At high noon, at the sound of a bell ringing inside, two novice monks opened the doors. Maroon-robed monks of all ages started to file out in separate lines. Once emptied, the visitors were allowed to go inside the majestic prayer hall. While some visitors began to explore the painted walls, a few approached the giant enshrined golden statue of Lord Buddha. Suddenly, Mr. Sen realized that Rupankar was nowhere to be seen. Not overly alarmed, Mr. Sen assumed his nephew might have been exploring some historic artifacts that came to his attention. After a reasonable time, Rupankar reappeared, all smiling. He then began to update Mr. Sen on developing global news. Surprised, Mr. Sen inquired how Rupankar became knowledgeable on current world affairs, while inside the temple complex.
It turned out that while all the monks were coming out from the sanctuary, Rupankar noticed that the elder senior monks were still praying counting on their old-fashioned bead necklaces. But the relatively younger ones who might have joined recently went towards a different direction, while recovering their smartphones from underneath their robes. That’s when Rupankar would decide to follow them, keeping a distance and soon end up under an old banyan tree on the perimeter. Young monks formed a cluster there and started to use their devices. To his surprise, Rupankar himself was able to connect his smartphone to internet and check out his favorite sites, convincing him that it was no miracle but an active Wi-Fi zone existed nearby. It must have been deliberately created by the wise elder monks, taking advantage of that tall banyan tree. For the millennial generation of monks, to give up their smartphones will be the first hurdle to cross towards their eventual enlightenment. Until then, they are allowed to keep in touch with earth’s materialism via their mobile devices.