The Supreme Court yet again brushed aside jailed spiritual leader Asaram Bapu's request to restrain the electronic media from vilifying him as a villain in the alleged sexual assault cases. Every year, the media has a field day whenever there's a fake Baba on the loose. With the rise in the self-proclaimed god-mans, the people don't really blame exaggerating the issue a tad too much.
In August 2013, Asaram was accused of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl at his ashram in Jodhpur on the pretext of exorcising her from evil spirits. Two days after the alleged assault the girl's parents, they filed a complaint with the police in Delhi and a medical examination confirmed that she had been assaulted.
There are incidents, across the country with these so called holy men performing miracles on the weak minded, like the recent one in Hyderabad where a man claimed to ward off evil on your family. All with the help of an earthen bowl with certain inscriptions, a few nails, an egg and a handful of grains. This is a new trend being adopted by many fake babas operating in the city. Despite frequent drives by police to check their activities, they continue to cheat the public by promising to solve their problems using some 'dubious tactics'.
People always look for something to believe in. And these godmen take advantage of it with their tricks. When a person seeks solace in babas, he transfers his entire mental burden upon them. He is deluded into believing that a supernatural power is taking care of his responsibilities and helping him. If any good happens in his life, he takes it as a blessing from the baba and becomes devoted to him for life.
In the latest trend, the fake babas are now selling an earthen bowl for anywhere between Rs. 1,100 and Rs. 21,000. They sell it claiming that disposing of the bowl at some place on a specific day would help in getting rid of the particular problem, it is said. A chunk of the clients are women who throng the so-called faith healing dens to get their issues resolved. But most of them end up getting cheated, it is said.
All right, money could always make its way back, but these Babas seem to have something else on mind when they lure these innocent followers. Some get them addicted to narcotics, while some others get them to do sexual favours for them without their knowledge. The news of Bangalore's 'Sex Swami' is certainly not new to any of us. Nithyananda who was arrested by the Bangalore Police way back in 2010 for rape, criminal conspiracy and cheating among others, still doesn't fail to make headlines for all the wrong reasons. And the cases of unusual happenings at the camps of various self-style godmen has become such blasé these days that no one really pays much attention anymore.
The law enforcement fails at major levels in the country, with these godmen carving a special for themselves in the minds of people with each passing day despite the many shocking incidents that continue to shock the common man. Where does the problem lie? Why do these men get a free run despite the heinousness of their crimes? Is moral conscience and ethical behaviour so much on the decline that people resort to such stooping levels to earn money? Or is it so difficult to get employed by decent means that cheating and deception seem far too easy?
What we really need at the moment is for people to come forward and report the incidents, take a stand and fight these fraudsters. Apparently afraid of getting exposed, most of the victims do not come forward to lodge complaints with the police. And as a result the phony babas enjoy a free run. This alone might not be the solution, because, for one, people need to learn put their faith and trust in something more legitimate and credible than some roadside phony.
Better laws, better enforcement, better regard to conscience and a tad bit of common sense is what the society needs to combat the existing moral rampage that is prevalent. While people involved in the act should never go unpunished, it is of the common notion that the society also owes quite a bit in terms of responsibility.
Better laws, better enforcement, better regard to conscience and a tad bit of common sense is what the society needs to combat the existing moral rampage that is prevalent. While people involved in the act should never go unpunished, it is of the common notion that the society also owes quite a bit in terms of responsibility.
