Trappings of the ‘spiritual’ industry
THERE seems to be no dearth of babas and religious gurus in our society. And in a media-driven world, there is also no end to the dissemination of all sorts of symbolic gestures, dramaturgical performances and salvation techniques that characterise their brands. In fact, the varied pattern of consumption of these religious practices depends on the kind of socio-cultural capital we as devotees or clients inherit. You need not be a cultural anthropologist to see that those who allow themselves to be hypnotised by, say, the ‘miracles’ and ‘blessings’ of Dhirendra Shastri or Bageshwar Baba are not like those English-speaking/metropolitan/affluent people who are rather inclined towards the likes of Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev. Or, for that matter, while young students from elite institutions love to read Gaur Gopal Das’ ‘spiritually packaged’ self-help books such as Energise Your Mind, lower middle-class clients would prefer to assemble at Patanjali Yogpeeth in Haridwar and find redemptive possibilities in Ramdev’s yogic practices or ayurvedic modes of healing.
It’s not easy to practise ‘engaged religiosity’. We find ourselves amid ritualistic priestcraft and social conservatism.
Of course, the way these babas occupy the mental landscape of innumerable clients and devotees cannot be understood without looking at the prevalent political culture. With the steady rise of Hindutva and associated cultural/symbolic politics, many of these babas find the current environment conducive to the growth of their cults. And the politicians who ridicule the idea of a secular public domain and love to play with the fire of religious identities need this baba industry to flourish. It is, therefore, not surprising that these days Bageshwar Baba has become the new poster boy for championing the cause of ‘sanatan dharma’ or ‘Hindu Rashtra’. Or, for that matter, the likes of Sadhguru, who despite their sophistication and ability to quote comfortably from Zen masters, Osho and Jiddu Krishnamurti, prefer to remain diplomatically silent on disturbing matters such as cow vigilantism, love jihad and mob lynching. This silence, needless to add, has its own politics.
However, without looking at the complex layers of social psychology, it will be difficult to make sense of the dynamics of the relationship between these babas and their clients. We live amid inexplicable existential pain, suffering and trauma. And quite often, in the absence of emancipatory education as well as adequate economic capital, it may not be possible to get scientific/medical/professional assistance to cope with this psychologically perplexing malady. Think, for instance, of a rural woman — already tormented by the harsh socio-economic reality — who believes that it is only Bageshwar Baba who can heal her child who has a hole in his heart. In a way, her ‘false consciousness’ is a product of the prevalent uneven and asymmetrical distribution of socio-economic and cultural capital. And these babas can continue to exploit this situation, sell their ‘miracles’ and look like ‘healers’ because in an otherwise uneven and heartless society, the poor and the exploited need some psychic assurance or a ‘magical solution’ to live, despite all odds.
Likewise, for the technologically skilled, upwardly mobile, professional and ambitious class, ‘success’ comes at a heavy price. As every fragment of the clock, time is used for ‘productive’ purposes, there is no surplus time. As life is seen to be linear with a set of goals or targets to be achieved from the day one is born in a maternity clinic to the final moment when one is taken to the crematorium from the ICU of a mega hospital, there is no freedom from the anxiety of ‘tomorrow’. Stress, fear, mistrust, hyper-competitiveness, chronic nervousness and psychic restlessness characterise their existence. And this emotional turmoil continues to haunt them, even if they seek to escape from this void through instantaneous consumption, sexual gratification or intoxication with social media. No wonder, for this class, there is a fancy ‘spiritual’ industry that packages and sells diverse brands of ‘mindfulness’, ‘breathing exercises’ and ‘meditative techniques’. They can buy any product from this market.
In fact, these piecemeal ‘spiritual’ practices provide a ‘feel-good’ experience — yes, temporarily. However, these babas are unlikely to inspire their clients to challenge the very root of spiritual emptiness — say, the capitalist, or neo-liberal logic that produces, to use Erich Fromm’s words, a ‘having mode of existence’: neurotically restless, and perpetually hungry for more and more material and symbolic goods. Live like horses in a race; however, once in a while, spend 10 days in a meditation camp or take salvation capsules every night after a hectic and meaningless day to ‘detox’ your mind in 15 minutes!
Possibly, in this politically manipulated and market-driven age, it is not very easy to be religiously musical, feel the meaninglessness of egotistic pride or narcissistic power, become empty and light, radiate love and compassion, and live peacefully even amid bodily pain and temporality of everything that is ephemeral, be it material wealth or the presence of the loved ones. Likewise, it is also not easy to practise what can be regarded as ‘engaged religiosity’— the process of building a bridge between meditative calmness and a radical practice for societal and structural transformation, or inner peace and a quest for peace in the larger world through the transformative politics of social justice that interrogates casteism, patriarchy, racism and above all, the neo-liberal assault on culture, environment, education and human relationships.
It is sad that what we witness today is the death of this religiosity. Instead, we find ourselves amid ritualistic priestcraft and associated social conservatism, self-proclaimed sadhus sponsored by the adherents of communal/divisive politics, and the neo-liberal ‘spiritual’ industry promising instant nirvana at fancy retreats.
