COVER STORY
A𝕴fter over a hundred devotees died at B🅰hole Baba’s satsang in Hathras recently, we explored why people believe in godmen and godwomen, examining their branding and attending satsangs to witness without judgement
Outlook Magazine - 01 August 2024
Brand Baba
The space in which self-proclaimed godmen/women function is crowded and competitive, compelling them to adopt creative mea𒉰ns to stand out and 🧔build their brands
In its implied collusion and complicity with gurus, the pseudo-secular Indian sta꧋te detaches its moorings and deposits in the individual
Surajpal Singh Jatav alias Narayan Sakar Hari alias Baba Bhole Nath’s “miracles” outnumber his many names, but behind the wh🐓ite facade of his “immortal” divinity and magic realism is a man mired in materialistic controversies and an empire worth crores.
A major attribute of d💖eras is their capacity to provide succour to thoseᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ tossed aside by the mainstream
Church ministries headed by charismatic and controversia🥃l figures gain a devout folꩲlowing in Punjab
Unafraid and unbothered about the fate of other godmen, gurus and babas, Radhe 𒁃Maa says she is content with her followers
Neither light, nor outside air reaches the women trappe🌠d in Adhyatmik Vishwa Vidyalaya centres ac꧂ross India. Their guru is charged with human trafficking, but many remain
The space in which self-proclaimed godmen/women function is crowded and competitive, ꦿcompelling them to adopt creative means to stand out and build their brand🦩s
In its implied collusion and complicity with gurus, the pseudo-secular Indian state detaches its mo꧋orings and deposits in the individual
Gurus and the�ﷺ� willing suspension of their devotees’ disbelief
Are godmen here to stay?
Surajpal Singh Jatav alias Narayan Sakar Hari alias Baba Bhole Nath’s “miracles” outnumber his many names, but behind t🌱he white facade of his “immortal” divinity and magic realism is a man mired in materialistic controversies and an empire wort𓂃h crores.
A major attribute of deras is their capacity to provide 🅰succour to those tossed aside by the mainstream
Church ministries headed by charismatic and controversial figures gain a devout folloᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚwing in Punjab
Unafraid and ꦆuඣnbothered about the fate of other godmen, gurus and babas, Radhe Maa says she is content with her followers
Neither light, nor outside air reaches the women trapped in Adhyatmik Vishwa Vidyalaya centres across I𒊎ndia. Their guru is charged with human trafficking, but many remain
OTHER STORIES
The well-meani♏ng activist effort to🍌 keep people away from pseudo holy figures might be better off if it examined its own understanding of the nature of belief found in faiths
The Kreupasanam Marian Sh🌃rine in Kerala is in the business of miracles through a ‘divine’ newspaper
The intriguing case of Ghulam𝔉 Rasool—the ‘faith healer’ from Kashmir
Demystifying the world of deras and babas
After the Hathras tragedy, a national an🔯ti-superstition law is the need of the hour
𓆏Godmen as conmen has b📖ecome a common trope in Indian cinema
Often cases involving Muslim women are framed as a fight between secular and personal laws. In doing so, we ignore larger, more in💛teresting questions
As we celebrate 171 y♏ears of the majestic institution of St Joseph’s Convent High School, Patna, I am compelled to travel down m🀅emory lane
