God, Gold & Engagement

Reports suggest that devotees in India are offering less gold to God in the recent months, due to the rise in gold prices. The gold collections in all the top temples in India – Tirupati (A.P.), Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple (Kerala) and Siddhivinayak Temple (Mumbai) have dropped by as much as 11% on an average. The individual collection drops in some temples is as much as 20%. Interestingly though, during tough times, the number of prayers go up significantly, since more wishes are to be answered to steer clear the rough patch. Prayers are expected to keep Gods happy & engaged, when gold fails.

In a country where around 46% of the kids are suffering from malnutrition due to poverty, a third of whom are stunted, which can have serious long-term implications for health, psychosocial well-being and educational achievement; a country which ranks a poor 134th on the Human Development Index out of 187 countries, even behind economically less developed countries, including the war-torn Iraq, people still see offering gold to Gods as a path to their welfare and salvation. Reportedly, a US-return techie has started a free community kitchen for the poor after he saw a seriously deprived man eating his own feces, out of hunger outside a very famous temple known for its riches. He was so moved that he left his plump-job in US and relocated to India to start this free community kitchen. He has devoted his whole life to this cause and runs the initiative purely on donations.

So if gold collections are dwindling, there is not much to worry for Gods are also not worried. The only ones who seem to be worrying are those who think that by offering less gold to God, their influence on the almighty may be affected or those who are counting the gold coins. But true engagement with God for both appear to be zillion miles away, for engagement has to do more with purity of intentions rather than the glitter that one can project with the yellow metal.

Organizational and leadership intentions towards true professional and personal well-being of its people are the true harbinger of engagement and not the glittery rhetorical overtones. Many times companies offer ‘gold’ but take the ‘God’ away from their people.