Followers form the base of their growing empires. It will be advantageous if everyone becomes a part of this enlightening society, instead of spheres of fake self-styled godmen
We have politicians wanting to wash their hands off the crimes they do, and then there are baba’s who desperately wish to follow the track of evading law and order. Sitting inside a sprawling building (which they refer to as ashrams) and enjoying luxuries, they say they have solutions to the problems faced by mankind. Apply his given powder and get rid of your disease, consume the tonic prepared by him and cure your illness, follow his orders and earn profit in business; donate money to their ashrams, get their blessings and live your life with as many comforts as possible. These are solutions that baba’s in our country have for the problems of their disciples.
Our country is growing by leaps and bounds, but people still have a soft corner for self-styled baba’s who claim themselves to be the avatar of gods, pretence with all the solutions to the mankind. Surprisingly, many develop an instant faith in them and religiously follow adjures. I often come across people who cannot justify the reason why they worship a self-styled godman. On asking a few, I have got to know that baba’s provide an ultimate solution to every issue. It sounds to me as funny as a humorous joke, as many of these only exist on assurances albeit no substantial advances.
India has witnessed many babas – some with little, while others with a huge trail of followers. And these followers form the base of their growing empires. Once one (baba) is followed by many, he can be seen travelling in expensive cars, surrounded by four to five bodyguards, sitting on comfy chairs, receiving posh gifts (donations) from devotees, and the list goes on and on. To top it all, their security arrangements get elevated. And despite enjoying luxuries, they remain firm on their claims of simplicity, perhaps because only their dressing sense remains the same even when things around them evolve rapidly. Then the moment someone challenges them, they begin to boast the number of their followers to lower down the challenger.
The recent case of self-styled godman Baba Rampal is the perfect example for this. This man, accused in a murder case of 2006 has sped away from the law so-far. And now when the rope of judiciary got stricter on him, he used his disciples to make an easy escape from this. Besides, look at the innocence and courage of his followers; they fought with a squad of army and posse of police to spare him from the law. They fiercely attacked the police officials who went to arrest him, creating a dramatic situation outside the ashram premises. The clashes not only injured followers and policemen, but also journalists who were simply doing their job by covering the scene. Nevertheless, for how long could the baba evade arrest? He was finally arrested by the police on Wednesday. But so much went into arresting a self-styled godman.
This very recent case of Baba Rampal makes me reminiscent of the case of Asaram Bapu. Similar were the scenes when police went to arrest him from his Jodhpur Ashram. Similar was the manner in which his devotees were trying to circumvent his arrest. I remember IBN 7’s Bhawani Singh was manhandled by Asaram Bapu supporters while he was trying to cover the scenes outside the ashram.
In the recent past, many baba’s, known and not-so-known, have come under the scanner for doing certain illegal things and taking privilege of their stature to commit crimes and atrocities. Later, the moment law tries to grab them- followers get provoked against the law.
And so much do some people believe in these self-styled godmen, that they are literally able to do anything for them. So much do these self-styled godmen win their trust that followers don’t take much time for transforming into fanatics. Sadly, even some of our politicians support these self-styled godmen for the reasons best known to them. But so-far, at least I have failed to understand what stops people from avoiding the path of rationality. On a one hand, our country is developing scientifically, mars mission is being accomplished and modernization is happening; and right on the other hand, self-styled godmen like Rampal Baba are acquiring such a vital position in our society, that they literally put in all efforts to evade law when they are found guilty.
One is unable to secure a job- he is asked to see a baba. One isn’t getting married, or is accosting problems in married life- he is asked to consult a baba. And in short, according to followers, rapid solutions to every problem are possessed by none other than babas. If this is the reality then why isn’t every follower able to secure a luxurious life? Why is it so that only a few are able to shine? Is it so that babas are partial, or is everything depended upon hard work and persistence? If you ask any rational person (including me), he will agree with the latter, as persistence is the only key to reach a success point.
Besides, we have doctors to cure our medical issues, lawyers to sort our legal issues, policemen to handle law and order, professional counsellors to guide us well, and a vast media to highlight everything. Still, are self-styled godmen the only choice we have? How if each and every one becomes a part of this enlightening society, instead of spheres of fake self-styled godmen? How if everyone seeks solutions from professionals, instead of self-styled godmen? Do contemplate over it.
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Tags: asaram bapu Rampal self-styled baba self-styled godmen
