Religion That Repels: Piety or Performance?

Thu, 18 Jun 2026 01:50:00 +0530

Rahul stopped going to the temple six months ago. He did not stop chanting. He did not stop reading. He just could not sit through another Sunday program.

It was not the philosophy that pushed him out. He still believed every word of the Gita. It was the people. The way the senior devotees spoke about newcomers when they were not in the room. The way a visiting sannyasi spent twenty minutes talking about the glories of surrender while a teenager in the back row was clearly having a panic attack and nobody noticed. The way the temple president’s wife posted Instagram stories of her morning puja setup – artfully arranged, good lighting – while the pujari room itself was falling apart and understaffed.

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Religion That Repels: Piety or Performance?