W(o)e the People. W(o)e the State. August 28, 2017 Tanu Mehta Independent Legal Counsel, Mediator and Conciliator
The Ram Rahim case has shocked and outraged our national opinion. How could thousands of followers commit arson and loot for a conman who was convicted as a rapist?
Everyone asks this question, but few want to go beyond the rhetoric for the answers. We are ready to blame the religious charlatans, the politicians and the rioting public. But we need to understand the why's and how's of this phenomena. Here is an attempt to answer.
Punjab, where this particular conman lived, is a State reeling under the severity of 2 addictions-drugs and alcohol . Why it is so, is a mix of a variety of factors. Corruption, money, masochism, caste faultlines, breakdown of society, heavy migration- a lot many factors have led to this rise. For a detailed analysis, one can read any sociological study of the Punjabi society.
Enter Ram Rahim and people like him.
He starts preaching to people and bringing them out of their addiction. His success and his reach in doing so is nothing short of miracle. Family after family states how he saved some child or male member from addiction. He gives them belonging. He builds a community. Where society has rejected and left these people to fend for themselves, he gives succour. Men and women , family after family, become his biggest supporters. He saved their families.
And as this man's influence grew, so did his lust. Apparently, at least 200 'sadhvis' were raped in his 'gufa'. Surprisingly, almost all but two of them put up with it. Surprisingly, his fan following did not diminish despite rumours of his encounters. Surprisingly, he developed a following whereby he could afford fancy cars , film making and massive properties. His following rose to an estimated 20 million followers. The man was certainly doing something worth studying, if not investigating.
And yet, our English speaking and urban press did nothing to delve into this. They have neither been covering the sociological impact of drugs in Punjab nor have they been focusing on how men like Ram Rahim end up being so powerful. The English press is busy lampooning Mr Rahul Gandhi or declaring Mr Modi a fascist. They focus on personalities and politics.They make fun of people like Ram Rahim. But rarely do they study social development, and social trends. Rarely do they study social needs and social influences. Rarely do they become the bridge between the haves and have nots of India.
In fact, conmen in India have a long history. They end up being powerful because they manage to reach out to people at their difficult times and do some good. This 'good' ought to have been done by our Government, our NGO's, our elites, our corporates, our educated middle classes, and the thousand and lakhs of ordinary Indians who stand outraged today. But it's done by dubious people like Ram Rahim, who , unregulated and un-investigated, become powerful influencers of millions of 'peedit' people.
India has had the distinction of having dacoits (U.P), and mafia men ( Mumbai and Gujarat) being protected by ordinary Indians. We even have terrorists who are given cover and protection by ordinary Indians.( Kashmir). Our so called free Media does not ever investigate the why and how of these influences. They are happy to peddle simplistic allegations of political nexus. The answer is never so simple. All of these so called charlatans and terrorists and mafia men have some element of 'Robin Hood' in them.
Politicians want votes. If you and I have even a 100 followers each, a politician will come knocking on our door for our support during election time. If a Phoolan Devi is able to garner 20000 people to vote for a candidate she chooses, politicians will flock to her. If a Mullah can have 5000 people vote according to his diktat, then the politician will go to him. If a Shankaracharya or a Ramdev can influence 2 lakh voters , then yes, the politician will go to him. Nowadays, apparently, Media is able to influence voters. Therefore politicians go to them too.
So there is nothing like a clandestine or unholy nexus between the politician and so called godmen like Ram Rahim. It is a simple and understandable relationship. The godman could be replaced by a Barkha Dutt tomorrow, if she had the capacity to influence a couple of lakhs of people. Politicians are a simple and predictable species. They want money and votes, and they will go for it.
So what is not simple here? The not so simple phenomena is our inability to understand how people get influenced by men like Ram Rahim. The answer is – because we, the outraged people, are not ready to engage and influence with the majority rural and semi rural Indians who are undergoing the severe stresses of a developing India. The educated urban Indian, is busy in his life of career, travel, opinionating, partying and demanding betterment for his tribe. We are disconnected with millions of poor around us who are facing a multitude of issues like drug abuse or lack of medical care or lack of housing or sanitation.
And while we shed tears and outrage for this 'peedit ' section open to influences of people like Ram Rahim, we seldom go out ourselves to help these very people when in need. In fact we don't even know when and what they need.
When was the last time we had a Republic TV telling us how we could help a village which did not have a functional hospital for lack of resources. Or how we could reach out to a people facing the ravages of alchoholism? When did we have an NDTV tell us how we could reach out to the villagers of Manipur when blockades were being imposed on them? Or a CNN18 motivating us to connect with even our own construction workers living in hovels around our construction sites?
Our press and media provokes us to find fault with our politics and the ubiquitous 'State'. We do that and remain disconnected with our people. People like Ram Rahim go beyond this blame-game. They help people in need, and in a way, become a semi 'State'. They build their power from scratch. And then, when we see them acting like this, using arms and arson to attack the public and State, we get shocked.
We, the urban educated India, have become a people happy to blame, to attack, to be outraged, to obsessively opine on our politicians and their personalities. We have lost the art of understanding and reaching out to each other. We have become a people who revel in being categorized as 'us vs they'.
This is the India of haves and have nots. The Marxists are happy to discuss the differences between the haves and have- nots. But nobody wants to do anything to bridge the difference. We want the 'State' to do it. We are convinced that all power lies with the 'State'. We forget that if it did, there would'nt be people like Ram Rahim. The Media today is all about promoting and breaking governments. Seldom about studying and observing social phenomena and reporting it.
Every Indian who is outraged today must rethink his responsibility as an Indian. Let us start helping every gullible Indian who is being taken for a ride by these Ram Rahim kind of men. If 2 crore of us could reach out to 2 crore of Ram Rahim's followers, and ensure that they are guided and supported in their confusion and rage, we will have done our country a great service. Let's begin to hold each others hands. We are they. And they are us.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/woe-people-state-tanu-mehta
In fact, conmen in India have a long history. They end up being powerful because they manage to reach out to people at their difficult times and do some good. This 'good' ought to have been done by our Government, our NGO's, our elites, our corporates, our educated middle classes, and the thousand and lakhs of ordinary Indians who stand outraged today. But it's done by dubious people like Ram Rahim, who , unregulated and un-investigated, become powerful influencers of millions of 'peedit' people.
India has had the distinction of having dacoits (U.P), and mafia men ( Mumbai and Gujarat) being protected by ordinary Indians. We even have terrorists who are given cover and protection by ordinary Indians.( Kashmir). Our so called free Media does not ever investigate the why and how of these influences. They are happy to peddle simplistic allegations of political nexus. The answer is never so simple. All of these so called charlatans and terrorists and mafia men have some element of 'Robin Hood' in them.
Politicians want votes. If you and I have even a 100 followers each, a politician will come knocking on our door for our support during election time. If a Phoolan Devi is able to garner 20000 people to vote for a candidate she chooses, politicians will flock to her. If a Mullah can have 5000 people vote according to his diktat, then the politician will go to him. If a Shankaracharya or a Ramdev can influence 2 lakh voters , then yes, the politician will go to him. Nowadays, apparently, Media is able to influence voters. Therefore politicians go to them too.
So there is nothing like a clandestine or unholy nexus between the politician and so called godmen like Ram Rahim. It is a simple and understandable relationship. The godman could be replaced by a Barkha Dutt tomorrow, if she had the capacity to influence a couple of lakhs of people. Politicians are a simple and predictable species. They want money and votes, and they will go for it.
So what is not simple here? The not so simple phenomena is our inability to understand how people get influenced by men like Ram Rahim. The answer is – because we, the outraged people, are not ready to engage and influence with the majority rural and semi rural Indians who are undergoing the severe stresses of a developing India. The educated urban Indian, is busy in his life of career, travel, opinionating, partying and demanding betterment for his tribe. We are disconnected with millions of poor around us who are facing a multitude of issues like drug abuse or lack of medical care or lack of housing or sanitation.
And while we shed tears and outrage for this 'peedit ' section open to influences of people like Ram Rahim, we seldom go out ourselves to help these very people when in need. In fact we don't even know when and what they need.
When was the last time we had a Republic TV telling us how we could help a village which did not have a functional hospital for lack of resources. Or how we could reach out to a people facing the ravages of alchoholism? When did we have an NDTV tell us how we could reach out to the villagers of Manipur when blockades were being imposed on them? Or a CNN18 motivating us to connect with even our own construction workers living in hovels around our construction sites?
Our press and media provokes us to find fault with our politics and the ubiquitous 'State'. We do that and remain disconnected with our people. People like Ram Rahim go beyond this blame-game. They help people in need, and in a way, become a semi 'State'. They build their power from scratch. And then, when we see them acting like this, using arms and arson to attack the public and State, we get shocked.
We, the urban educated India, have become a people happy to blame, to attack, to be outraged, to obsessively opine on our politicians and their personalities. We have lost the art of understanding and reaching out to each other. We have become a people who revel in being categorized as 'us vs they'.
This is the India of haves and have nots. The Marxists are happy to discuss the differences between the haves and have- nots. But nobody wants to do anything to bridge the difference. We want the 'State' to do it. We are convinced that all power lies with the 'State'. We forget that if it did, there would'nt be people like Ram Rahim. The Media today is all about promoting and breaking governments. Seldom about studying and observing social phenomena and reporting it.
Every Indian who is outraged today must rethink his responsibility as an Indian. Let us start helping every gullible Indian who is being taken for a ride by these Ram Rahim kind of men. If 2 crore of us could reach out to 2 crore of Ram Rahim's followers, and ensure that they are guided and supported in their confusion and rage, we will have done our country a great service. Let's begin to hold each others hands. We are they. And they are us.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/woe-people-state-tanu-mehta
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