Poverty and illiteracy provide opportunists with their gullible clientele
Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, sentenced to 10 years in prison yesterday for raping two followers, is not the first Indian guru to turn out to be a scoundrel and he is unlikely to be the last.
The phenomenon of millions of people worshipping men who are at best mediocre in intellect and character, and at worst, thieving liars, is peculiar to Indian society.
Every few years, some guru or holy man turns up and amasses first followers and then wealth, often accompanied by political influence. He develops a flamboyant style. Convoys of cars accompany him. Palaces, private jets and every kind of excess follow.
Then comes the fall. Claims emerge of sinister, illegal or sexually illicit shenanigans. Criminal charges, a trial and prison follow, accompanied by newspaper editorials agonising over how such rascals manage to convince so many people. All is quiet until the next villain comes along.
It is easy to see why poor Indians fall for these conmen. Their lives are so hard and the government does so little for them, that anyone who offers the paltriest succour will strike a chord. Singh’s followers have said that if they were hungry or needed medical help, his workers would help them. Most poor are illiterate or semi-educated, which makes them prone to be credulous.
Given that the state seems remote and uncaring, anyone who is merely accessible can become appealing to India’s rural poor.
“The strands connecting the believers with the Baba are multifarious, visible and tenacious. They are stronger than the strands that connect the people to the uncaring, distant and seemingly unjust Indian state,” M Rajivlochan, a professor of contemporary history at Punjab University, said in an article in the Indian Express newspaper.
But what of the middle class and the wealthy? The middle class’s predilection for godmen is easier to fathom. After decades of poverty and deprivation, the middle class has emerged in the past 15 years or so to a better life. For the first time, they can afford nice clothes, gadgets and things for the house. But all it takes is a mishap such as a serious illness in the family to wipe out their savings. The fear of being plunged into the sea of poverty lurks at the back of their minds.
So they go to a guru who dispenses simple advice. Say this prayer to conceive a boy. Wear this amulet to ensure your good health. Visit that shrine to ensure your child gets into a good college.
Moreover, the Indian middle class has been through a system of rote learning at school that does not teach them to use their critical faculties. And they are surrounded by a culture that teaches them to revere spiritual leaders.
The need for connection with a guru also stems from the fact that Hinduism, practised by the majority of Indians, is not a congregational nor prescriptive religion. Hindus do not gather to receive guidance from spiritual leaders – they have to find their own individual path to enlightenment.
For most people that is quite a difficult task. It requires emotional and intellectual resources that not everyone possesses. Hence the need for a guru as a personal guide.
The rich are harder to understand. Many are sophisticated, well travelled, educated abroad and have been exposed to ideas critical of superstition. Yet a surprising number of wealthy Indians have a private family guru to minister to them in every crisis and celebrate with them on every happy occasion.
Traditional modes of thought that underlie the veneer of western modernity exert their pull. Take vastu shastra, a traditional Hindu system of architecture
The strands connecting the believers with the Baba are multifarious, visible and tenacious M RAJIVLOCHAN Punjab University
that many rich Indians incorporate into their homes. Once a vastu shastra expert has said that a kitchen must face north-east to ensure health and prosperity, they will demolish a whole house if need be.
Astrology is another example. No matter how wealthy, some Indians will not set a date for an important occasion such as a wedding or launching a business without consulting an astrologer. The wrong date could spell disaster, so why tempt fate? Even today, the elite consult astrologers on the suitability of a potential marriage partner and get horoscope readings for newborns.
Ultimately, the godman functions as a kind of therapist for the wealthy, someone to bounce ideas off and share doubts with in the expectation of receiving reassurance. Some are so dependent on him – they are invariably male – that they cannot take a major decision without the guru’s approval.
There is a quaint organisation called the Indian Rationalist Association that tries to promote scientific and critical thought among Indians. It has only 100,000 members, a figure that suggests there is a long way to go before fake godmen lose their hold.