Hindu priests

A news in a Malaysian daily on Monday April 5, 2010 said that the Malaysian Government has set up an academy in Ipoh so that Malaysian Indians who aspire to be Hindu priests can be duly trained over there. And that, with the availability of this new centre of learning it won’t be necessary to bring in priests from India. Thousands of jobs as priests can be taken up by Malaysians.

The job of a priest is indeed becoming very lucrative. I have seen priests having luxurious houses and cars! Gone are the days when priests are supposed to be immaterialists. One usually expected them to lead a simple, humble life.

Not anymore friends! I have seen them buying lottery tickets! They hope to strike it rich! What then? Are they going to call it a day and just relax at home? No more necessity to work? …. If serving God can be called ‘work’.

Back to the daily, it also mentioned that the priest course would be a five-year course. And the priests will be given various grades. Now, could that mean that God will not accept the prayers or ‘poojas’ of the low grade priests? Or, is it that prayers from a lower grade priest may take longer to reach God, very much like a Malaysian internet broadband. Where are the Indian beliefs and culture heading?

The daily also mentioned that the Minister concerned had said that ‘the Government had been toying with the idea of setting up such an academy for more than 15 years’. I only wish it had played with a different toy!