Now that Baba Rampal Dass is
safely behind bars after a day's-long police siege of his Hisar fortress, it’s
now time to ask: What is it with us Indians and godmen?
This has become a truly
hackneyed story. Every some months, a godman who you and I may never have heard
of, but who has thousands (if not lakhs) of fanatical devotees, is charged with
crimes ranging from financial fraud to sexual molestation to outright murder.
The guru goes into hiding; his followers scream conspiracy and sometimes are
even ready to take up arms against the state. Finally, the guru surrenders, and
disappears into prison. But the faith of his followers remains unshaken.
Be it rampal, dera sacha sauda’a baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim,
Nirmal Baba or indian’s personal favorite “Baba Asaram” , all these baba’s have
one thing in common and that’s their cleverness and people’s foolishness. Yes I
do call them intelligent because in such a highly modernized age where we all
call ourselves educated; it’s surprising how cleverly these babas have
brainwashed us.
Most disconcertingly, even educated followers seem to be
willing to accept such claptrap. The sight of these supposed godmen amassing
wealth, travelling in luxury SUVs, displaying an inordinate fondness for
expensive watches and developing ashrams that look like spiritual Disneylands,
strangely, does not seem to disgust them or make them aware that this brand of
spirituality is a business worth over Rs. 1,000 crores annually.
As I was reading yesterday’s The tribune, Journalist Sushil
manav very briefly explained how Baba rampal fooled its followers, rampal’s
chair was fixed on elevated stage that helped him to project himself as a man
with divine power, the enclosure was fitted with teleprompter for him to read
“shloaks” from the vedas to give the
impression of a learned and enlightened man.
I am hell of shocked that media who is always on hunt for investigation
& exclusive news Can’t even expose
such godmen even after knowing how much money these godmen have made.
If the media is a mirror to society then perhaps they should remove such shows from the mainstream channles. Even after many exposures of such
baba’s , all the national channels including Aaj Tak, Star TV, and Zee tv shows
these baba’s on their prime-time slots .
In a way I would say the Indian media promotes superstition. It’s a high
time media should refrain from featuring them.
“Changes are taking place in class status, gender roles,
material wealth and structure of society,” and hence, an individual who feels
unable to control the uncertainty of his life is more likely to believe in
those who promise to help him gain some measure of control.
But believe me no amount of believing in such guru’s helps
you. Its just the positivity in you that cures your illness. Start believing in
yourselves and believe in the magic of your own self. Positive energies are all
around us, we just need to look for it and adopt it. Doing well is the only
thing that can give us peace. Help the poor, feed the hungry, educate someone,
protect someone and most importantly love someone. These simple things will
give your life a new direction and enthusiasm. The time that you spend in
standing in long queue to have a look at your guru, try spending the same in
helping someone; I am sure that will give you more peace and inner
satisfaction.
Believe in the miracles that your goodwill can make in the
life of others & stop letting anyone cheat you in the name of god!!!
Stay blessed!
Love
Kiran
