India’s ‘godmen’: How a rigid caste system has created a new kind of deity

Reportedly born Narayan Sakar to a low-caste family, Bhole Baba used to be a constable with the Uttar Pradesh Police before becoming a preacher and establishing an ashram or place of worship in the state.. . Sitting on an ornately decorated chair, he often delivers impassioned sermons exhorting his followers to maintain their devotion.. . If, through the medium of truth, you remove old trash from within you, and today if you let truth into your heart, devotion for the god into your heart, humanity into your heart then know that even if the world abuses you, you will not get affected by it at all, he can be heard saying in one of his speeches.. . . The rigidity of caste structure is an important reason for the proliferation of godmen, said K. Kalyani, an assistant professor of Sociology at Azim Premji University, Bangalore.. ..

In the absence of religious and spiritual gratification for low-caste Hindus, Kalyani said, an alternative form of religiosity becomes inevitable.. . Sheetal Jatav, a survivor of last weeks Bhole Baba event, said her community the lower-caste Jatavs believe in him immensely, hanging his pictures on their walls or even placing it inside small temples at home.. . Jatav said she was previously unable to get pregnant but conceived within two months of visiting Bole Babas ashram..

The gurus India has produced range from men who claim they can perform miracles, like the revered Sathya Sai Baba, to the yoga guru and founder of the widely popular Art of Living foundation, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.. . Claiming to possess mystical knowledge and the ability to cure illness and solve problems, godmen inspire remarkable fervor in their millions of followers.. ..

But with their rise has come a slew of criticism over the true intentions behind this perceived divinity, fueled in recent decades by their grandiose lifestyles and immense wealth.. . Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, head of the spiritual organization Dera Sacha Sauda, is another self-styled spiritual guru revered by millions. His group has ashrams across 10 states and union territories in India and claims to have 60 million followers worldwide.. ..

More often than not, the most devout of their followers come from the lower middle classes, but millions in donations also stream in from foreigners, Indians living abroad, and the richest of society.. . While Sathya Sai Babas appeal was in large part due to a certain level of mystique, other godmen, including Singh, are more outspoken, carefully using the media to fuel their rise.. ..

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