It happens in many places and all the time. At holy sites, VIP darshan is an accepted thing. VIP, as in very important person. VIP darshan ensures achievers of the world, or those who can afford it, a queue-free and quick audience with the divine. As if celebrity and bank balance are all that is needed to get you in the same room as the divine. Travel sites run guides on how-to-get-VIP-darshan at this temple and that. YouTube has video tutorials on how to book 'VIP break darshan'. And not long ago, it was reported that a man was arrested by the police for posing as an Indian Revenue Officer — complete with Aadhaar and visiting cards — to avail of the VIP badge for Garuda seva and 'VIP break darshan' tickets at Tirumala. In 2022, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court warned against the misuse of VIP passes while hearing a petition regarding the Subramania Swamy Temple at Tiruchendur in Thoothukudi. The court observed: "God alone is VIP."
VIP is God
The guest list for the inaugural ceremony of the Ram temple at Ayodhya on January 22 is not Ram-given. Since it has been drawn up by politicians but, naturally, it is full of politicians across ideologies and party lines. There is a long list of invitees from the Hindi film industry and some presence from the South too — Amitabh Bachchan, Madhuri Dixit, Anupam Kher, Akshay Kumar, Rajinikanth, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Chiranjeevi, Mohanlal, Dhanush, Rishab Shetty, Madhur Bhandarkar, Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Ajay Devgn, Sunny Deol, Prabhas and Yash. Arun Govil and Dipika Chikhlia, who played Ram and Sita in the legendary TV series from the late 1980s, have also been invited. Buzz is that Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli have been invited and industrialists too — Mukesh Ambani, Gautam Adani, Baba Ramdev and Ratan Tata — as well as judges, scientists, writers, poets, saints, priests, religious leaders, former civil servants, retired army officers, lawyers, musicians and recipients of Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan awards. But there is no reason to believe that Ram doesn't watch cinema in other languages or that he is a cricket fan, has never heard of Real Madrid, keeps an eye on the share market and doesn't care for sinners and those who have never won a single award in their lifetime. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said, “Everybody wants to be a witness to the event of January 22. But you know that it is very difficult. I appeal to Ram bhakts of the country, particularly of Uttar Pradesh, to let the event be held properly. They may come to Ayodhya, according to their convenience, after January 22.” Ram bhakts take heart; it is not Him that put you after.
