Paras felt sick again and rushed to the washroom retching.
Adarsh had been watching it for quite a few days now. Whenever the Holy Baba's voice rose from the lecture hall, Paras would turn pale and then the retching would begin.
Both Paras and Adarsh were inmates of the Baba's Ashram. Their duty was to look after the accounts. Paras was disconcerted with the fraudulent accounts. Money was being siphoned off to the accounts of two women who took turns to worship the Holy Baba in the night. The women, Paras learnt, had bought palatial houses. They came nowadays to the Ashram in luxurious chauffeur-driven cars. Their houses and cars were all bought with the money donated by naive devotees.
Paras wretched again. He was in the bedroom shared by the two of them. This was new: this retching on hearing the sound of the woman's chauffeur-driven car.
"Where are you going?" Adarsh asked when Paras started packing his bag, having returned from the washroom.
"I'm quitting," he said.
"What?"
"I can't stand this anymore," he said. "I have to save myself from this gigantic fraud we're perpetrating on ourselves and others."
"But you can't quit, Paras. You've already been blacklisted. You know too much. They won't ever let you go past the gate."
Paras didn't care. He was past caring.
Slinging his bag over his back, he walked out into the lurid light of glaring LED lamps outside.
Adarsh was stunned. He knew there would soon arise a stifling sound in the woods yonder, the part of the reserved forest acquired by the Ashram recently with the help of a politician-devotee. One more grave would be dug there in the darkness of the night. He shuddered.
Adarsh had been watching it for quite a few days now. Whenever the Holy Baba's voice rose from the lecture hall, Paras would turn pale and then the retching would begin.
Both Paras and Adarsh were inmates of the Baba's Ashram. Their duty was to look after the accounts. Paras was disconcerted with the fraudulent accounts. Money was being siphoned off to the accounts of two women who took turns to worship the Holy Baba in the night. The women, Paras learnt, had bought palatial houses. They came nowadays to the Ashram in luxurious chauffeur-driven cars. Their houses and cars were all bought with the money donated by naive devotees.
Paras wretched again. He was in the bedroom shared by the two of them. This was new: this retching on hearing the sound of the woman's chauffeur-driven car.
"Where are you going?" Adarsh asked when Paras started packing his bag, having returned from the washroom.
"I'm quitting," he said.
"What?"
"I can't stand this anymore," he said. "I have to save myself from this gigantic fraud we're perpetrating on ourselves and others."
"But you can't quit, Paras. You've already been blacklisted. You know too much. They won't ever let you go past the gate."
Paras didn't care. He was past caring.
Slinging his bag over his back, he walked out into the lurid light of glaring LED lamps outside.
Adarsh was stunned. He knew there would soon arise a stifling sound in the woods yonder, the part of the reserved forest acquired by the Ashram recently with the help of a politician-devotee. One more grave would be dug there in the darkness of the night. He shuddered.
The charm of being under a Baba's guidance becomes more when that Baba starts speaking in English. I have seen one becoming a rockstar to appeal the younger ones.
ReplyDeleteThere are many rock star Babas now. There's one Punjab-based guy who appears to his Indian bhakts in immaculate white kurta-pyjama but dons jeans and tees while abroad. He has a few thousand acres of land in various places... Swindler par excellence with top guns as devotees.
DeleteThere is a Baba in the western TN whose pastime is grabbing forest lands. This holy man visits Himalayas every year with a retinue of women.
ReplyDeleteForest lands are given to these 'holy' men by politicians. It's a nexus; both parties benefit one way or another.
DeleteIt's almost aggravating to see men of seemingly normal intelligence being taken for a ride by these babas. Thousands of them. It is off their money that these babas feed off. We make them popular hence the politicians kneel before them for endorsement.
ReplyDeleteArghh!!!
Many people follow them for personal aggrandizement and not for anything related to spirituality. Where there is power, there lie benefits too. As simple as that.
DeleteVolumes of nefarious activities of babas and their ashrams wonderfully contained in this short story..but do we understand? There's no dearth of these flourishing babas and their miracle expecting followers:(
ReplyDeleteThat's why, Amit ji, I have become fully convinced that the Babas are doing something other than religion.
DeleteSir I just read this and understand this is India and its inhabitants
ReplyDeleteYou and I have witnessed similar things!
Delete