Raadhe maa - just another baba (babi?, babini?)

Image source - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Zmpotk0qgU

I don't see what the hullabaloo about this raadhe maa is all about. Why does it have to stand out like a sore thumb among the millions of other equally, if not more, quirky babas all over our country? I personally am privy to the existence of babas that can pull out weird things from their mouths, of babas that vigorously claim the benefits of healing crystals that can cure cancer, of babas in our parliament (yep, they have entered that place too) that advocate hindus to have more babies to thwart the attempts of other communities to take over the world by mere reproduction. On those lines why must raadhe maa alone be pilloried and punished?

The claims are that she had bizzare rituals constituted to appease her like lifting her. So what? All the believers in babas talk like it is something out of the ordinary when there are even worse traditions followed like our famous south indian baba whose appeasement included offerings of the flesh. He still prospers and has a big fan following. Then there is the lady baba (maybe we can call them babis? or maybe babinis?) of kerala who has the practice of hugging all the visitors to her shrine that is a well oiled machine funded by foreign donations. These are main stream when compared to the "exotic" and completely bizzare practices the not so famous babas ask their followers to practice in order to attain their blessings.

There was another famous godman in the news recently who used innocent followers as shields to save himself from the police. Then there was the charlatan who opened millions of Indians eyes to the truth behind these babas lives, the famous, or rather the infamous Premananda who was incarcerated for his crimes ranging from rape to murder.

When all of these babas exist, thrive actually, why must raadhe maa be singled out and made a huge scene out of? She is merely using the platform of religion to make money and earn fame just like thousands of other babas have done. Why this outburst from society over her behavior specifically when there are so many of them out there? She is only catering to the needs of a society that now wants even spirituality packed with glamour and sensationalism.

All the public outrage should be on the followers of these charlatans. They feed them with money and power and undue patronage. When the usual tactics have been depleted, the charlatans cook up new creative forms of worship such as carrying the baba, not wearing underwear when worshiping them, not using the alphabet "b" the day of meeting with them and so on. They have realised, the more weird and wacky the form of worship is, the more famous they get and the more "bakras" they get as followers.

Raadhe maa is singled out for a multitude of reasons. One is that she is a woman, not may women have made it to the grand levels of reception as a spiritual leader (spiritual quacks is what I would like to call them). Another reason is that the holy ones cannot be glamorous, she is a woman of god, how can she wear such skimpy clothes and pose for photographs. The newspapers like the famous "Times" made a killing publishing photos that were lapped up like cats lapping up milk from off the floor. And then suddenly there are so many people associated with her who have complaints against her now. She is anyway in soup, might as well make the best of it and get famous is the attitude of these people. So add a few more semi celebrities to the boiling pot and voila - we have a sensational piece of news and throw in with that a huge readership base of the Times. And that's why raadhe maa is famous. If she is to be tried for her methods of worship or for anything that has to do with her advice to her devotees, there are thousands of babas asking their devotees to kill who are praised for their advice.

We have affiliates of the central government who go to the lengths of saying other communities should be stripped of voting rights. Then there are the rabid followers of sectarian parties openly giving statements to devotees to go after blood, to purvey violence. If no action can be taken against any of these people, poor miss raadhe maa should be allowed the liberty of having her devotees lift her and follow her words - it is after all a way to salvation....