Bijli Devi—the Goddess of electricity

hi friends, power shortage days are here again and it is time to worship "bijli devi-the goddess of electricity. read on...........

Bijli Devi—the Goddess of electricity

Jupinderjit Singh

With my sweat-drenched body, weary face, itching eyes, disheveled smelling clothes, and a high stress level that was set to give me another round of strong migraine- fifth this week-, I stormed into the dilapidated ‘complaint’ room of the Punjab State Electricity Board(PSEB) the other day.

“Six hours!!” was the curt two word reply, I heard coming from a badly tanned face sitting across a run down table, who did not even wait for my outburst about the unscheduled, unannounced power cuts—rather long unending power cuts, and voltage that fluctuates like the Indian cricket teams batting show –now high, now low and now very very low.

The man seemed to be so habitual of answering the query that he did not even bother to look at me while making his business like reply. I still went on to read the list of my damaged equipment –the tv, the home theatre, the tubes and others- all burnt due to the varying voltage.

“So many problems?” he said obliging me finally by looking up. “Hmmm” he murmured while drifting into some deep analytical thought, staring all the while fixedly at me.

“Is there some major fault in the power supply system of my house?” I asked hoping he won’t say it was because of the stars!!

“No, No” he said but before I could heave sigh of some relief came the shock, “ It is because you have never paid obeisance at the Bijli Devi Temple, you know the Goddess of Power Supply.”

“Bijleeeee Devi!?!?……… I mean,…. I mean …. Bijli Devi ji Ka Mandir!!! Where? I never heard of it”

“Just in the back yard of our office. How ignorant you are” he gave me a nasty look from top to bottom, “that is why sinners’ like you suffer” he closed the conversation.

I checked all the drives- .C, D, E, F etc of my brain but no mention of such a Goddess came on the screen.

Nevertheless, I went into the back yard of the office and found an old warehouse like building. It had no front door. I went around it to find a small opening in. There were several rows of swanky cars parked on this side.

Waves of some expensive perfume tickled my nostrils as I squeezed in. I was dazed at the richness of the temple from inside. It had shiny Marble floors, sheeshmahal kind of walls and powerful air conditioners. A statue depicting the striking of a lightning as we see on the sky was on the other corner and people were sitting in front chanting, “ Oh all pervasive Power Goddess, You are the light of our life, the spirit of our business, Let you shower your benevolence on us 24/7”

As I bowed before her, the priests dressed in Safari suits, three-piece suits, white spotless kurta-churridar Pyajamas—pulled me apart, “ What a dare! You are seeking everything but not offering anything to the Goddess?” they said in one tone. “ See these devotees, major businessmen, Industrialists, senior government officials, politicians, police officials are all lying prostate before her might.

They have doled out jewellery, thousands of rupees and even lakhs or used their offices to help the messengers of the Goddess in some work, The mother Goddess is so happy at her regular loyal disciples, that her messengers allow them access to unaccounted power supply directly from the poles or through wires connected specially to the main lines. But those who don’t do so are cursed with charges of stealing power, the curse of her fines, penalties.

“Oh My God! Pardon Me,” I said kneeling down on my feet, “ But I have no money. I am a common man after all”

“ What! A common man!? here!?, among us!!!!!!And that too without any offerings Blasphemy, utter disrespect, the Goddess is very angry. Who allowed him in? Throw him out. There is no place for common man here” They all roared and threw me out.

“ Go to your Goddess, the one with scales in her hand and piece of cloth wrapped around her eyes, she would listen to you. But you all have overburdened her so much that she would take years. Or you can go to that fiery God of Dharnas and Demonstrators. He would make you sit in sweltering heat outside the offices of the Deputy Commissioners and the Chief Engineers.”

“ You may not get power supply but the heat would make you immune to the power cuts, and if you are lucky the lathi blows of the cops would teach you another lesson of how should you worship the Bijli Devi.”

EOM