Last week we saw how far India can reach and how far they can fall. When it comes to reaching seemingly impossible heights, the Indian cricket team comes first and the rapturous welcome they received on their return proved that most Indians understand this. In a country that desperately needs real heroes, they showed that they are the real heroes.
I was in Mumbai on a rainy evening. As I rode on the roof of a bus to the Wankhede Stadium, I was amazed to see thousands of people prepared to wait for hours in the rain just to get a glimpse of the team. The more adventurous hung from trees and took photos with their mobile phones. The less adventurous lined the road, waving and cheering as the bus made its way to the stadium. The only thing that annoyed me personally was the presence of a cricket umpire standing among the players, who didn’t need to be there. It reminded me of the time when the Indian Olympic team had more umpires than players.
Inside the Wankhede Stadium were thousands who had been waiting all day for the honour of watching the team take a victory lap. They seemed to believe it was their duty to be there for the team, as they had proved for even a moment that Indians could be world champions. In all my years covering politics, no political leader has ever received the kind of welcome that the Indian cricket team has received. Not just in Mumbai, but everywhere they have gone. Is it because we all know that our political leaders have fundamentally let us down and India? They are elected to govern on our behalf, but governing seems to be the only thing they are bad at, as was made clear last week in Hathras.
With minimal governance and minimal administrative capacity, this would never have happened. After over 120 people, most of them women, were crushed to death by the mob, questions began to be asked as to how a gathering of such size could have been allowed in the first place. Where were the police when the false messiah fled in a motorcade as soon as the mob began crushing? Where was the medical attention for the injured? As questions began to be asked, the police arrested six people who worked under Bhole Baba, or Suraj Pal as he was called before posing as a divine messenger. But when the police filed their charges, they did not name the impostor who had convinced blind believers that the soil left behind by his processions had healing properties.
The Messenger of God had disappeared at the time of writing. Police claim that they had searched his numerous palatial monasteries but found no trace of him. However, he sent a message from an unknown hideout that the mob stampede was caused as part of a conspiracy against him. His lawyer told television reporters that he was in touch with Bole Baba and had been informed that he would be available for questioning if required. The lawyer then blasted the mob stampede as an attempt to discredit Sanatan Dharma. Why don’t people talk about the number of pilgrims who died in Mecca?
This is a very stupid statement and I would have ignored it if similar conspiracy theories had not become commonplace since Hindutva became an integral part of Indian politics. Today, religion is deeply intertwined with politics, and so-called “secular” politicians go out of their way to demonstrate how pious they are. What were once private visits to temples and other places of worship are now public events, with television cameras almost always present when political leaders offer prayers.
The dangers of this kind of religiosity become clear only when tragedies like Hathras occur. Bhole Baba seems to be a man with strong political connections. Most religious preachers have political connections and most politicians take a deep interest in preachers. I remember there was once a Baba who would kick his devotees in the head and bless them and many political leaders flocked to him for this blessing. So who can blame the desperately poor and illiterate women for having faith in a person like Bhole Baba?
It is not false prophets that we should be worried about, but political leaders who have brought religiosity into politics. They are so confused as to whether they want to be preachers or politicians. In doing so, they have hurt themselves as well as the country, because they have lost the trust of ordinary Indians who want to see heroes in their leaders. Now that there are so few heroes in politics, people look elsewhere and fall into the trap of false gurus.
The rapturous welcome the Indian cricket team received in Mumbai last week was well deserved. They are shining stars in dark and difficult times, and it was wonderful to see thousands of people come together on that rainy evening to show them their admiration and affection.
