From the Heavens to the Streets: Pune’s Wayside Shrines

Abstract

In 2014 The (in)famous Bollywood hit PK created an uproar among Hindu nationalists and right-wing groups who called for a boycott of the film, which ultimately lead to the physical vandalization of cinema halls, the tearing of posters, and the use of traditional media as well as social media to abuse the director, filmmakers, and the actors for the film's portrayal of their religion (Qadri and Mufti 2016). 1 The plot of the movie is that Peekay, who is an alien that lands in India, is unable to return to his planet after his "remote control" is stolen. As he tries to find his way back home, he learns from humans that only "God" will be able to help him find the device. As he searches for "God", he is confronted by the paradoxical elements of India's different religious dogmas and practices. Jaggu is the female lead of the movie. She is a television news reporter and a non-traditional and progressive Hindu girl who falls in love with a Muslim man from Pakistan while traveling in Europe and the couple decides to marry. Jaggu's father, however, is a very devout follower of a Hindu godman (Tapasvi) who opposes his daughter's union with a Muslim man. After the flop of their attempt to marry, because of religious differences, Jaggu meets Peekay back in India as he is distributing leaflets about a missing "God". She is fascinated by Peekay's quest and convinces the TV channel head to make a show with Peekay exposing the truth about different religions. About midway through the movie (1.41.19 min.-1.43.31 min.) 2 there is a scene that depicts the installation of a wayside shrine by Peekay, the hero of the film, outside of the Department of Mathematical Sciences of Delhi University. In this part of the movie, Peekay brings the devout father of Jaggu along with a TV crew to the entrance of the university in order for Peekay to prove to Jaggu's father that religion is nothing but a money-making "business driven by fear" (Hindi: ḍar kā biznes). He explains to Jaggu's father that because exams are currently being conducted at the college students are terrified. Peekay then approaches one of the trees at the gates of the university and takes a large rock and places it in the flower bed in front of it. He calls the stone the "factory's machine" and the coins and bills he puts in front of the stone are the "investment." He then takes out a pān 3 packet and smears the stone with it leaving a red mark on the stone, as is characteristic of many

Making Informal Sacred Geographies: Spiritual Presence, Sensual Engagement, and Wayside Shrines in Urban India

“…In the eyes of the city administration, the overwhelming majority of these sites are illegal: They are not part of the planning horizon of the city, never enter the master plan, and have no permission to exist. Most of them simply appear overnight, and if they don't grow, simply linger for a long time as minor auratic places, cared for by a loose group of more or less regular worshippers and a fleeting population of passers-by (Larios, 2018).…”

“…At the very least, they will prevent people from spitting and urinating. More positively, they provide busy denizens with opportunities to fulfill daily religious duties through a polite namaste as they pass by (Ghassem-Fachandi, 2012;Henn, 2008;Larios, 2018), something Larios (2018, p. 10) calls "drive thru" darshan:…”

“…At the very least, they will prevent people from spitting and urinating. More positively, they provide busy denizens with opportunities to fulfill daily religious duties through a polite namaste as they pass by (Ghassem-Fachandi, 2012; Henn, 2008; Larios, 2018), something Larios (2018, p. 10) calls “drive thru” darshan :This street mandir [shrine], it may not look as important as Malaxmi Mandir [one of Mumbai’s most famous temples]. But to me it is even more important.…”

“…My engagement with this informal religious geography started in Bhopal, where I conducted long-term fieldwork on urban temples, 1 and in this text I complement my own observations with examples from the literature located in Mumbai, Goa, and Varanasi (Bharne, 2013; Heng, 2016, 2019; Kent, 2018; Larios, 2018; Osterberg, 2018). Together, these examples help excavate a habitual orientation that sustains the minor sacred sites that dot urban spaces across India, but which can also be found along highways or in the countryside.…”

Reduced Carbon Monoxide Emission in Ghee Lamp than Peanut Oil Lamp

“…In addition to that, it is also used for cosmetics. Indian religious texts describe the use of different types of vegetable oils and ghee for different kinds of worship, such as the use of mustard oil for worship of Saturn [2]. Ghee and oils are also used for lamps in various rituals.…”