It is seen that some individuals, particularly businessmen, are performing Navratra puja in their houses with ear-splitting chanting of Chandi patha and Durga stotra through loudspeakers.
But neighbours who know them well have raised eyebrows at their pious activities.
“My daughter works with the person who is my neighbour and a civil contractor by profession. But the same person pays my daughter just Rs180 a day against the minimum wage of Rs 250 as fixed by Government of India. By cheating us, he is celebrating Durga Puja. Maa will never get satisfied with these persons or their Puja,” a local slum dweller said.
It is further a difficult affair to translate what the old man exactly said. At the same time, he further said: “Even if we can’t spend lakhs of rupees for Puja but Maa is sure to be satisfied with a flower from our hands.
We are satisfied that we have not hit anyone’s belly (livelihood) but our labour makes other rich and we always struggle to earn a good living in spite of hard labour.”
But Dr Dillip Panda, an eminent economist cum social scientist, said that this is totally sick mindset of corrupt persons for showy reasons only.
“The people indulged in illegal and corrupt works realize that what they are doing is wrong. They are sure that they commit mistakes and thereby cheat innocent people. And in order to redeem their sin, they do Puja,” Prof Panda said.
“Further by doing all these, they get also public appreciation and also support from their bosses to earn more. But this is nothing but guilt consciousness of such people with backgrounds of wrong doings,” he commented.
But Pandit Amar Mishra said people with such dubious backgrounds can never save themselves by Puja to the mother; and she doesn’t like the offerings of wrong doers.
“One day or other they have to face the consequence of their misdeeds and sins. As one sows, so one reaps. Hence, they can’t be saved and the mother will never excuse them,” Mishra asserted.