When Superstitions Rule The Roost
By
Sumit Paul, New Age Islam
05
November 2022
"Bharat
mein dharmguru, aksar raajneeti aur netaaon ki aad mein apna dhaarmik ulloo
seedha karte hain."
(Godmen
in India often realize their religious ambitions through politics and
politicians)
...
The
criminal and extremely controversial godman Ram Rahim is again out on parole
when elections are going on. Third time in the past year, his release from the
slammer has coincided with elections. Is it a coincidence or an example of
blatant political opportunism which enables such reprehensible characters to
'preach' and hobnob at regular intervals with their utterly asinine followers?
Gurmeet
Ram Rahim, convicted in two separate cases of murder, and a charge of rape,
deserves to have been hanged in the first place. That he got life imprisonment
for his heinous crimes is itself freedom and akin to parole and furlough (a
parole is for a specific exigency; and a furlough, a general break from
imprisonment, according to the Supreme Court).
The
nexus of dubious spirituality and politics was highlighted by Nehru's private
secretary M O Mathai (1909–28 August 1981) in his memoirs in Reminiscences of
the Nehru Age (1978) and My Days with Nehru (1979). The readers are aware that
even a Cambridge-educated, rationalist like Jawaharlal Nehru was pretty 'close'
to Shraddha Mata, his rather irrational daughter Indira Priyadarshini promoted
crooks like Dhirendra Brahmachari and Devaria baba (aka Machaan Baba) of
Devaria in Eastern UP. Politicians of all hues and shades are well aware that
the crude and instant 2-minute Maggi-type 'spirituality' of godmen and godwomen
is the primary weakness of the Indian masses. To a shrewd political party and
its politicians, godmen and godwomen are potential cadres to mobilize the
masses politically because the masses are asses and have no brains of their
own. That's the reason, even an unmitigated rascal Asaram (Asumal Sirumalani)
still has a legion of followers who're convinced that Asaram was framed and
that he's innocent! So is his equally dubious son Narayan Sai. As it is, Indian
people are inebriated and bedazzled by tawdry spirituality, preached by all
fashionable babas who enjoy unquestionable submission from their followers.
When a huge section of followers unwaveringly believes in the innocence of
their controversial gurus, it's very easy for these charlatans to mislead their
imbecile followers. Politicians know that very well because this time-honoured
formula has never let them down. In India, godmen and godwomen are political
conduits for all political parties and politicians. These duffers (babas) are
political buffers and pawns on the chessboard of murky Indian politics.
This
phenomenon is also indicative of our collective irrationality and our
unflinching faith in gurudom and babadom. That a special CBI court in August
2017 held him guilty and sentenced him to prison for 20 years is no deterrent
to his blind followers is an insult to the country's legal system and
judiciary. His gullible followers are going ga-ga over him and calling him
Pitaji! Imagine, this rogue is still a spiritual father to his bovine-brained
innumerable followers! Isn't it cringing worthy? As long as the masses behave
in such a cloyingly servile manner, people like Ram Rahim, Asaram, Nirmal Baba,
Sant Rampal, Nityanand, Ichachadhari Bhimanand, Swami Omji, Radhe Ma, to name
but a few will keep sprouting and polluting the minds as well as India's
political landscape. It's a quid pro quo equation for both politicians and
religious leaders. Alack, sufferers are sane people like you and me.
On a
different and lighter note, now Gurmeet Ram Rahim has become Dr Gurmeet Ram
Rahim! How can people so nonchalantly use the honorific Dr before their names
is beyond my ken? This criminal didn't even complete his school education and
now his congenitally foolish and sycophantic followers address him Dr Ram
Rahim! Are Doctorate degrees so cheap in India? I must add in the end that this
'polymath' rogue writes, sings and composes his own songs. Jay Baba!
...
A
regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative
religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the
world's premier publications in several languages including Persian.
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