Marxist Philosophy and Hindu spiritualism now go hand in hand
in Tripura, the last bastion of the left front in India. The proof: besides allotting generous amount of fund, the communist government here also arranges for a grand guard of honor to Hindu Goddess Durga!
Tuesday in Agratala, the capital of Tripura, the Durga idol received a guard of honor from none other than the state police.
The move is in keeping with a tradition of Tripura – once a princely state. The tradition was started nearly 150 years ago by the then King Radha Kishore Manikya Bahadur. Radha Kishore, the most prominent among Tripura kings, was a patron of arts and culture.
It is said that, in 1949 when Tripura agreed to join the union of India, it put a condition that the Goddess Durga would be worshiped by the government of Tripura. Tuesday’s guard of honor came in accordance to that MOU. A follow up ‘salaam’ would come on Thursday – before the idol is immersed in water.
This is in addition to the allotment of INR 3,00,000 for the festival.
Ironically, the state in in the midst of a deep economic crisis; the Chief Minister recently requested the federal government for an urgent bailout package. Hundreds of state government employees have reportedly not been paid their salaries for months.
Is the guard of honor then a move to appease the divine power to get out of the problem?