Ram Rahim Episode Shows What Exactly is Wrong With India

Back in 2013, when we all came to know of Asaram and his involvement in the shocking cases for which he was booked, I was pretty sure that people would get a lesson out of these incidents. These so called ‘Godmen’ have long exploited our society’s naivety and ignorance and it is time that we understand their real face.

But, fast forward four years. It is 2017 and I guess we have not progressed much from there. Characters have changed, the movie remains the same. That time it was Asaram and now it is Gurmeet Ram Rahim. Let us understand this entire drama from two different perspectives unfortunately both of which are disgraceful and sad.

Firstly, it is quite sad (read disgusting) to see people like Asaram and Ram Rahim gain such a status and position in our society. It is because of our lack of knowledge, or say lack of common sense that leads people into befooling us so easily. We easily get done away with our logic and understanding in the name of religion and fallacious spirituality. Any preparation served in the dish of faith and inner peace seems to be a way to seek solace from the difficulties of our life. Rationally speaking, religion and faith is a way to discover the truth and intricacies of life, but we have interpreted it as a way to rather run away from them. This reminds me of the famous Karl Marx quote which says ‘Religion is the opium of the people’.

It is this opium which most of us have been addicted to, particularly in developing countries and some less informed societies like in India.  People like Ram Rahim and Asaram are dealers of the opium, and deserve no more respect than that. The way they have built their ‘empires’, masquerading as messengers of god and fulfilling their vested interests goes on to show the masterminds they actually are. I still remember the incredible range of luxury products which were found from the sprawling mansion of Rampal back in 2014. It is obviously people’s belief and their unwavering support which has made these people so powerful and influential.

This is where the more dangerous perspective lies. In the entire Ram Rahim episode, what really disturbed me the most was his supporters’ vehement support and admiration for Ram Rahim and a conscious shameless effort to prove him as innocent. I mean, how can anyone in his senses come out in support for a person who has been charged for sexual exploitation! There is a judicial machinery in place in our country, and trying to defend someone who has been convicted means that you are trying to overturn the orders of the court.  Thus, what happened in Punjab and Haryana both before and after the judgment was not only irrational and unethical but also unconstitutional.

Ram Rahim’s followers came out in thousands and created ruckus all over Chandigarh and other parts of Punjab-Haryana. The security was tightened and the administration somehow got hold of the situation, although after a huge damage of life and property. But, more than the authorities, this entire course of events made me question the sensibility and intellect level of Indian mass once again. Time and again, we see such events occurring in our country, and I keep wondering whether we Indians actually realize what kind of unworthy people we usually adore and worship.

All I could see on news channels during those few days was misguided youth in blind support of a person who has ruined the lives of many women in the name of rituals and faith. While on one hand we are envisioning a well developed, digital India marching ahead with the pace of the 21^st Century world, watching our youngsters shout Ram Rahim Zindabad is pretty ironical. Development has its roots in the open, logical and clear thoughts of the people’s minds. This is what we have been perhaps lacking as a nation all these years. It is not just about Ram Rahim or Asaram, or a group of such people. It is rather about this typical Indian tendency to go with the flow, and support undeserving people without letting our conscience and reason come into play.

And for Ram Rahim, well he has been sentenced a 20 year imprisonment for two separate rape cases and I as a believer in Judiciary could not have been happier. Let us welcome and support the court’s verdict. But more importantly, we must try and understand where we are heading towards. There are many such Godmen flourishing all over India, all with their propaganda and their ideologies. Supporting and following them is going to take our society nowhere, and is in fact giving them the liberty and audacity to do unlawful activities as we saw in the case of Ram Rahim. And as they say, supporting a crime is a bigger crime.