Blingy Baba

Our country, dear friend, is a blessed land. Look around and what do you see? Love, blessings and kripa. 

There is Goddess of Love - Radhe Ma, who prances around in faux-ethnic red ensemble and garish make-up (No less than Subhash Ghai is said to invite her for his Mata Ki Chowki). 

There is Nirmal Baba who tells us that if we eat anything sour (chutney), all our problems will be rendered comatose just like the Haryana government during ruckus.

There are Maulvis and Yogi’s in our living rooms 24/7 - showering rose petals, of course. Switch on your TV and you see them spreading love on Times Now and The Republic.

And then we have Huzoor Maharaj Dr Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Ji Insan, who is now convict number 1997 in Rohtak’s Suniara jail. What does his loooong name tell us? That longer the name, longer the list of charges against him. Right? No. no. Of course, not. But imagine the plight of the minor girl who was raped repeatedly, threatened and living under fear for more than a decade!

Okay, so you weren’t expecting a man with such a secular name to be a rapist and alleged murderer (Pop Quiz: How many netas are also accused of the same? Ans: More than 150) If you are still eye rolling at his flamboyant names, know that ex Dera chief named his adopted daughter Priyanka Taneja as Honeypreet and nephews as Sweetluck Singh and Subah-e-Dil. Cute. 

Come to think of it, it’s interesting how the media loves to run with the hare and hunt with the hound. In all the interviews of Gurmeet Singh I saw, they never asked him about the alleged murder, castration and rape cases. Instead, they asked him to sing songs penned beautifully with lyrics like You Are The Love Charger. Once the verdict was announced, they discovered the dark side of the man with enough hair to give Anil Kapoor a complex. Dr Batra, meanwhile is wondering why he didn’t use him as his brand ambassador. 

Now that Love Charger alias Blingy Baba alias Pitaji is behind the bars, many victims will come out with alleged bizarre stories of Baba drinking testicular soup and burying bones under the Dera orchard. Time will tell if they are true but according to the judge, Baba acted like a savage beast. 

Having said that, serious questions remain.

Who gave him Z security in 2007? Why?

Who was funding his extravagant movies? Was he into money laundering for political parties?

Army intelligence had warned about weapons training in Dera back in 2010, why did police look the other way?

If he did not appear before the courts even after 42 summons, what made him appear in the court? Was there a deal which fell out? You emerge out of Dera and we provide you a safe heaven? Because if the police were to flush him out of Dera premises, there could be far more casualties. Who blew his cover? Was it the drug cartel, politician or an insider?

As they say, better late than never. Had this verdict been delayed, we would see Gurmeet Singh strut his stuff in Big Boss 9. He had agreed to be a part of the show, provided he was allowed to go out for a few hours every day. If you think this break was to grant pardon in his ‘gufa’, or if you hear the song, Aaja Gufaon Mein Aa, Aaja Gunah Karle, it is purely in your head. 

Coming back to our news channels, when they are not telling us how all Godmen are frauds or accepting Patanjali as their news sponsor, they telecast shows of Nirmal Baba. Maybe Gurmeet Singh should call Nirmal Baba and ask, “Dude, I’m in trouble. What to do for some Kripa?” 

“Hmm…when did you try Khatta?”

“I had a chocolate in the chopper. Nothing sour. No Khatta.”

“Boss, just add an R after Khatta. Kripa will come your way.” 

So, what is it that attracts people towards spiritual leaders? For one, the poor and the downtrodden are trapped in misery – son’s job, daughter’s dowry, land grab, loans and debilitating disease. The Godmen provide hope. Instant solace and support. Given that most Dera followers are Dalit laborers and marginalized migrants, Dera or any other cult provides a sense of identity. If temples and Gurudwaras don’t allow lower castes, these cults welcome them with open arms. The main attraction is the feeling of equality and dignity. 

Second, not all Godmen are frauds. Many are doing great social service by taking care of the underprivileged. Truth is, Gurmeet Singh was involved with many welfare activities, even though they turned out to be a facade for his nefarious activities. 

Third, many Guru’s teach the practice of meditation and sadhna, which is more peaceful and economical than what hard core Hindu-Muslim fanatics propagate. And also the fact that we are a society of iconoclasts, always looking for a saviour. No wonder, there is a long history of deras and cults in UP, Punjab and Haryana.

As I write, Gurmeet Singh’s son Jasmeet Insan, who is married to Punjab Congress MLAs daughter Husanmeet Kaur has been announced as the legal heir.

That said, politics and religion are an incendiary mix. If you are a politician of any hue, it is natural that you will flock to cult chiefs who control millions of EVM’s. Chandraswami, Dhirendra Brahmachari, Nityanand, Rampal, Ramdev…..the list is long. However, it is time to learn from 30 odd civilian deaths. Political parties have keep an eye on the funding, activities and properties of socio-religious cults to ensure that the marginalized are not vulnerable to the machinations of Pied Piper like cult heads.