The Lord: Mars or closer? The Lord: Mars or closer?

Devalapura is a small hamlet, 10 km from Sai Baba's Whitefield ashram near Bangalore. But faithfuls here gather to sing praises to another god-man: Elvis Presley.

His picture is next to Lord Venkateshwara's at the home-cum-temple of Rosemars (The Pelvis' favourite flower+ dominant planet) a.k.a. V.N. Gajarajan, failed Kannada movie director and sometime soothsayer.

He released a 17-page booklet last year titled Why My Daughter Married Michael Jackson, an "Elvis speaks to me" effort, and qualified the hi-fi divorce this year with a "she married a musician of her father's calibre and not Jackson per se."



Nuts? Try again. His teacher wife supports him, son looks after publicity, village children often gather to sing praises in Kannada to "Lord" Elvis, Bangalore chartered accountant M.R. Narasimhamurthy and local landlord Chandrappa organise pro-poor give-aways; the police dismiss Gajarajan as a "harmless racketeer".

Many Elvis cultists believe the hipster is alive in Mars. Devalapura is closer.

