Week 1534 - The Search for the Nishkama Bhakt - A Modern Fable

The Concept Explained

Counting Down to 90 - Week 1579

Why 1579

Bhavin's WritingsBhavin Jankharia

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Ganpati Bappa was troubled. His mother Parvati noticed this and asked him what the problem was. Vignaharta said, “They are celebrating me throughout the world and that makes me happy. But it’s all noise and ostentation and that makes me sad.”

Parvati said, “That’s humankind for you, my son. You just need one true devotee who asks nothing from you. Just one. Have you found him/her/them?”

Bappa shook his head, “There is just too much noise in my head.”

Parvati said, “Then why don’t you search.”

Vinayaka called his Ganas, Prajna and Bala and his vahana Mushkaraj and told them the problem. They said that since Ganeshotsav had already begun, it would be impossible to cover the world in such a short time. 

Prajna said, “Mumbai is big enough that it is a microcosm of the world and small enough that we can cover the city in the next 5 days”. Bala agreed.

Bappa said, “Fair enough. Find me my nishkama bhakt”

The trio descended to Earth from Kailas and hit upon a plan. Along the way they created an NGO called, “Nishkama Bhakti Trust”, registered with the charity commissioner backdated to the year 2010, with PAN and GST numbers and a bank account with 20 crores with audited P & L accounts and balance sheets and IT returns from 2010 till date. A yaksha, a gandharva and an apsara were transformed into 20-something old employees, with birth records, family trees, PAN numbers, driving licenses and 3-years IT returns.

Anything is possible in India if you have money and power and these were Gods.

Bala called a meeting, “We will announce a Rs. 10 crore prize to the best Bappa devotee in Mumbai, from Colaba to Virar on the Western side and to Panvel on the Eastern side. Make sure every newspaper tomorrow has full page ads”.

Pinto, the yaksha asked, “The rules?”. 

Prajna said, “Here is the Niyamavali. But this is for us. In the ad, just say, “let us know via email why you believe you are the best Bappa devotee with proof within 48 hours and the winner will get Rs. 10 crores. You can be an individual, a family or a pandal” and passed on a copy of the Niyamvali to him, to Zubin, the gandharva and Kanchan, the apsara.

It read.

The last rule was to be applied only if someone met all the previous criteria, because it would need investigation and going back in time.

The ads went out the next day with a sprinkling of Vishwas Bhasma, so that no one would doubt that the competition was genuine and in 48 hours they had tens of thousands of applications to sort through. 

Sorting was very easy. If someone met the first criterion, they failed the second. Most of the famous places (the so-called Rajas of so-and-so) were rejected because they offered VIP lines or they had huge ads and banners in and around that were just eyesores. One contender was out because their main focus was the jewelry they adorn Ekadanta with. Every individual, literally every one was rejected because they asked for some favor or the other. No one qualified. There was no need to investigate anyone’s behavior from last year.

There was disappointment in the office. They called Bappa using the Chintamani Sphatik. Bappa’s image filled the room and he asked what had happened, sensing their failure. 

“No one, not one” said Muskharaj.

“I had thought as much” said Gajanana, “it is not easy to find devotees who don’t make noise, who don’t use or offer VIP lines or who don’t indulge in ostentatious displays. In fact, a true devotee will probably not even apply.”

“I know this is tough, but I am sending 10 more Ganas to you. Why don’t you all fan out across the city and try to find my true devotee.”

It was now 5 days before Anant Chaturdashi and time was short. Even though they could move fast and unnoticed, it takes time to go through thousands of homes. 

On the last day, Bala, a little tired called a meeting and made an announcement. “I have found the nishkama devotee, a family of six. Let me show you”.

He brought out the Sphatik and suddenly they found themselves zooming into a living room, in a flat on the 1^st floor of a 3-story building in Shivaji Park. They saw an elderly couple, a middle-aged couple and two young adults in their early 20s praying to a small, old, worn-out idol of Bappa, the decibel level barely above normal conversation. They peeked into their minds and found only love and devotion for Bappa. All of them did ask for something, but it was not for themselves. They said “Please grant all your devotees all their wishes and make them happy and let them be at peace with themselves.”

This was the family they were looking for but Kanchan had a question, “I am not sure if this is relevant, but if they haven’t bought a new idol to worship during Ganeshotsav, doesn’t that disqualify them?”

Prajna said, “No. In fact, they worship Lambodara throughout the year, not just because it an “utsav”. By not buying new idols and using the same old idol all the time, they are truly eco-friendly and true devotees.”

They called Bappa with all this, who was able to separate out the family’s prayers from all the noise in his head and he agreed.

The day after Anant Chaturdashi, Pinto, Kanchan and Zubin went to the family’s house and knocked on the door. The grandfather opened the inner door, keeping the outer door shut. When Zubin introduced the three of them as part of the Nishkama Bhakti Trust, Mr. D was very suspicious and told them to go away. Mushkaraj slipped in unnoticed and sprinkled Vishwas Bhasma on Mr. D, who suddenly had a feeling that these were truly trustworthy people and he let them in. 

Mr. D then called the rest of the family, who trudged in curious, their suspicions dulled by Mushkaraj’s magic bhasma. The trio explained the contest and told them that they had been observing the family, that they were the ideal “nishkama” devotee family and the trust would like to give them Rs. 10 crores as their prize money. 

If this were a feel-good grandfather fable then obviously the family would refuse, Bappa would be delighted and would shower them with blessings of happiness and peace and the ability to overcome any obstacle in their lives, physical or mental…and that would be it.

But this is 2025 Mumbai. Even a 5% interest per year would be Rs. 50 lakhs per year, which is a life-changing sum of money. Mr. D’s son took the cheque and encashed it the very next day in case the trust were to change its mind and then consulted a CA friend and an investment consultant, who told him how he could minimize his taxation and invest in instruments that would yield at least 8% post-tax. Everyone continued with their lives with a little reconfiguration now they had a sizeable cushion that would only compound with the reinvested, unspent income…and they continued their daily prayers to Bappa, now with a little extra thank you.

Bappa went to Parvati and told her what had happened. Parvati gently rebuked him saying, “Next time, plan in advance and don’t keep everything for the last minute. There must be more like them…search for them and treasure them when you find them and you will perhaps then be less troubled.”