The lockdown has been very hard on many. This is the time when they feel that they can get involved in prayer and contemplation, says Swami Naravarananda, public relations officer of Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore.
He says, “Everyday we do the aarti twice at the temple, once in the morning at 5 a.m. and in the evening at 6.30 p.m. We have devotees who haven’t missed these poojas in years. Now, we do these inside lockd gates. We see several of them line up outside the gate in the morning and evening asking us to let them in. It breaks our hearts to refuse them everytime”.
He says places of worship must be opened up but with social distancing and other norms. He also appeals to the public to not rush to the temple when it opens.
He says, “While we do understand that the devotees have been waiting for a very long time to get a darshan, we request them not to rush in on the first day the temple is opened. Let them wait for a few days and come into the temple in small groups.”
If the authorities and the public follow the rules laid down by the government everybody will get an opportunity to pray and meditate, he says.
