To baba or not to baba ?

I had this topic on my mind for quite some time now, but for some reason it keeping slipping out of my thoughts when I sat down to blog.

Well not any more because now I have been compelled to think about it, as the very crux, the core of that topic nearly ruined my exam last Sunday. Here I was a good, decent fella on my way to the simulation exam. But when I reached the examination centre, the otherwise silent, trying to be serious place was decked up and decorated like a bride. The whole place was bursting at seams. I thought to myself, well it must be some award function or a annual day gathering which would proceed in an orderly fashion without much ruckus.
How wrong I was !!

What I was witnessing was something which is regularly becoming a part of the daily culture of thousands of "educated", un-educated people. Those staying in Mumbai must have seen a similar gathering somewhere or the other, such is its grasp now.

I knew my exam was practically ruined because given the sheer numbers present over there, their delirious recitations, the excitement the whole gathering was going to get enveloped in the coming hours, the firecrackers etc etc was sure to cross atleast 250 dB. It was a royal F.O to my exam paper.

I am referring to the function organised in the honor of this certain "baba" who is becoming quite a house-hold name owing to his so called "magical touch". The "baba" is quite an educated man himself and now his ever growing followers too are educated people (plenty of them).

Just when our society is coming out of the grasps of superstitions and similar stuff, here comes this self-conferred "blessed man" and amasses huge amount of money, gold, followers doing just what our social workers, social activists have been trying to eradicate : magic and some mumbo-jumbo.

What he has created is a sort of a pseudo-religion, a cult actually which promises people good fortune, luck, prosperity if they say his name everytime they start something new. Their good fortune, prosperity etc is directly proportional to the number of times they pray reciting his name (which conveniently replaces the names of gods and goddesses in our religious texts and hymns)

His followers say "baba" is omnipresent and they are absolutely right. With the huge array of merchandise being marketed by his organization in form of pens, pictures, portraits (those are like Orca huge), those stick-em in your cars photos, pendants, he is seen everywhere. I even saw a female wearing a pendant displaying his photo on her "mangalsutra". Try and beat that.

It is quite a shock for someone who looks to the concept of god or religion not on a spiritual plane but rather on a intellectual plane.
Why has man fabricated this all-knowing, omni-present, supernatural ethereal being called "God". It is the same reason a child calls on to his mother when he suddenly finds himself in the dark and panics, that is to calm him, to give him comfort in times of distress. A sort of a fatherly figure. That is the whole basis of a religion :: To comfort a man, to give him that belief that whatever happens he is not alone and he always will have someone to look after him. It doesn't say that only by preaching the name of god will a person attain prosperity etc. In all the religious books equal weightage has been put on hard work, patience and virtue on part of man to be successful.

However the baba seems to have preyed upon the insecurities, prejudices of the people in garnering support for his movement, asking them just to preach his name (now even his wife's I think) to gain prosperity, good luck and still calls himself a messenger of god.
To an out-sider it looks nothing but a money-laundering business not to a mention and irritating interruption into the lives of the people in whose localities these "functions" occur.
The merchandise itself is very highly priced, pens costing 25 bucks, those small photos costing 30-40 odd rupees, a "hom" costing 500 bucks for a person and 1000 bucks for a couple, etc. If only carrying someone's photo in you pocket brought you good luck. Ha !!

Inspite of all this, there is a positive side to this whole establishment. I have to mention that his followers were among the leading social workers during the recent deluge. A full time ambulance is being run by the organization.

If the whole intent of this "baba" in establishing this organization was to re-invent faith in the people it has a whole new meaning. Afterall faith is a personal thing. If a person believes in something which makes him feel positive and energetic in the right sense, it can be very beneficial to the society and the country on the whole. It is after all a question of a mind set and it should stay in that place ie the mind or "heart" and not manifest itself into material things.

If that is the case then the "baba" should come clean of the "milking" business and set the right kind of value-set for his followers.

If not then these poor people:- the followers are being treated to nothing but some hogwash, a part of which they carry around with everyday on their lapels, pockets etc.