Blessed are the poor so that the rich can live high and mighty! CEPEP and URP, social programs designed to help the poor and marginalized have been raided by pirates disguised as politicians.
The poor and also the gods are exploited to make money. If tomorrow I declare that I am holding a seven nights Ramayan Yagya, you would be surprised to see the volume of goods I would be receiving. More so, devotees would flood the clothes fairs to purchase new clothing, and the pooja shop would also get its fair share of sale. The pandits and musicians and even the few disguised as sadhus would benefit generously, not withstanding the public provided with lavish meals.
It is seven nights listening to a pandit in an air-conditioned setting! There is no examination at the end of the seven days. It is unlike reading a book or learning a language where progress can be measured. It is even better than learning to play the harmonium. There is no progress or syllabus to fulfil. It is very easy and relaxing and even the musicians do not have to go through any evaluation.
While in Trinidad and Tobago politicians and their financiers cannot account for money allotted for URP and CEPEP, in India the Modi-led government has successfully lifted more than 240 million people out of poverty. This is no small feat for a country of 1.4 billion with 60% of its population engaged in agriculture while in a country like ours with an abundance of hydrocarbon, we have politicians misplacing money allocated to bring unemployment relief to the poor.
Worst, is that those said people are engaged in slander to discredit the recent visit of Narindra Modi to our shores. The racial connotation of Modi’s visit is added as distraction, that is, to not bring to the supporters the corruptions of those politicians who pretend to care for ‘black people.” In the USA and other parts of the Americas, poverty is weaponized and there are now people who are well financed to represent the welfare of the poor, not to empower them but to keep them in poverty.
Back to our yagya! Why don’t you form an organization and install a murti? You don’t need a pandit to know Sanskrit and Hindi. Reading from a copy book hidden in the Ramayana is enough. Getting any two by four drummer and press two notes on the harmonium and render two bhajans. And if at all, some devotees felt cheated, then there are lots of channa and paratha and pumpkin and karhi to full their stomachs … and if you really vex, you can have a box packed for you to take home.
Trinidad and Tobago is vulnerable. Wherever one turns the poor are exploited. That is expected of people who are desperate and in need of a meal. The Baba does not have to prepare a discourse to empower his congregation. Say whatever comes to your mind—no coherence. You already accept that they are foolish and the food is enough to pacify them!
Blessed are the poor! And yes, their kingdom is in heaven. As for those who are exploiting their poverty, they are living well in mansions and having a ball!
And I have an idea! What about starting a Brown Lives Matter movement! That has the potential to make millions if not billions! It would provide the opportunity to travel abroad, meet heads of governments, the Pope and Dharmacharya and sleep and dine in five-star hotels around the world. We will need a good accountant to cook the books, though! What about your uncle?
Another option is to register a company for CEPEP contract and share it 50/50 with a politician! Easy way to get rich!
Jai Sri Ram!
