India witnessed drama yet again when a ‘guru’ from Haryana was caught and imprisoned. Many followers were not only injured, but a few dead were found in the battle of the purge at the ashram. If the so called guru was real, he would have won, as that is what the general perception is. Politicians in India promised milk and honey to flow throughout every corner of the country. However, what they don’t realise is that when there are so many self-styled gurus in India, all the milk and honey will only flow to them and nothing is left for the common man. Almost everyone in India have been predisposed to a godman’s influence at least once in their lifetime, either voluntarily or forcibly only to seek relief or solutions to problems they face, and the upperclass are no exception. However, the magnitude of the problems may differ.
I was once taken to a guru in Chennai when I was desperately trying to find a way to move overseas as that was believed to be the only solution to finance at home and it was an experience that I will always remember. Firstly, information about me was gathered in the form of a registration process. However, the information was similar to that of any unemployed person, and the guru mentioned all the things that were already known to me, so it was more of a revelation to the people around me. Then, I was given some words to reinforce my positivity.
Good sense prevailed on me and I continued my hard work and eventually landed in Dubai. However, today, these gurus are exploiting the weakness of the rich and poor alike. Poor people fall prey easily as their problems in life are considered harder than those of the rich people. Why do we need agents to communicate with our own God? We can certainly do without these people if we only have the courage and perseverance to face and overcome the problems in our life. Agents are required for real estate but not to attain the real state of happiness.
- The reader is an Indian finance manager based in Dubai.
