I was five when I first saw an addition to the existing number of framed god pictures in our home mandir. The 3 saffron garbed men with a stick in their hand and a gentle smile on their lips did not seem God to me. True to my ever questioning demeanour I asked my father “Who are they?” My father replied “They are our gurus” Not very happy with the answer I asked “Are they God?” A prompt NO came from my mother. “They are our gurus who lead an austere life and are considered most close to god” That was my earliest memory of holy men being considered equivalent to god and as I grew up I have only witnessed more and more of them in India.
As I grew up I read and saw the rise of many such sanyasis, spiritual gurus and self proclaimed gods. What amazed me was the huge(read huuuuuuuge) number of followers these god men had. The throng included not only Indians but Italians, Germans, Iraqis, Israelis and people from all over the globe. Each one standing in endless queues to get a darshan of their god in the hope that their desires and wishes be accorded tatkal status in the cosmic scheme of things. Temples hanging their photos alongside deities, huge donations from the who’s who, educational institutions and hospitals opened on their names; these god men surely are amongst the most influential in India.
The recent demise of a self-proclaimed god and spiritual guru - his unique identity being the unmistakable halo of his jet black hair, got the nation mourning. From ministers to celebrities to the corporate biggies apart from the common man rushed to get a last glimpse of their god, to pay their last respects, to witness his Samadhi in the hope that it would wash away their sins.
Although the recent years saw many scandals and scams surrounding many god men India still largely is a country where even the most educated people willingly cloud their rationality when the subject is GOD!!!!!!
