GURU

2nd Feb 2011

Guru

Being a House-wife is a full time job for some women. And whether out of choice( as in my case) or whether out of none, all are doing their job religiously. Home-maker, Sit-at-home-mum, call it whatever suits your ego. The fact remains that you are exclusively managing a home!! And I take pride in doing just that. I treat it like any other job and try to do it with much passion. Not once have I felt any pangs of anger or depression for being at home! But I do believe and sincerely desire that the term- ‘House-wife’ be used with the much deserved respect and not in a degrading manner. My heart goes out to all those women friends who are belittled for ‘sitting at home’.

Anyway, that’s not my topic for today.If you manage your time well you would always find time to do things you love. And one thing that I like is to watch interesting stuff on T.V. On a lazy Monday morning while it was misty and cold outside and the bare trees only added to my gloom, I sat down with a hot cup of green tea and picked up the remote. As I surfed through the channels I came across quite a few ‘religious channels’. Each catered to a certain religion. I heard the holy Koran being read out. But I failed to understand the language and hence moved on. Then I came across another channel where a certain ‘Brother’ was inviting sick people on stage and healing them with the powers he claimed to have bestowed on him by Lord himself. I watched his dramatics with great interest and fascination. “Touch”, he said as he touched the foreheads of the sick and rendered them unconscious.(?) This increased my curiosity and every opportunity that I got, I started watching and listening to these channels. Every time I saw a new face - ‘gurus’, ‘matas’ or ‘babas’ or ‘brothers’ and ‘sisters’ and ‘bapu’s’ and bhai’s. Today these broadly comprise of the booming spiritual sector! ( sector?) Then there even are those monks who have sold their ferraries. They belong to a different league altogether and those we’ll concentrate on another time. But as for the run-of -the mill( if I may say so) products, its their appearance that most sets them apart. From heena coloured beards and bandgalas to saffron overalls and pristine white robes. From just the ‘sweating brows’ to the ash smeared foreheads, each has a trademark. Each one applies a ‘tikka’ differently. It fascinates me to see the variety. ( my neighbour tells me that something similar is an integral part of daily soaps). Some have a huge red U in the middle, beginning from the top of the nose to the hair line, some just have ash smeared on the forehead. Some replace the ‘U’ with ‘O’. Some have vertical and horizontal lines in a hazy pattern, some wear an ‘I’. And one of them wears an all vermillion forehead! One would say what’s in a physical appearance?( actually a lot). However it’s all about inner beauty( and I hope I don’t have to pay royalty for using these clichéd Miss Universe lines).

These gurus recite hymns (some in the most unmelodious voices) and yet people both loosen and lose themselves among the chants swaying in a trance-like manner. Some educate us on the holy books and our conduct. Others emphasize the benefits of a vegetarian or healthy diet and Yoga. Yet others believe in idol worship and highlight the benefits of offering prayers and more. They all talk about spirituality - The need to connect with one self and with Almighty. Soft spoken or not all have oratory skills. All are emphatic!! What I like the most is that they all encourage philanthropy. A lot of them teach good virtues. I know people who’ve benefitted from these teachers and preachers. Simply by listening to them and following their advice they have been able to give up a lot of vices and they lead much healthier and happier lives now.
Not very long ago the list of such and other self-proclaimed gurus was few. More the sins, more is the need for redemption. But is it as easy as rinsing off our hands after a hearty meal? Today Gurus have mushroomed up like never before. What I realise is that more and more people want an anchor in their lives- a philosopher and guide. We seek an equilibrium that we are unable of achieving. More and more people desire peace and turn towards a guru for relief from troubled minds and souls. Some have become so dependent on these gurus that without their presence their lives will disintegrate. While I am glad that some of these gurus who only mean well are doing us great service by holding the hands of thousands of their followers and comforting them with spiritual talks, I wonder if we as friends, family and society are incapable of providing each other with that much needed emotional support? Are we probably failing as a society by not being there for one another in grey times? Is there so much of disconnect among ourselves? Do we really need a catalyst to experience God? May be not. But some of us do need a hand to hold that’ll show us the way.

Wanting to have a guru is good. Finding the right one is even better. It is after all a matter of belief. Just like the placebo effect. You believe a certain guru can change your life, he/she will. You believe it will happen, and it will.

To all my wonderful friends, may you get the guru you seek. If not, maybe you’ll find one within you.