“Jaimati’s neighbour, Vineeta Devi, makes an offering, too. Within minutes, Jaimanti’s body is covered with more than 25 sarees. Vineeta Devi observes this with regret : “In life, she had only two or three sarees.”
(The godman who failed his devotees, The Hindu, July 6, 2024.)
(image of a religious congregation)
The ground zero report of the horrific Hathras (UP) stampede ends on this horrific note. With 121 dead, mostly women, and the godman on the run, all sections of society have expressed their condolences for the deceased and condemned the godman and the government according to their perspectives on the incident.
While the incident has deeply shaken my conscience, I don't intend to recount what most newspapers have already covered. Some blame it on crowd mismanagement, pointing fingers at the state administration's apathy towards the lives of the poor, while others call for strict punishment for the self-styled godman, accusing him of deceiving people in the name of religion.
Not being an expert on these matters of religion or law and order, I wonder why such a large number of people would risk their lives just to catch a glimpse and collect the soil on which the godman walked. Or, to put it more broadly and simply, why do so many of us seek refuge in people, ideas, acts, and ideologies that, to a logical mind, seem pure nonsense? I do not claim expertise in this matter either; I am just wondering, shocked, and sorry.
Tracing the evolution of human civilization, we see that the concept of supernatural powers entered our lives in various forms. Initially, anything more powerful than us was deemed godlike or even a god. The Vedic people, terrified by eclipses, rainstorms, droughts, and other natural phenomena, began worshipping the Sun, Indra, Agni, mountains, and more. Later, these powers took human forms and became integral to our existence. Rites and rituals dedicated to the supernatural and almighty gods took various forms around the world, sometimes to the extent of risking human life. Yuval Noah Harari described the formation of religion as the creation of a story that helped people unite.
These stories took different forms, but central to all was the existence of something more powerful than us, something that could alleviate all our fears and pains, give us freedom from worries, and fulfill our hopes. I won't delve into the philosophical or spiritual aspects of this story; our focus here is on the religious part, which mainly centers on relieving people from sorrows and pains. Many villagers use opium for body pain, and the opium does provide temporary relief.
At this juncture, I recall Karl Marx's words about religion: "Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people."
Anjali, a neighbor of a victim in Hathras, said, “The men here find solace in alcohol, while women search for peace at these satsangs (the religious gatherings like the one mentioned at the start).” The sign of the oppressed creature.
A peculiar aspect of deaths in such scenarios is that most victims come from vulnerable sections of society, with women being among the most vulnerable. In almost all sections, the position of women is relatively weaker, and among vulnerable sections, they are the most vulnerable.
Women in these sections face heightened vulnerability due to intersecting factors like caste, poverty, and limited access to education, healthcare, and legal resources, leading to violence, discrimination, and exploitation being the norms throughout their lives. This is the banality of evil.
Amidst these moments comes a promise of relief in the form of religion, such babas, and addictions. I have experienced this personally when my mother had severe asthma, and my family would do anything to get her the slightest relief. We went on pilgrimages and worshipped various gods and goddesses in the hope of alleviating her suffering. She eventually passed away peacefully in a hospital, and the illusion of such supernatural powers that could cure her broke down for me.
The real question should not be why those killed there risked their lives for a handful of soil walked upon by the godman. The real question is, how miserable are their lives that even the slightest hope of illusory relief makes them do it? How long have they been trapped in those chains that they no longer want to break them, but just want to get high, addicted to such religious practices, as long as they are alive?
You would rarely see anyone from an elite, powerful, and rich background succumbing to such a thing. For the weak, the state/government is Maai Baap or God. But for the powerful, the capitalist, the state is just an executive committee. The powerful have conquered the frontiers of worldly miseries and can afford the cure for almost all their pains. No intermediary’s promise of a greater life would enchant them. Their addictions are greater—knowledge, money, fame, prestige, drugs, power, etc. The powerful don't need most of those who appear as gods to the weak, for those gods themselves bow down to money and the power of money. Power conquers all fears and miseries.
