma Tarini temple
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Hold a coconut and flag down any bus anywhere
in the state and it is certain that the vehicle will pull up to pick up
the hairy fruit, if not the person proffering it. A safe passage for the
coconuts is guaranteed. Irrespective of the direction in which the bus
is headed, it is certain that the consignment will reach its destination
even if it means changing hands on the way. If the bus is heading towards
Keonjhar, well and good. If not, the driver hands over the coconuts to
buses driving towards the state's forested interiors where the Ma Tarini
Thakurani temple is located.
The Ma Tarini temple at Ghatgaon in Keonjhar
is swamped by coconuts coming in their thousands every day. The deity's
fame has spread far and wide in the past few years and today millions
in the region seek easy salvation by bringing in the God's favoured votive
offering. Devotees with coconuts in hand also turn up at the temple in
large numbers daily. Those who can't come themselves have a shot at long-distance
salvation by sending in the fruits on buses and trucks.
"It's a religious courier service without
many parallels in the country," says Gurucharan Singh, secretary
of the temple trust. What makes it unique is that the cargo is transported
free and the courier network runs solely on faith and trust. No matter
how unruly the bus drivers, their belief in Ma Tarini is rock solid. The
moment they see someone by the roadside holding a coconut, they stop and
accept it. It's not unusual, therefore, to find the cabin behind the driver's
seat stacked with coconuts picked up on the way.
"Though drivers, we are god-fearing mortals
too," explains Sadanand Tripathy, driver of a bus plying between
Bhadrak and Bhubaneswar. Drivers believe that helping the coconuts reach
the deity ensures their own safe passage. The faithful have joined to
strengthen the courier network, setting up hundreds of collection centres
in Cuttack, Bhubaneswar, Bhadrak, even Jajpur, where buses can dump the
offerings. Buses heading towards Keonjhar or passing by the temple then
pick up the sacramental load for onward shipment.
Running on unstinted faith in Ma Tarini, the
courier service has never failed. Any coconut delivered to a bus driver,
say somewhere in Puri district, is sure to make its way to the temple
in a matter of days. Such cargo even comes in from western Orissa towns
like Rourkela and Sundergarh and from distant cities in the neighbouring
states of Bengal and Bihar. The deity rules the highways and no bus driver
dares to risk his wrath. Ma Tarini, if the tales that abound are to be
believed, is a zealous God. Once, so the story goes, the driver of a Bhubaneswar-bound
bus from Keonjhar forgot to unload the coconuts at the temple. The bus
had trundled only a few kilometres past the temple when its brakes failed.
Similarly, the driver of a Trekker died due to another such accident a
couple of years ago.
At Ghatgaon, temple priests take turns to break
the shells and then offer the creamy flesh to the deity, but it isn't
easy coping with the deluge. With the storage dumps overflowing with coconuts,
not all the coconuts can be placed in front of Ma Tarini. So the temple
authorities sell them at discounted prices. The temple makes about Rs
20 lakh annually by selling them. Everyone has reason to feel happy; the
devotees can rest assured they have attained salvation, the bus drivers
feel secure on the roads and the temple coffers are filled. Ma Tarini
must be pleased as well.
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