The Dera chief’s sentencing has exposed the exalted status of godmen. It has infused a semblance of sanity in a corrupted space of spirituality, religiosity and faith
Sociology is replete with theories of religion and faith that both excite and arouse curiosity. From Émile Durkheim to Karl Marx and Max Weber — and a whole generation of sociologists thereafter — all provided amazing theoretical insights into the institution of religion and the idea of faith. Thus, while for Durkheim religion was a source of solidarity and collective representation, Marx held religion to be hindrance to reason and which inherently masked the truth and misguided the followers. Who would not have heard of Marx’s famous “religion is the opium of the masses” phrase! To Weber, religion offered opportunities for salvation; relief from suffering and reassuring meaning. And he went on to postulate that the pursuit of salvation, like the pursuit of wealth, becomes a part of human motivation. All these great thinkers were, of course, also dealing with the idea of faith and worked hard on delineating its social moorings.
Had they lived in Circa 2017, and seen the faithful delirium of followers of a cult leader in India’s Haryana, these great theorists would have been flummoxed. For they would have been witness to the turning of their theories upside down — faith, in this case was fueling a fanatic frenzy and bringing the idea to massive disrepute. What is it that has given rise to such a hysteria, to the unprecedented suppression of reason, celebration of the cult and veneration of a human being as a godIJ Why are so many dancing babas and matas thriving in IndiaIJ Where are we headed with the complete collapse of reasonIJ
The answer to the question may lie in a complex interplay of social, cultural, psychological and economic factors, including flagrant deprivation and discrimination, illiteracy causing suppression of rationality, erosion of traditional institutions, and pathology of modernisation, among others. Broadly, there are three kinds of followers that make these babas and matas tick — the poor and illiterate in the rural India or Bharat; the confused middle class in small town India, or Hindustan; and the neo-rich, from the big cities, representing India.
Despite decades of steady growth and improved economic indicators, Bharat still struggles with poverty — not only in terms of livelihood opportunities but also of reason and equality. There are millions who struggle to ensure two square meal a day, while many still suffer discrimination based on caste and class. There are also those who are unable to comprehend things around them given the blanket of illiteracy that is engulfing them.
Such people, who also seem to have given up on the idea of a supernatural power, as Durkheim would have them believe, are the most potent victims of these glitzy merchants of faith. The babas and matas exploit the penury and despondency of these teeming millions of Bharat.
Then there is a segment within this bulky belly of the Indian society — call it the middle class, who may have not been able to negotiate with the changes surrounding them. Either the pace of change has been too brisk for them to accommodate or they have embraced the changes a little too rapidly. They either sulk or exult, and in either case get tempted to experiment beyond the conventional. For these millions, in small town Hindustan, the babas and matas become easy refuge for defying the traditional, and embracing the queer new world of dancing spirituality.
The so-called exalted, often neo-rich and even some political elite from India too, are not untouched by the magic of the godmen and women. Basking in their own glory and intoxicated by wealth, embracing the babas and matas often turn into a matter of prestige for them.
It causes, for them, a gratifying demonstration effect. Insecure and often devoid of a social bonding, the large networks of the babas and matas catapult urban devotees into a new cohesive ring. Reeling under guilt of varied kinds and assuming the supreme deity is too far to negotiate with — such urban enthusiasts find ‘Maggi-type’ quick solace in the dancing melees of the babas and the matas.
This is a dangerous trends of the modernising and changing India. What the Gurmeet Ram Rahim sentencing does is to expose the exalted status of these babas and matas, and infuse semblance of sanity in the exploited and corrupted space of spirituality, religiosity and faith.
(The writer is a strategic communications professional)