The recent event (Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh being convicted for rape and sentenced to 20 years in jail) is a tip of the iceberg.
Here's an excerpt #2 from The Last Nomad, written last year, which delves deeper into why we humans fall prey to such beastly tendencies.
This post is in no way directed towards publicizing the book.
"Shyamsundar Baba’s Durbar gave them as an easy opportunity. It would soon become the first option they would turn to, be it problems conceiving a child, praying that their husbands find a good job or relief from constant quarrels, and a chain of diseases. But more than miraculous solutions, they had found a space to let out all their angst, fears and insecurities at the feet of this godman.
Seeing the success of this new business model, a numbers of such godmen were already in the making. People from all faiths were more drawn towards these underground places of redemption than well established places of worship. Who wouldn’t choose a god in flesh and bone, promising instant life change, over praying for years and waiting for grace?
Betrayed by the politicians, time and again, the masses saw in these godmen a new ground to invest their faith. Seeing their victims gathered in huge numbers, the vote-hungry vultures could no longer ignore the godmen. After repeated failed promises of electricity, water, and better roads, appeasing the godmen and their followers was now an easy way to ensure victory in the upcoming municipal corporation elections. And the SOS party’s candidate, Purushottam Joshi, was at the forefront in serving Shyamsundar Baba. The alchemy of faith is indeed strange."
- The Last Nomad
Here's an excerpt #2 from The Last Nomad, written last year, which delves deeper into why we humans fall prey to such beastly tendencies.
This post is in no way directed towards publicizing the book.
"Shyamsundar Baba’s Durbar gave them as an easy opportunity. It would soon become the first option they would turn to, be it problems conceiving a child, praying that their husbands find a good job or relief from constant quarrels, and a chain of diseases. But more than miraculous solutions, they had found a space to let out all their angst, fears and insecurities at the feet of this godman.
Seeing the success of this new business model, a numbers of such godmen were already in the making. People from all faiths were more drawn towards these underground places of redemption than well established places of worship. Who wouldn’t choose a god in flesh and bone, promising instant life change, over praying for years and waiting for grace?
Betrayed by the politicians, time and again, the masses saw in these godmen a new ground to invest their faith. Seeing their victims gathered in huge numbers, the vote-hungry vultures could no longer ignore the godmen. After repeated failed promises of electricity, water, and better roads, appeasing the godmen and their followers was now an easy way to ensure victory in the upcoming municipal corporation elections. And the SOS party’s candidate, Purushottam Joshi, was at the forefront in serving Shyamsundar Baba. The alchemy of faith is indeed strange."
- The Last Nomad
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