21st century and still living a spineless life
In the prosperous age of social media and the internet, there are many topics to write about.
Ironically, the endless melodrama on the earth is still inexplicable in many ways.
In the concluded weekend I watched a few things online that I want to share with all of you.
- I watched the movie Maharaj on Netflix. A film based on the true story of pre-independence India, which revolves around religious leaders fooling their devotees under the guise of spirituality.
- The inter-faith marriage of actress Sonakshi Sinha and Zaheer Iqbal invited uncalled criticism on social media platforms.
- Afghanistan’s win over the mighty Australia in the ongoing T-20 2024 World Cup tournament.
- NEET UG paper leak in India putting millions of students’ dreams at stake in a single blow.
- I just re-read an article on the murder case of Pune-based reformist-activist Dr.Narendra Dabholkar who had founded ‘Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmulan Samiti, an organization dedicated to fighting superstition in India.
- I recently had a brief conversation with my new neighbor, whose wife is a childhood friend of a famous religious storyteller from India, who has passed away. I learned that this spiritual guru had some secrets, including being married to women other than his legal wife, whom he had married in secret.
- A renowned spiritual guru was caught on camera laughing at one of his devotees who claimed to have bought a bride for himself for Rs 80,000. It is inappropriate to mock such a sensitive matter.
- A Swiss court verdict found four members of the billionaire Hinduja family guilty of human trafficking, exploitation, and underpaying individuals of Indian origin.
Different stories: different levels of ambiguity
I have a lot of hyperbolic things to say through my articles.
There are so many incidents in and around the world that are worst for the entire human race, but still, everyone is following the blind race thinking twice about its results in upcoming times.
War-mongering is setting a new low in the world despite the disastrous aftermath effects of two world wars in the last century.
The height of hypocrisy is that the rich seldom care about what they preach to the poor and underprivileged.
Allegorical alliances are made to befool those who seem to be the first beneficiaries.
The movie ‘Maharaj’ on Netflix was a disheartening experience for me.
I never had any presumption about such malpractices in India in the 19th century in the name of spirituality and worship.
Even in my imagination, I would have thought about the height of the struggles of the then reformists like Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Annie Besant, Swami Dayanand Saraswati, Jyotirao Phule, Swami Vivekananda, Periyar, Veerchand Raghavji Gandhi, Ishwarchand Vidyasagar, however, I never thought Read about the similar story of women harassment shown in the film ‘Maharaj’.
A few years ago, in Patna, Bihar, my neighbor’s aunt invited my mother to accompany her to a preaching seminar of the then-famous (now jailed for life on sexual abuse charges) Asharam Bapu at the famous Gandhi Maidan, Patna.
After seeing Asharam Bapu’s speech being conducted indecently, my mother became very upset and decided to leave. It was unusual for her to participate in a storytelling session, and this incident was particularly upsetting for her.
This is what I inherited from my mother who instilled a sense of femininity and self-respect in me before following any insanity that comes from untoward spiritual gurus.
The film ‘Maharaj’ is based on the 1862 defamation case involving Jadunath Maharaj alias Jadunath Brajratanjee Maharaj, a religious Vaishnava sect leader, and Karsandas Mulji, a social reformist. We see the unholy relationship between the spiritual leader and his female devotees depicted in this film in India even after more than 162 years of the said libel case.
It’s not a movie review.
It is 2024 and we are still engaged in sorcery, witchcraft, pedantry, and misinterpretation of our mythological books by some people who are fooling and misleading us and the soft and vulnerable section of the society. They are targeting and making fun of humanity.
Missing cases of women in India can also be attributed to the influence of spiritual leaders in their territories, as in the name of divine service or religious customs many so-called revered leaders sexually exploit their female devotees.
As per the NCRB records, in 2021 in India, the reported number of missing persons was about 0.39 million. In the same year, 375058 women above 18 years of age went missing. In 2022, more than 172 girls went missing in India on average every day. In 2023, reportedly 62946 girls disappeared in India.
India has a horrifying number of cases of missing persons, especially women.
Many so-called spiritual centers are obnoxiously horrendous for the women devotees, and this is not a mere postulation but a fact.
Spirituality or Superstitions- The choice is ours.
The tradition of puja is made to concentrate the mind, even meditation done with devotion can give peace to the soul and there is no need for any external help. God is omnipresent, so where is the need for a purported spiritual guide?
Certain rituals and traditional practices unquestionably require guidance, and the guide must be fully qualified to perform sacred rituals.
A blindfolded persona is like opting for slavery. Any religion doesn’t restrict any of us or confine our mentality to such an extent that we forget to live our lives and start behaving like bonded labor.
N.B.-
Superstition arises from a lack of education, which brings about various detrimental effects, prompting individuals to lose sight of their true purpose.
This is the age of science. Religious faith has its place, human faith has its place. Religious slavery of any human being is a different thing. The choice is our