In the Name of Faith
Faith is an interesting concept and especially in a multi-religious country like ours, it takes complex forms. At times it could take a form of an 112-statue in a not-so-eco-friendly location completely transforming a pristine ecological region into an area bustling with human (alien) species. The opening of the first Adiyogi statue today in the foothills of Western Ghats triggers several questions whose answers could only be found in human irrationality.
Spirituality before Environment?
The statue to be inaugurated as a part of Isha Yoga Centre’s brand building stunt will be attended by a guest none other than the Honorable Prime Minister of India. The Centre’s website states that they have a project to increase Tamil Nadu’s green cover by 33%. But they could better if the center did not exist in a sensitive ecosystem. It has been widely proclaimed that the center has followed all the regulations in acquiring land, conducting festivals, drawing groundwater etc. In a country drenched in crony-religious-capitalism, anything is possible. Inviting the Honorable Prime Minister of India is a wonderful way of exonerating oneself of all the suffering one has caused to the ecosystem in the region.
Photo Courtesy: Ashwin Chanderasekaran
I do not understand how spirituality is attained when you disturb and sap the life out of an area meant for wildlife. If one does not respect nature the ultimate force which determines human life constructing statues does not make sense. This is a typical Indian irony. I remember reading in my school Tamil textbook, “People construct statues for their leaders yet bury their ideals”. What is the point of a statue for a yogi if you practice yoga?
It would be important to note that another so-called spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar had his own share of controversy when he organized a world cultural festival earnestly to destroy the flood plain of Yamuna.
Packaging Spirituality
The rise of the so-called modern spiritual leaders has always perplexed me. One reason is certainly that I do not believe in the concept of God. The second reason is that I believe spiritual leaders are supposed to behave in a different way than they actually do. My atheism does not prevent me from acknowledging the benefits of meditation and yoga as they are forms of attaining mental and physical stability and peace. But it is the ‘packaging’ problem which I am not able to digest.
Packaging Faith
Photo Courtesy: Samuel Hearn
A good teacher who is solely interested in spreading spirituality will not be interested in charging money except for asking alms to feed his stomach. The scenario in India is abhorrent not only because they accept money but also because they package spirituality as few thousand rupees for a fortnight. Management students have a lot to learn from such so-called-yogis who had shown that people will buy anything if you market a product the right way.
Desire
Buddha propounded that desire is the root cause of all evil. The guides now say ‘desire everything’. Why wouldn’t the corporate and the government love them? They are stimulating demand and providing the necessary impetus for a slowing down economy. Maybe the spiritual leaders could be the answer to revamping the global recession. The International Monetary Fund should take a leaf out of their textbook.
Possibly a better spiritual leader
Photo Courtesy: Arian Zwegers
The rise of leaders like this not just in Hindu faith but also in Christianity, Islam and others is due to the human desire to attain things through shortcuts. If the people have anyone to blame it is themselves. Seeing incidents like these evokes mixed feelings in me. While satirical notes ring melodiously there is a part which sings a melancholy for the destruction caused. Nevertheless, it is not the first incident and this won’t be the last. Wonder whether the Adiyogi is happy.
Photo Courtesy:
(2)Samuel Hearn
Comments
Post a Comment