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White Hat- Facts and Figures
By- Arnab Mitra
A person who claims to possess the attributes of a ‘god’ is called God man. In the 19th century, India had many ‘tantrik’, ‘gurus’ and spiritual leaders. Spiritual leaders like Swami Vivekanand and Sai Baba taught the value of religion and inter-faith harmony. The Ramakrishna Mission is the longest serving spiritual organization all over the world and has a following of nearly 7.18 million people. However, some of their followers gave them the status of God men after their death. The result is that we have huge temple in the name of Sai Baba in Shirdi and it was reported by India today in 2013, that the daily income of the temple had reached Rs. 45 Lakhs during special occasions.
According to the 1952 census report,
the literacy rate was 8% and the employed youth was 13% of the whole population.
During this period, some individuals exploited the prevalence of superstition
and blind faith for their own material interests. The media has played a great
role in the expansion of this business. Newspapers carry their advertisements;
media channels promote them and the government also gives them certain
liberties.
The God men run a parallel government;
they exert significant influence in every sphere of society. They have ashrams,
hospitals, schools, and armed personnel for their security. In the present
context Swami Nithyananda of Chennai, Sant Rampal of Hisar, Mata
Amritanandyamai of Kerala came into limelight for both positive and negative
reasons. In 2007, Tehelka reported that Mata Amritanandyamai or ‘Amma’ was the
second largest recipient in India of foreign funds and runs an empire of Rs
1200 crore. The same report estimated Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s AOL’s turnover to
be around Rs 400 crore and Asaram Bapu’s trust’s turnover was Rs 350 crore.
They also get huge tax exemption because donations from people do not come
under the purview of any sort of taxes in India.
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Black Hat- Criticism
By- Namit Hans
The phenomenon of god men has plagued our society from a long time. We see exploitation, misinterpretation and distortion of religion by these self-proclaimed God men since the inception of it. Yet, a huge number of people follow them blindly and nurture this phenomenon to spread its roots deeper into our mind-sets and our society.
The first and foremost reason of the creation of this phenomenon is religion. All the religions, including Hinduism, can be interpreted in myriad of ways. Hence, they take advantage of this situation and spread a warped message so as to benefit themselves. This further serves as a cause of multiple other problems which infect people’s mind and promote hatred towards different religions or communities.
The other major aspect of this phenomenon is probably most important of all. Politicians seek help of these god men or religious leaders to increase their vote bank. Be it a Hindu nationalist party taking help of spiritual ‘babas’ or a shahi imam extending his support to a party leader. There has been a venomous amalgamation of politics and religion which is growing stronger with time.
Also, it is evident how people in misery are enticed by false promises and miracles of these god men. With hopes of getting free of some deadly disease or ailment, people tend to have inclination towards such short term solutions promised by god men over a rational procedure which involves more patience. People are ready to spend large amount of money just to get their work done and so it adds to the immense wealth of these religious leaders.
Media too has played a gimmick with the public by giving unnecessary coverage to these god men just for the sake of TRPs. There has been a rapid increase in the number of television channels entirely dedicated to religious programs which help in proliferation of their ideas at a massive scale. If this continues in future, then we can imagine a large scale, brainwashing impact of this on our populace which will further deteriorate our society and mind-sets.
Black Hat- Criticism
By- Namit Hans
The phenomenon of god men has plagued our society from a long time. We see exploitation, misinterpretation and distortion of religion by these self-proclaimed God men since the inception of it. Yet, a huge number of people follow them blindly and nurture this phenomenon to spread its roots deeper into our mind-sets and our society.
The first and foremost reason of the creation of this phenomenon is religion. All the religions, including Hinduism, can be interpreted in myriad of ways. Hence, they take advantage of this situation and spread a warped message so as to benefit themselves. This further serves as a cause of multiple other problems which infect people’s mind and promote hatred towards different religions or communities.
The other major aspect of this phenomenon is probably most important of all. Politicians seek help of these god men or religious leaders to increase their vote bank. Be it a Hindu nationalist party taking help of spiritual ‘babas’ or a shahi imam extending his support to a party leader. There has been a venomous amalgamation of politics and religion which is growing stronger with time.
Also, it is evident how people in misery are enticed by false promises and miracles of these god men. With hopes of getting free of some deadly disease or ailment, people tend to have inclination towards such short term solutions promised by god men over a rational procedure which involves more patience. People are ready to spend large amount of money just to get their work done and so it adds to the immense wealth of these religious leaders.
Media too has played a gimmick with the public by giving unnecessary coverage to these god men just for the sake of TRPs. There has been a rapid increase in the number of television channels entirely dedicated to religious programs which help in proliferation of their ideas at a massive scale. If this continues in future, then we can imagine a large scale, brainwashing impact of this on our populace which will further deteriorate our society and mind-sets.
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Yellow Hat- Optimism
By- Ankit Chatterjee
God men and their followers originated from the Hindu concept of Guru-Shishya. There are many who have been involved in controversies and have exploited people from time to time, despite that, there are many who spread positive messages. God men are messiahs to many people, like Swami Vivekananda, whose speech on Hinduism in Chicago inspired millions.
Yellow Hat- Optimism
By- Ankit Chatterjee
God men and their followers originated from the Hindu concept of Guru-Shishya. There are many who have been involved in controversies and have exploited people from time to time, despite that, there are many who spread positive messages. God men are messiahs to many people, like Swami Vivekananda, whose speech on Hinduism in Chicago inspired millions.
There are god men who live in ashrams,
and start schools of spirituality to help teach people the values and ethics of
a religion. They also engage in charitable works like establishing free clinics
and hospitals, to help treat people's illness free of cost. Sri Sri Ravi
Shankar , Mata Amritanandamayi Devi are spiritual leaders whose teachings and
practice of spirituality have guided people in their troubled times and thus
helped them in life to attain peace and tranquility. God men through their art
of spirituality have motivated and inspired the youth to lead a life of
spirituality. This sends a very positive message to their followers, who are
devoted to them.
Several god men have found patronage
among politicians from time to time. In 2006, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's 'Art of
Living' received world-wide recognition, and he was nominated for the Nobel
Peace Prize by an US Congressman Joseph Crowley. There are god men who have
motivated uneducated people in distant villages and have encouraged them to
vote for a political party and utilize their rights, this actually helps create
general awareness among the villagers. Women too attend meetings that spiritual
leaders hold and these women are influenced into voting and thus they are drawn
into politics.
The media has played a significant role
with various television channels and radio stations which telecast and
broadcast several spiritual leaders and their teachings. Baba Ramdev is one
notable Yoga guru, whose 'Pranayam' and 'Aasans' have reached and benefited the
masses, and even after creating such a nation-wide image and recognition, he
still is not a god man.
We cannot deny the positive social
functions served by religious and spiritual gurus. Despite various unfortunate
instances involving such personalities it would be unfair of us to tar all
spiritual leaders with the same brush.
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Green Hat- Creative Solutions
By- Manish Pathak
Hinduism and its many facets offer a lucrative career opportunity to the Godmen, and also their business is not regulated. A structured knowledge base and grooming ground need to be established if we are serious about containing the rampant misuse of religion. Loyalty of the masses will start to dwindle if they are aware of the connotations of their problems, and are not blindfolded into meek surrender.
Proper parenting,
and grooming of children at homes, will enhance their receptive prowess that
will make them aware of the true implications of religion. What ails the masses
today is that the grey matter that every religion has and which is often
vulnerable to exploitation and this is precisely why a basic understanding of
the domain and true worth and virtues of religion must be made understood. Any
inquisition on religion should be answered with simplicity so that children and
even adults do not resort to any external influences to satiate their thirst.
Often political
parties use them as a political card to garner votes, and this practice leads
to widespread propagation of their half cooked ideas, as politics in India is
still a national pastime. The Election Commission has to step during elections
to cease money laundering particularly from unregulated sources like the Ashrams,
that in the vein of political campaigns misguide people into believing in them.
The ancient system
of Gurukul has been be so improperly
conceived that today spirituality is just another reason to lure the masses
into superstition. The unabashed coverage of these spiritual gurus need proper
filtering, as they only seem to be spreading beliefs that are best suited to
satiate them. These shows have found patronage and unlike the shows and movies
in India there is no disclaimer preceding them. A disclaimer should be
introduced to differentiate religion form the propagandas that will be carried
out in the show. The media has to distance itself from the views being aired as
it will make the audience believe that the opinions aired are the respective
views of the so called Spiritual leaders.
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Blue Hat- Expert Opinion
By- Bhaswar Kumar
Vrajendra Nandan Das, National Communication director, ISKCON, India and Vice President, ISKCON, New Delhi
Q- What reasons do you attribute to the prevalence of so many
self-proclaimed godmen in our nation?
Ans: It is a sad state of affair that today people are so hollow inside to believe in such self-proclaimed godmen. It is the greed to achieve materialist pleasures that compels human to go to any extent, even if it involves killing the inner-self and humanity and follow such belief system blindly.
Ans: It is a sad state of affair that today people are so hollow inside to believe in such self-proclaimed godmen. It is the greed to achieve materialist pleasures that compels human to go to any extent, even if it involves killing the inner-self and humanity and follow such belief system blindly.
Q- Do you think that it is appropriate for a man to claim that
he has supernatural powers, or even claim divinity?
Ans: According to Vedic Scriptures, the father of Vedvyas, Parasharmuni explained the characteristics of God. God is a supernatural energy that remains unaffected by natural human life cycle (age,illness,emotions,etc) and he is the one who's complete with all 6 senses. A human can never declare himself a God form as he doesn't has complete 6 senses, neither he remains unaffected by natural life cycle. Just by learning some magical tricks and astrological knowledge, he cannot manifest as God. This is mentioned in Bhagwat Gita as well.
Ans: According to Vedic Scriptures, the father of Vedvyas, Parasharmuni explained the characteristics of God. God is a supernatural energy that remains unaffected by natural human life cycle (age,illness,emotions,etc) and he is the one who's complete with all 6 senses. A human can never declare himself a God form as he doesn't has complete 6 senses, neither he remains unaffected by natural life cycle. Just by learning some magical tricks and astrological knowledge, he cannot manifest as God. This is mentioned in Bhagwat Gita as well.
Q-
Despite the negative incidents and publicity assosicated with the likes of Baba
Asaram or Baba Rampal, what crucial social function do real religious and spiritual
gurus serve?
Ans: A true spiritual master is the path finder. He doesn't mislead people and lure them to desire materialistic pleasures. He rather emphasize on self-cleansing- knowing the purpose of the life which is not just to run for bread; but to also understand the importance of the human life. He teaches one to love god, love everyone and find the sole identity of the being.
Ans: A true spiritual master is the path finder. He doesn't mislead people and lure them to desire materialistic pleasures. He rather emphasize on self-cleansing- knowing the purpose of the life which is not just to run for bread; but to also understand the importance of the human life. He teaches one to love god, love everyone and find the sole identity of the being.
Q- Many such gurus and babas have also built large enterprises
which operate like businesses and exploit people's faith, how does a common man
avoid their clutches and find real spiritual guidance?
Ans: For this, first it is the responsibility of the human mind. We talk about practicality, but most of us fall under the trap of such godmen whether for astrological benefits or other. Real spiritual guidance can be given by someone one who genuinly imparts knowledge to make you a better person, for the betterment of society and for yourself. In today's world of stiff competition and pressure, it is highly important to keep the mind stable and at peace; which can be possible through meditation and spiritual association. One must be very careful in selecting the company to achieve that.
Ans: For this, first it is the responsibility of the human mind. We talk about practicality, but most of us fall under the trap of such godmen whether for astrological benefits or other. Real spiritual guidance can be given by someone one who genuinly imparts knowledge to make you a better person, for the betterment of society and for yourself. In today's world of stiff competition and pressure, it is highly important to keep the mind stable and at peace; which can be possible through meditation and spiritual association. One must be very careful in selecting the company to achieve that.
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Red Hat- Public Opinion
By- Raza Naqvi
Saurabh Srivastava, Graduate, Kanpur
Red Hat- Public Opinion
By- Raza Naqvi
Saurabh Srivastava, Graduate, Kanpur
Q.
What do you think about God men?
A. I personally feel that out of many self-claimed God men many are fake but some are genuine also, because of meditation they achieve some eternal powers which guides them towards something which is right and not wrong.
A. I personally feel that out of many self-claimed God men many are fake but some are genuine also, because of meditation they achieve some eternal powers which guides them towards something which is right and not wrong.
Q.
Do you believe in them?
A. Yes I do believe in them but only in those whom I know and have seen them benefiting people by giving proper advices.
A. Yes I do believe in them but only in those whom I know and have seen them benefiting people by giving proper advices.
Q.
Should people blindly follow the God men?
A. Nobody follows anyone blindly but it’s the affection that makes the people so concerned about these gurus that they can’t accept anything negative about them.
A. Nobody follows anyone blindly but it’s the affection that makes the people so concerned about these gurus that they can’t accept anything negative about them.
Q.
What do you have to say about the recent cases of Asaram Bapu and Sant Rampal?
A. I personally feel is that all these cases got so big because of the media hype, I don’t think that they only were involved in the crime, but what the end result came was something different I cannot say what actually happened only god knows what the truth was.
A. I personally feel is that all these cases got so big because of the media hype, I don’t think that they only were involved in the crime, but what the end result came was something different I cannot say what actually happened only god knows what the truth was.
Sagar Sharma, Engineering student,
Delhi
Q.
What do you think about God men?
A. God men are the creations of some big corporate houses or the politicians which are created for their own benefits.
A. God men are the creations of some big corporate houses or the politicians which are created for their own benefits.
Q.
Do you believe in them?
A. No not at all, what I think is that nobody on this earth can tell somebody his/her future or by giving some advices which if people will follow then they will face no problem.
A. No not at all, what I think is that nobody on this earth can tell somebody his/her future or by giving some advices which if people will follow then they will face no problem.
Q.
Should people blindly follow them?
A. People should believe in themselves rather than believing in any random self-claimed god man.
A. People should believe in themselves rather than believing in any random self-claimed god man.
Q.
What do you have to say about the recent cases of Asaram Bapu and Sant Rampal?
A. These people were god men made by the politicians and big corporate houses of this country, these people had never thought that their sins would come in front of the public because somewhere in their mind they had an overconfidence of having strong backing but one has to pay for his/her sins which eventually got proved by these cases.
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Introduction
Arnab mitra, 23, Graduate in English Literature from Calcutta University, Post Graduate in Mass Communication from Jadavpur University, Former space seller in The Telegraph, Pursuing Diploma in English Journalism from Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Dhenkanal
Namit Hans, 23, Graduate in Economics from Delhi University, Former Gandhi Fellow at Piramal Foundation for Education Leadership, Pursuing Diploma in English Journalism from Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Dhenkanal
Ankit Chatterjee, 22, Graduate in Journalism and Mass Communication from Amity University, Former Journalist at tadpoles.in, Pursuing Diploma in English Journalism from Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Dhenkanal
Manish kumar Pathak, 23, Graduate in electronic engineering from Manipal Institute of Technology, Worked in Mitsubishi electric automotive India, Pursuing Diploma in English Journalism from Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Dhenkanal
Bhaswar Kumar, 23, Graduate in English literature from Delhi University, Pursuing Diploma in English Journalism from Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Dhenkanal
Raza Naqvi, 21, Graduate in Business Administration from Gauhati University, Former Journalist at Hindustan Times, Pursuing Diploma in English Journalism from Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Dhenkanal
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A. These people were god men made by the politicians and big corporate houses of this country, these people had never thought that their sins would come in front of the public because somewhere in their mind they had an overconfidence of having strong backing but one has to pay for his/her sins which eventually got proved by these cases.
*****************************************************************
Introduction
Arnab mitra, 23, Graduate in English Literature from Calcutta University, Post Graduate in Mass Communication from Jadavpur University, Former space seller in The Telegraph, Pursuing Diploma in English Journalism from Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Dhenkanal
Namit Hans, 23, Graduate in Economics from Delhi University, Former Gandhi Fellow at Piramal Foundation for Education Leadership, Pursuing Diploma in English Journalism from Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Dhenkanal
Ankit Chatterjee, 22, Graduate in Journalism and Mass Communication from Amity University, Former Journalist at tadpoles.in, Pursuing Diploma in English Journalism from Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Dhenkanal
Manish kumar Pathak, 23, Graduate in electronic engineering from Manipal Institute of Technology, Worked in Mitsubishi electric automotive India, Pursuing Diploma in English Journalism from Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Dhenkanal
Bhaswar Kumar, 23, Graduate in English literature from Delhi University, Pursuing Diploma in English Journalism from Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Dhenkanal
Raza Naqvi, 21, Graduate in Business Administration from Gauhati University, Former Journalist at Hindustan Times, Pursuing Diploma in English Journalism from Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Dhenkanal
Like us on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nishpaqsh/466230496850557?ref=aymt_homepage_panel
Follow us on twitter: https://twitter.com/nishpaqsh
