Sab Maya Hai

Published on 11th December, 2016, in Mid-Day. A stone, a statue, a lump of turmeric, a pot, anything can be turned into a deity, in Hindu rituals. The process is called prana-prathishtha. Ritually, an object is made divine for a finite period of time. After that period, the divinity leaves the venerated object, and the object – like a corpse – is consigned to water. Thus, the ritual mimics the cycle of life and death. So it is with currency notes. One day, a piece of paper has value. Rupees 500. Rupees 1,000. The next day it does not. Only here, the avahan (invocation) and ..