Devotees play big part in keeping temples chaos-free

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The Mumbadevi Mandir trustees, landmark Zaveri Bazaar temple, have recently written a letter to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, asking him to look at a BMC plot adjacent to the temple.

The management, in its letter, part of a report in this paper stated that the vacant plot could be handed over to the temple. The trustees claimed this would help decongest the busy space, and bring order to the often chaotic queues outside the landmark. It would also be helpful in offering basic facilities to devotees like a waiting area, drinking water facilities, toilets and proper queues. Shopkeepers around the temple can also be brought inside this space.

Every temple in the city will find throngs of devotees swelling because the festive season is upon us. Several mandirs face similar challenges.

One does agree that space is a problem everywhere, yet our temple authorities must do their very best to see that some order is maintained.

Devotees must conduct themselves with decorum, dignity and discipline as they wait to access the temple. Even if there is a little space, or something can be freed up, basics like a toilet block and a chappal stand can be made for devotees. Often, we see a sea of footwear, or little shops around temples charging devotees for keeping their footwear. At other times, residents around the temple simply wade through a sea of footwear as they step out of their buildings.

While one acknowledges the challenges, let us try and make every site of worship as neat as possible. Visitors have a big role to play here and so do temple authorities. Not everybody has access to space, yet, in our own limited way, if we can conduct ourselves with grace and managements find ways in which order is uppermost, we can transform the areas, find some solutions to problems, even if not in a huge way, certainly significantly.