Great Regulars: After my thorough cleansing, I was allowed into

the inner sanctum to pay my respects, but only after confrontation with the temple guards over my whiteness. We were ushered into a large office where Uncle and my husband, and the man who gave the theerthums all spoke up for me. The office man looked at my passport and said it was not a Hindu name. Ramnath tried to explain the American requirements for names, but it had nothing to do with religion. In the long run the arguments by three Hindus, supported by Sanskrit quotations by Uncle, persuaded the officer to allow me to have dharshan, to be in the presence of God, but I was to stay quiet and do it quickly. I asked Ramnath later what finally had convinced them to let me in. He said after all the arguments were made the conclusion was that I was a princess with a pure heart. This conclusion meant more to me than the rush to visit through the inner sanctum.

from Belinda Subraman Presents: India: Finding Reality in Myth

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