The Bandits of Holy Land

If you've ever been to India and visited any of its "holy" places, you wouldn't find it difficult to relate to this article. Got dragged into memories?  So, how much money were you robbed of? I mean how much money did you unnecessarily put into that guy's pocket? That guy - the guy who was following you since the moment you entered the temple premise, that very same guy who kept instructing you about where to go, what to do... All until he reached a shop and prepared a grand basket of offerings to The Lord! A 300 rupee garland made of half dried flowers, a shawl, some prasad material, some coconuts, an Audi car, a beach house in Miami... Oh wait the last two weren't put into the basket! He just put their cost in your bill!!
You must have patiently given him whatever he had quoted! Maybe you haggled a bit, you bargained to reduce the cost by about a 50 bucks? But you still payed the rest...   Because you are from an elite class. You do not belong to the class that bargains. You are sophisticated. You have blue blood running through your veins, you're an invertebrate... And by invertebrate I mean in a metaphorically literal way!  You don't have a spine! You couldn't even stop some crazy stalker from looting you! Even when you knew he was looting you! If you believe so much in charity, give! But give to people who need it! People who don't have it! Stop making a fool of yourself by allowing somebody to overprice you!  That too in the name of your favorite God... If emotional blackmail is an offence as per the Indian law, shouldn't spiritual blackmail as this too be considered an offence? How do these 'Bandits' of the 'Holy Land' manage to go on with their shenanigans? The next time you come across them, stop and think... Do you really want to encourage them?  It is time we realized that places of religious interests are not just tourist attractions... They are places with spiritual and sentimental values... Let's not play with them!