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‘Tilak’ for studies, depending on faith to continue education
A few children scout for devotees outside the Girneshwar temple. The boys charge ₹10 for applying a tilak on the foreheads of people visiting the temple. This meagre source of income is keeping these students school education hopes alive.
Faith works in mysterious ways, nowhere else will you get to see this but at Grishneshwar temple near Aurangabad. The hope of a few school students hailing from underprivileged families of making it big in life hinges on the faith of devotees visiting the Grishneshwar temple.
These children apply tilak on foreheads of devotees in front of the temple in exchange of Rs 10 on holidays. The money thus collected is used to buy study material for school.
One such student is Vipul, a Class VII student of a government school. "2 square meals are hard to come by in our family of 5. Our situation worsened after back-to-back droughts. Against this backdrop, I have no other option but to support my studies myself," he said.
Vipul and 3 other boys of his age generally scout the area outside the temple, looking for devotees to apply tilak. They generally are upfront with people and say, "Please allow me apply tilak on your forehead. Your contribution will help me continue with my studies," said Manish, Vipul's classmate.
Whenever this appeal fails they try the next line of reasoning, “Please give me Rs 10 if you do not want tilak. I shall buy a notebook with the money to practice sums", Manish said.
When pointed out that the students were cashing in on the faith of devotees to earn money, the boys did not break a sweat. Pankaj, a Class VI student, candidly said, "We are not begging. We are taking money in lieu of service. Also, we do not compel people for tilaks. We just request them."
Pankaj's peer Tapan was bolder. "Nobody would give us money to buy study material. But people do not mind parting with cash out of faith. So, we have taken this recourse."
The students never forget to offer prayers at the Grishneshwar temple before leaving for home after applying tilak on foreheads of devotees. "We need his and his devotees' blessings to fulfil our dreams of getting respectable jobs after completing education," said Manish before going home to practise sums in his new exercise book.
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