When Divine Rituals and Divine Connections Meet

 

Diwali at our workplace has always had a certain charm—a simplicity that didn’t need any frills or high-profile guests. Every year, a few junior employees would take the lead, gathering small contributions from colleagues, setting up a modest temple space, and arranging a Laxmi Puja. It was a low-key event, but it brought everyone together, from the lowest ranks to the office brass, in a shared moment that felt genuine. And those same employees, usually the ones responsible for decorating the space and preparing the prasaadam, would get a warm nod of appreciation for their efforts. It was tradition, after all—a bridge that united us across different levels, at least for a day.

This year, however, our little Diwali puja received a bit of an upgrade. The simple setup was swapped for a mini-stage, and rather than the usual crew, it was a different set of faces handling the arrangements. As the puja began, I noticed some of our top executives taking the lead in the ceremony, joined by a few “special guests” who seemed to be rather familiar with the leaders of our organization.

Watching the esteemed gathering chant mantras and perform the puja was… impressive. There was certainly an aura of unity, though it seemed the unity leaned more toward familiar camaraderie than tradition. As I watched, I thought of recent examples from the higher echelons of power, where even the Prime Minister joined a Ganapati puja at the Chief Justice’s residence—a ritual so ceremonious that it almost seemed to set a standard for how closely ritual and rank could intertwine.

As I watched this shift in the hierarchy, a thought crossed my mind—what happens the next time a mid-level supervisor has to flag any irregularities in a project, especially if certain connections extend beyond the office walls? After all, when the rituals themselves start blending into high-profile alliances, it’s hard to see where faith ends and “affiliations” begin.

Imagine, too, a manager and his staff in a department handling core business who might one day find themselves facing an issue involving one of these “familiar faces.” What would it mean for them if that same face was part of the puja, receiving blessings shoulder-to-shoulder with our senior-most? It’s not hard to see how such situations might play out—when divine blessings seem to come with a tacit understanding, and the simple act of worship becomes a networking opportunity.

But perhaps this is just the new way of things—a version of spirituality that reflects the times. Perhaps, for those of us in the lower rungs, reading between the lines is the only way to see the full picture. So here’s to Diwali, to new beginnings, and to rituals that make us wonder—maybe next year, we’ll get prasadam that comes with a side of “no conflicts of interest.”