Have the Gods Left Our Holy Cities? Why I Wrote Operations Devi
Two years ago, I boarded a flight back to India with a heart full of devotion. Visiting the sacred, ancient cities had been something I manifested for a long time. Walking through those streets, breathing in the incense, and standing before the altars, I felt profoundly blessed. To me, India has always been the land of the Gods, a sanctuary of divine energy, faith, and ancient wisdom.
But shortly after I returned home, my world shifted.
I happened to watch a video featuring a well-known public figure speaking about the deeply troubling crimes hiding behind the sacred curtains of these very towns. I couldn't brush it off. I began digging deeper. I spent months reading news reports, analyzing court documents, and watching endless investigative videos. The contrast between the divine purity I felt and the harsh realities documented in black and white broke my heart.
I was torn by a painful inner conflict: How could I speak out about things happening in my own homeland? In the sacred places I held so dear?
Out of fear, uncertainty, and a desire to protect the sanctity of what I believed in, I channeled everything I learned into a fictional narrative. I changed the names of places and people. I wrote the story, but when it came time to publish, I was terrified to market it. I asked myself, Who am I to make noise about this? Who am I to point out the dark spots on something so holy?
When I finally hit the publish button on Amazon in December 2025, it was a leap of faith. I thought that perhaps, in some small way, I was meant to give a voice to those who couldn't speak. But the fear remained, and I stayed quiet.
Now, two years later, the news cycle and social media are exploding with headlines about the very issues I uncovered. People are openly talking about the systemic exploitation, corruption, and crimes happening in these towns. Watching it all unfold today feels surreal. The things I felt too afraid to share two years ago are now making national headlines.
It has brought me back to a heavy question so many of us are asking right now: What happens when the places we build for salvation are corrupted by human greed?
In Hindu philosophy, we understand the cycles of time, that in Kaliyuga, dark forces push against humanity's spirit, testing our collective morals and individual righteousness. When I reflect on how commercialized some sacred spaces have become, and how vulnerable people are sometimes treated, it pushes me to seek divinity within myself rather than relying solely on external structures.
It makes us wonder if true faith lives in brick, stone, and crowded shrines, or if it lives in how we protect, care for, and honor one another in our daily lives.
I didn't publish Operations Devi to destroy faith; I wrote it to shine a light into the corners where light is needed most. I released it as an eBook first for $0.99 to see if the message would resonate before bringing it to print.
If you have ever wrestled with complex feelings about faith, tradition, and the real-world issues affecting our society, I invite you to read this story.
You can find Operations Devi on Amazon.
Thank you for reading, for reflecting, and for walking this journey of truth with me.
