Temple as an economic hub - A survey

The Team Temple Project wished to bring to light, how a temple functioned as a huge economic centre. The Team correspondingly took a survey at the famous Mylapore Kapaleeswarar temple in Chennai and brought out some startling revelations, which escape not just the common man, but also the 'Intellect starved' intelligentsia of the country. The following is the report that appeared in Newstoday, an evening daily in Chennai and also in Mylapore Talk on April 5, 2008. Kapali sustains Mylai’s business April 5, 2008 The governments of the day are busy promoting Special Economic Zones (SEZ’s) and IT Parks to shore up the Indian economy, but the Mylapore Kapaleeswarar had very long ago designed its own SEZ (Society’s Economic Zone). A survey was conducted by ‘Project Temple’, a team of youth comprising mostly college students interested in understanding and propagating the cultural ethos of India.

.

The survey on 157 shopkeepers and street vendors who do regular business around the Mylapore Kapaleeswarar temple (these people constitute the SEZ), has revealed that the temple is not just a religious centre, but also a separate economic zone supporting hundreds of families. The survey held recently close on the heels of the Arupathumoovar festival had some eye-opening revelations. The survey states that around 200 small vendors have put their shops either as small establishments or as hawkers or as push-cart mobile units. Of these, 157 vendors, ranging from those selling peanuts to photo frames and all others you would find on a busy market road had been interviewed. Education does not seem to be a deterrent to these vendors because, of the 157, 20 per cent had discontinued education at the primary stage, 40 per cent of the vendors had pursued secondary education and more than one-third had never ever stepped into a school. The list also included two graduates. One of the graduates Lakshmi Narayan, a fortuneteller, had an enlightened approach towards his profession. He says ‘Though I am a graduate, I never look down upon this job which has sustained my family since ages. I believe the nature of the job depends on how one perceives it.’ Secondly, women did not seem averse to ideas of becoming entrepreneurs which is normally a male bastion. The fairer sex with a total of 67 were slightly short of the half way mark as compared to 90 from the men. The survey also gave a glimpse of the hidden India with the Athithi Devo Bhava (Guest is God) mindset in some vendors who pleaded with the surveying team to have some refreshments. Around 700 people were directly or indirectly dependent on the business around the temple. These persons have been doing the business for an average of 20 years. Those in the business from five to twenty years are 51; those in business for more than 20 years are 74. The most interesting aspect is that those in the business for less than five years are a respectable 32 in number. This, the research says stands testimony to the fact that more people are still setting up shops around the temple with a firm belief on the success that the place has continuously bestowed. The survey reveals that the temple has not just been kind to the locals but even to those from other districts and even other states at a time when regional sentiments are running high. These vendors have been doing business for many years and the presence of new comers is again a positive sign. A total of 109 vendors deal with perishable items which form almost 70 per cent of the sold objects indicate how dynamically the market functions around the temple. Coming to the important aspect of the daily income, the total daily turnover around the temple was found to be just more than one lakh rupees with an average income of Rs 501 to each vendor. A festival day is a celebration not just to Gods and temple-goers but even to the vendors. The total turnover on a festival day was found to be Rs 1.45 lakh with an average income of Rs 729 to each vendor. When asked about the profit the vendors would earn, the response of Dhandapani, a vegetable seller represents all in his clan. He says ‘Our income is not on the monthly basis but on a daily one. Therefore, the profit cannot be estimated but it is enough to keep our family running, else why should we be here for the past 20 years. Doing our work without expectation is what keeps us happy’ The man may not have known what he said was in fact the essence of the Gita, which many educated have not yet understood. The highlight of the survey was the question whether they would expect any business in the absence of the temple. Only 23 per cent replied in the positive, three per cent with no clue and a staggering three- fourth replied in the negative. The message is loud and clear : ‘No Kapaleeshwara, No business’. The words of Padma, a flower vendor aptly spelt out the general feelings of the vendors. She said ‘Madras ku azhagu Mylapore, Mylapore ku azhagu Kapalee’  (Mylapore is the beauty of Madras and Kapalee the beauty of Mylapore). Looks like Kapaleeswarar has not just bestowed them with money but also with poetic skills. This is the link in the newspaper's website: http://newstodaynet.com/newsindex.php?section=12&id=6383