35053668-Empire-of-the-Soul-Paul-William-Roberts

292
EMPIRE OF THE SOUL
‘Well . . .’
‘Five thousand rupees only,’ he hastily added. ‘Then you get the
god’s blessing for sure. Guaranteed.’
‘I don’t have that much on me now.’
If I’d been certain that Kali’s blessing was guaranteed, I probably
would have gone for the goat. Lady Sinha wasn’t a vegetarian.
‘Then you come back in morning with money,’ my Brahmin said
cheerfully. ‘Come, I show you my office.’
The temple was packed by now, chants roaring out all over the
place, a dozen pujas being performed simultaneously, and regular
gasps of awe and adoration as the great shrine doors were opened
yet again. I followed him through the mud, locating my shoes,
jamming my filthy, wet feet into them, and then following him
through ranks of holy knick-knack vendors to a tiny cubicle in the
side of the temple wall.
‘This my office,’ he announced proudly, proffering his business
card:
PUNDIT H. K. SIVAN
(Kalighat tempel side)
pujas, wedding, scared thread goat sacrificing, horroscops
tax problem solved, busines blessing
I paused at ‘scared thread’: the sacred thread ceremony was a sort
of Brahmin’s first communion.
‘What’s this about tax problems?’
‘I am study business for one year,’ he explained with a measure of
pride. ‘So people have some problem with the tax paying, then are
coming to me for solution.’
He made me swear to return for my goat the following morning
at nine sharp. I asked him if he’d ever spent time alone in the shrine
with Kali.
‘I have wash Kali Ma many time,’ he answered, beaming.
‘Washed her?’
‘Yesh. Each week the Kali Ma she washing and taking the clean
clothes.’
‘What’s under all those flowers and robes?’
He grew serious, looking down.