First the members must know that most of the socalled vadhyars are either semiliterate,illetarate or fake. Why should we run after these fellows who do not deserve any respect from us. It is time for us the brahmins to find alternate ways of performing these last rites. Why these goons are demandind so much from us is becuase those foreign rascals when they come to Madras to perform last rites of their parents do not bother to pay any fancy amount to vadhyars and most ask them to do anything and everything from first day to the last 13thday on contract just to please their so called relatives and show them their money power. If you want to see it for yourselves go to Besantnagar THEERTHAM which is the favourite place for these foreign goondas. Only because of them these local vadhyars demand fabulous amount . I would very much like to write an article about this furnishing A to Z about what is going on in that theertham and other vadhyars following the same referring to Besantnagar vadhyars remuneration under the guise of Dakshina. What is the use of shouting now when we are not united in any matter.
dear narasimhan,
as a typical foreign goonda described in your post above, i agree with you 100%. except that i was swindled in kasi
not besant nagar. i paid 50,000 rupees for annual ceremony of my mother/ancestors. but i realized that i had inflated the market, because a middle class indian family was paying the same.
for me, the money was affordable. not sure about these or other such families.
death, in reality, brings out a complex set of feelings - partly religious, partly fear, guilt, sense of duty..etc that we feel obliged to perform those rites irrespective of the cost.
in the west, the situation is similar, in a funeral home. for those who bury their dead, the salesmen pitch about the need/requirement for a grand funeral, including $10,000 (average) casket so that the departed can rest in comfort
. the man is dead and gone, and these guys sell the grieving family, about how comfortable he should be under ground while his body is rotting?
i dont know sir,... but i understand your anger and pain.
opcorn:
