We regularly read the news about Asaram Bapu; a rape convict and Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insan a murder and rape convict; getting parole. These two Baba’s are a leading brand currently with huge property and a network of Ashrams and large number of devotees ready to do anything for them. These are two most well-known of the gang of frauds who wear the cloak of holiness and do the things most depraved. The breed of Baba’s seems to have gone up in number during the last few decades. No doubt there have been others of their ilk who have proliferated through different mechanisms to rise and establish their empires of wealth and devotion. As such what we see is just the tip of the iceberg of ‘faith-blind faith’ empires flourishing on the rising insecurity in the society. While Epstein types are indulging in this society through other mechanisms, the ones we see here in India have strong rooting in blind faith which they very cleverly use to exploit the people at large for wealth and women.
One such case surfaced recently in Nashik, in Maharashtra., Here one Ashok Kumar Kharat has been sent to police custody for his fraudulent use of faith. He was visited by all and mighty of Maharashtra and one of his devotees is the Chief of Maharashtra Women’s Commission, Rupali Chakankar, whose video with this fraud shows her washing his feet and carrying an umbrella to protect him from sun. Kharat claimed to be an ex-Merchant Navy Captain, endowed with divine powers and was playing the role of someone who is an astrologer and numerologist. He was visited by ministers and high and mighty. He also used to sell polished seeds of tamarind which were sold as precious gems apart from other money-spinning activities. Many women who initially suffered his assaults were keeping quiet as his connections with high ups were strong.
This is another hateful addition to the number of flourishing Godmen, who have been given a place of respect. We had Goodmen early also starting from Chandra swami, Dhirendra Brahmchari, Acharya Rajneesh, Mahesh Yogi who commanded a large presence in the political and religious arena of society. In between the rise of Satya Sai baba also dominated the scene with his magic tricks of bringing forth ash by the flick of fingers. His divine powers were restricted to ash and small rings and he refused to produce melons from this trick. The cases of sexual abuse also came to light in his case. Ma Amritanand Mayi has been another divine power. also called kissing Amma. Nirmal Baba, Benny Hinn and many Bangali babas also stroll the streets claiming to solve the problems of all and sundry.
On the top currently there are the likes of Jaggi Vasudev and Baba Ramdev. Vasudev has coined the miraculous word ‘inner engineering’ and has followers among the IT generation also . Sri Sri Ravishanker has his own unique political influence by promoting Anna movement and organizing a festival which caused great harm to ecology particularly around Yamuna River. The list is long and inexhaustible. But we cannot overlook Baba Ramdev, who began as a Yoga preacher and went on to become a very successful businessman. He had promised that if we elect Narendra Modi as PM, petrol will become cheap (35 Rs a litre) and rupee will become stronger against dollar.
One can clearly see that as economic insecurity and inequality is going up in the society, the hold of faith-based Gurus, is going up to the sky. This is accompanied by the rise of faith-based knowledge in the society. One recalls that using mythology to undermine rational thought is not restricted only here in India. I recall in one of the meetings in Pakistan, research on mythological djinns was presented as the solution to the energy shortage in Pakistan. While India had much better foundations in science and rational thinking leading to an excellent chain of institutes doing valuable work contributing richly to Indian progress, the trends of the last few decades are very disheartening.
Prime Minister himself laid the foundation of ‘mythology as science’ when inaugurating a modern hospital, he stated that there must have been a plastic surgeon in ancient India who could transplant elephant head on human torso. Already so many such pleasant mythological stories like pushpak viman, capable of interplanetary travels were already there. A whole series of leaders from Modi’s stable started claiming that all the genetic science, space craft, and the internet were present in our traditions!
To cap it all the mythological stories are being taken seriously and a lot of funds are being earmarked for research on Ramayan and Mahabharat. A country which needs to focus on malnutrition and infectious diseases is investing in Panchagavya, a mixture of cow products, urine, dung, milk, ghee and curd! Faith based understanding is being promoted as the Prime minister calls Bageshwar Dham baba who claims the mystic powers of telling the past of the person, as his younger brother. Similarly, the new generation is being drilled with Indian Knowledge Systems. Surely India has contributed a lot in rational thinking, but grain has to be separated.
We can see in the history that faith-based knowledge is related to the political systems promoting status quo or throwing society back to earlier times when rational thinking was not so strong. Keeping all this in mind even Darwin’s’ theory of Evolution of Species’ is dumped and the Periodic table, the foundation of Chemistry, has been removed from New Education Policy curriculum.
Indian Constitution through Article 51 A (h) (added by the 42nd Amendment in 1976), mandates as a fundamental duty that every citizen must develop scientific temper, humanism, and the spirit of inquiry and reform. It promotes a rational, evidence-based approach to life to overcome superstition and promote social progress. Our present direction is totally contrary to this where the ruling party resorts and promotes blind faith, the changes in New Education Policy. This will be extremely harmful for coming generations and the likes of Kharat, Bageshwar dham Baba will flourish. The likes of Dr Dabholkar, Govind Pansare, M.M. Kalburgi and Gauri Lankesh will have a tough time to do their enlightening work for rational thought at the cost of their lives.
