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Sidharth Bhatia is a Mumbai based journalist and author)
Several years ago, I was invited to an ashram on the outskirts of Bombay to attend a sermon by a Godman. The invitation came from a young industrialist - the baba was speaking after a long time and I was told it was sure to be a memorable occasion.
The crowds had gathered from the morning when I reached the well-appointed ashram. White chairs were laid out for the VIPs - I spotted a Hollywood film actor, a retired star from the Bombay film industry, a couple of local politicians and several others who were clearly rich and well-connected. All around the platform were less-privileged devotees, the masses, standing under the scorching mid-morning sun. The sermon was a short one, full of homilies and messages, but it appeared that several people were moved just by the sight of the ageing baba.
Soon after, my host took me aside and introduced me to a couple of officious looking men. They did not waste time in preliminaries - the baba was getting a lot of bad press - there were allegations of sexual exploitation of female disciples; they needed support and advice. Could I help? A sweet retainer would be my reward. Needless to say, I declined.
As it happened, the baba died within the year, but scores, even hundreds, of babas/sants/holymen/godmen find themselves in the same situation - a phalanx of powerful disciples, vast numbers of followers among the masses, a small coterie of advisers who manage the baba's affairs and, in most cases, charges of sexual misdemeanor. What is also noteworthy is that despite credible allegations, the fame and following of these sundry babas rarely gets affected - their devotees simply don't care and rarely, unless the crime is deemed sufficiently heinous, does the law take its course, or any course.
Take the case of the Sathya Saibaba. Over the years, murmurs and then louder rumours about sexual misconduct were being heard; one disciple, Tal Brooke even wrote a book on his experiences. Various rationalists and even magician P C Sorkar tried to show that the Sai Baba's "miracles", such as producing ash or a watch from mid-air, were nothing more than sleight of hand. The BBC made a documentary on the subject, declaring it was a stage magician's trick. Reports also emerged about the deaths of four devotees in the ashram. But it made no difference to the devotees - their faith was much stronger than any rational explanation or allegations.
It also helped that the Sathya Sai Baba had extremely influential followers from former Prime Minister Narasimha Rao to cricketer Sachin Tendulkar to former Chief Justice P N Bhagwati who made the startling claim that his verdicts were guided by the godman's hand.
Why do the rich, well-connected and highly educated seek out these godmen? Perhaps for the same reasons the poor do - emotional succour and spiritual guidance.
Indians have a deep regard for holy men and women, especially those seen to be ascetics in some way. They are ready to shed all skepticism and suspend all disbelief. They want someone to hold their hands, addresses their doubts, a crutch that lends them support in a way no one else can. Many of these godmen and women speak in platitudes, but in a world becoming increasingly complex and troublesome, simplistic homilies can be soothing. Good spiritual masters - and there are a few-can be of great help.
But so open is the field and so credulous the populace, to say nothing of the lucrative opportunities out there, that inevitably charlatans get into the act. Some of their prescriptions are outrageous - Nirmal Baba, whose speeches are shown on several television channels, suggests that devotees eat samosas and pani puri to solve their numerous problems; meanwhile, if they want to see him, they have to make a donation.
The man in the news, Rampal Baba, apart from raising his own private army, allegedly used to bathe in milk every day, which was then used to make kheer for the followers.
Sexual exploitation is almost de rigeur-from Asaram Babu to Nityanand Swami, many a guru is facing charges of sexual assault. Eventually the cops have to take action, but their connections keep the babas insulated from the law for a long time. Indeed, their connections give them credibility with the masses who feel comforted that their guru has high-profile followers.
Many good deeds have been done by some godmen. The Sathya Sai Baba trust runs hospitals, schools and even a university. The economies of small places gets a boost by the presence of the godman and his ashram. And they have usually tended to stay away from politics - until now. In recent years, many babas have hobnobbed openly with politicians, offering the support of their flock in return for political influence, which buys them insurance from being too closely investigated.
Political parties are quite happy to woo these godmen during elections - all of them had approached Rampal during the Haryana campaign and he let it be known he was supporting the BJP, according to newspaper reports.
The manner in which Rampal defied the law and even the courts is shocking. The state government too has mishandled the whole issue, taking days to flush him out.
The fact that he had amassed a well-armed contingent reflects poorly on not just the present but also the previous Hooda government.
This is a good time for politicians to make it clear that while religion is a private matter, frauds claiming to be holy men or spiritual leaders but indulging in lawless activities will not be tolerated. Do politicians and governments have the will to do this?
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