THE 1.5 kilometer stretch of road from the South Ambazari Road at the northern end to the Ring Road at its southern end offers a great mix of cultures -- old and new. A leisurely walk along that stretch at any time during the day or evening reveals something very interesting -- presenting a paradox that is both, entertaining and confusing. But to the sorted out minds, the road offers something to think about in depth -- and benefit from ! Three-fourths of the long road passes through what is known to us as I-T (Information Technology) Park. Even that part also has some modern attractions such as malls teeming with people, restaurants -- even bars -- that attract young people employed in different I-T companies. Clad in smart attires, sporting the neck bands with the badges of their respective employer-companies, groups of young people -- men and women -- move merrily from their offices to restaurants or shops etc, laughing, back-slapping, and occasionally engaged in some serious discussion ... !

 

The whole atmosphere smacks of modernity and carefree abandon, so to say, which the young people with a lot of money represent. Of course, one also sees middle-aged people, men and women, in the technology-driven crowd visiting those smart, new shops and malls and restaurants and bars. One tends to take that, too, as an integral part of the changed socio- economic profile of the Nagpur society. But as the loosefooter took a walk along the road -- from the northern end to the southern tip of the road just to observe what was happening there -- he came across something offering a surprising paradox. Towards the southern end of the long road, the loosefooter found a quiet temple -- of Shri Dattatreya Bhagwan -- tucked between several other establishments. Taking a look at the temple from the other side of the roads, the loosefooter got wordlessly drawn to that symbol of faith. The moment the loosefooter stepped into the temple premises -- just a few feet away from the bustling, flowing road -- he got transported into an altogether different domain -- of faith, of quietness, of air without any angst, an atmosphere without any rancour, without any cribbing, without any craving. All that was in such a sharp paradox of what he had seen and sensed during the walk along the road frequented by people with tags of technology-companies on their chests and around their necks. Of course, that tech-driven life-style, too, was very fascinating to observe. But far more magnetic in nature was the atmosphere in the Dattatreya temple.

 

There, too, the loosefooter saw many young people streaming in, offering prayers with half-open eyes filled with devotion, squatting on the temple floor for a while, and then quietly walking away -- with a desire to return at the earliest. This is only a secular observation of the overall scenario with no evangelist idea of promoting a faith. Yet, the loosefooter could not avoid feeling elevated after spending almost an hour at the temple, engaging himself in deep prayer and accompanying thought of spiritual satiation. In modern times, temples of technology, too, have their own immense importance, no doubt. These technology centres, too, play a vital role in making the life of the larger society happier and more complete with material achievements that comes with reasonable money. For, when young people from thousands of families make their livelihood from those technology-driven activities, then their importance can never be underestimated. Yet, despite life plush with abundance, many people in that zone silently display an inexplicable angst -- sensable in their body-language. In that atmosphere, the Dattatreya temple tucked away in some little slot offers quite another opportunity -- of an unconditional surrender to the divine, so that the soul gets an opportunity to calm down frayed senses and enjoy a sense of satiation.n