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By:

Sreejit Datta

27 September 2025 at 9:11:51 pm

Beyond the Babas: Unpacking India’s New-Age Spiritual Market

The rise of new-age spiritual entrepreneurs is the direct result of a society seeking human guidance in an era without spiritual giants. Over the past few weeks, India has been witnessing back-to-back controversies connected with “Babajis” and “Matajis” – men and women claiming special spiritual credentials and, sometimes, healing powers too. In a relatively short span of time, these characters gained large followings, with political patronage across party lines arriving close behind, largely...

Beyond the Babas: Unpacking India’s New-Age Spiritual Market

The rise of new-age spiritual entrepreneurs is the direct result of a society seeking human guidance in an era without spiritual giants. Over the past few weeks, India has been witnessing back-to-back controversies connected with “Babajis” and “Matajis” – men and women claiming special spiritual credentials and, sometimes, healing powers too. In a relatively short span of time, these characters gained large followings, with political patronage across party lines arriving close behind, largely thanks to high-skilled use of social media platforms and celebrity-driven PR exercises. Now several of these characters criss-cross the country, often at the invitation of elected officials, and offer Katha-s (colloquial interpretations of scriptures) or Pravachan-s (sermons and spiritual counsel), frequently laced with pontifications on everything under the sun, from food habits to choice of partners. For brevity and easy reference, let us call them New-Age Spiritual Entrepreneurs (NASE). At the moment, social media platforms are inundated with reels and posts that either decry or expose these fly-by-night “holy” individuals and their “spiritual” enterprises, the NASE-s. Many well-intentioned users, and some bad-faith (pun intended) ones, bemoan the mushrooming of these upstarts across the length and breadth of the country. Some decriers suggest a close link between the rise of this phenomenon and the current political dispensation that claims Hindutva as its ideological source code. In a developing country like ours, where religion has been a defining factor in shaping societal and historical experiences, establishing a correlation between politics and religion comes easily and naturally to commentators. But correlation implies not causation – at least not necessarily, not all the time. To understand the sociological causes behind the mushrooming of NASE-s, one needs to look deeper than this superficial linking of religion with politics. As a rule, political praxis follows and responds to the exigencies of time. Therefore, the apparent link between politics and the proliferation of NASE-s is more of a symptom rather than the malaise ailing our society. Capturing a celebrity cricketer or film star with one or more NASE-s on camera, or digging out old photographs of them appearing together, and then conjecturing/complaining about the PR exercises they may or may not have been part of – all these ‘gotcha’ elements can fetch social media traction, or create newsroom sensation at best, but these cannot accurately characterise or explain the social problem at the root. In fact, the mushrooming of NASEs across the country over the last couple of decades is not explained entirely by the rise of social media, any specific political dispensation, or the generous flow of cash into the sector. This is because NASE, as an overall phenomenon, predates both the social media revolution and the alleged Hindutva upsurge in the country, and in several cases, an NASE has humble origins. Market Imbalance So what is it that caused NASE to grow at an almost exponential rate in recent years? I suggest that it is much more than a chance concurrence of the three factors mentioned above – namely, social media revolution, conducive political environment, and cash flow – and much less about some particular celebrity attending some particular Babaji’s durbar to give the latter a PR boost. Instead, it is about the average aspirational Indian, slowly but surely coming out of poverty, seeking spiritual food – something only a human guide, a ‘guru ’, can offer – without negating materiality as “impure” or a hindrance on the path to attain a spiritually fulfilling life. It is about such seeking, the resulting desperation of not finding anyone better. In other words, it is a supply-side problem in the country’s ‘social marketplace’, where we have disproportionately more aspirational citizens than we have spiritual leaders who can effectively guide them. And since Hindus are still the majority religious-identity group in this country, it should be recognised and acknowledged largely as a failure of Hindu spiritual leadership. Who exactly are these “aspirational citizens”? We should not delude ourselves into thinking that only the country’s burgeoning middle class comprises the group seeking a specific kind of spiritual succour. The lower middle class, and even lower-income groups further down the economic ladder, are also showing a spiritual hankering. Of course, one can identify the more well-to-do sections of this demand-side demographic as largely defining the specific type of spiritual demand here, and the other classes following suit. The percolation of this demand down the various levels of social strata is duly facilitated by both mainstream and social media platforms, now more easily accessible to all classes than ever due to affordable, near-universal mobile internet connectivity. What, now, is the nature of the spiritual demand that these groups have? We must recognise that their demand is not a trade-off between religious piety and material prosperity. Such a trade-off may have existed in colonial times and in the four or five decades following India’s political independence, but its character has changed in the recent decades. The middle class and several lower-income groups, galvanised by their new aspiration to attain spiritual guidance without dispensing with material pursuits, end up looking for an accessible ‘guru’ who speaks to them more directly and colloquially, without middlemen, appealing to established ethical and aesthetic standards in their specific cultural contexts. The inevitable result of such overwhelming demands in the social marketplace is the emergence of NASE-s. Empty Throne So far so good. The problem arises when the NASE comes with considerable business acumen but little first-hand spiritual insight. Human yearning for “food for the spirit” is such that no idea or image of God alone can satisfy it – it needs the human presence. Godly ideals can spread among the multitudes only when they are embodied in the human form, lived in the flesh and blood, and demonstrated through the trials and tribulations of human life. This holds regardless of religious or cultural location, but it is especially true for Indian civilisation, which has contributed to the world of religious ideas and ideals the unique concept of recurrent Avatarhood of God for the express purpose of humanity’s emancipation. India has a special hankering for God in the human form – be it in the mode of the Avatar (such as Rama or Krishna) or in the mode of the guru (such as Adi Shankaracharya or Swami Vivekananda). It should also be noted that India has not been blessed with any remarkable spiritual figure of the stature of Sri Ramakrishna or Ramana Maharshi since their passing. There have been gurus who have mobilised specific sections of Indian society, even visionaries who have offered new spiritual interpretations of Hinduism’s age-old traditions, but hardly has there been the all-encompassing spiritual genius with the capacity to cater to one and all – not since the two giants mentioned above, who have been described as ‘Avatars’ by many a discerning soul. And it’s been some time since that. Naturally, present-day India has grown a deep hunger, an unquenchable thirst in her spirit. NASE-s have merely tried to fill in that gaping void. But this is one field where derivative skills yield no real results. In fact, they often do more harm than good. It seems that India has to wait longer. There may yet come a time when the spiritual genius of India rises again and embraces everyone as per their need and capacity – spiritual as well as material, or better still, spiritual through the material – without evincing pride or prejudice. (The writer is a Kolkata-based educator, writer, researcher and musician. Views personal.)

Gun Violence in America

Writer: Vishwas Pethe
Vishwas Pethe
Dec 27, 2024
3 min read

Updated: Jan 2, 2025

Gun Violence in America

On December 16, 2024, tragedy struck Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, where a 15-year-old student, Natalie Rupnow, fatally shot a fellow student and a teacher before taking her own life. Six others were injured, with two in critical condition. This devastating event is a grim reminder of the United States' ongoing struggle with gun violence, particularly in schools.


A Long History of Gun Ownership in America

The issue of gun violence in the United States cannot be discussed without acknowledging its deep-rooted history of gun ownership. The right to bear arms is enshrined in the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, adopted in 1791, which states: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”


Initially, this amendment was intended to empower citizens to form militias for self-defense during a time when standing armies were distrusted. Over the centuries, however, the interpretation of the Second Amendment has evolved. Today, it is often cited as a justification for individual gun ownership, a concept reinforced by landmark court cases such as District of Columbia v. Heller (2008), which affirmed an individual's right to own firearms for self-defense.


Gun culture is deeply ingrained in American society, with nearly 400 million firearms in civilian hands—more guns than people. This level of accessibility, coupled with a powerful gun lobby led by organizations like the National Rifle Association (NRA), has made significant legislative reform difficult.


Gun Violence in Numbers

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), firearms cause approximately 40,000 deaths annually in the United States—equivalent to 109 deaths per day. This figure includes homicides, suicides, and accidental shootings. Among children and teenagers, firearms are now the leading cause of death, surpassing motor vehicle accidents.


School shootings are a particularly horrifying aspect of gun violence in America. Since 1990, there have been over 800 incidents in K-12 schools, resulting in more than 500 deaths and over 1,000 injuries. High-profile tragedies such as the Columbine High School massacre (1999), the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting (2012), and the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School attack (2018) have shocked the nation and the world, yet meaningful reforms remain elusive.


A Global Comparison

The United States stands out among developed nations for its high rate of gun violence. In countries like Australia, Canada, and much of Europe, strict gun control measures have significantly reduced firearm-related deaths. For example: By contrast, the firearm-related death rate in the United States is 12.2 per 100,000 people, significantly higher than other developed nations. The prevalence of guns and the lack of uniform gun control laws contribute to this disparity.


Challenges in Addressing Gun Violence

Efforts to reduce gun violence in the U.S. have faced significant obstacles. One of the most notable is the prohibition of federal funding for gun violence research. In 1996, Congress passed the Dickey Amendment, effectively barring the CDC from studying gun violence as a public health issue. Although the funding ban was partially lifted in 2019, its legacy has left the country with a limited understanding of the causes and solutions to gun violence.


Advocates have long called for measures such as:

• Universal Background Checks: Closing loopholes in gun sales to ensure that all firearm purchases are subject to background checks.

• Safe Storage Laws: Requiring gun owners to store firearms securely to prevent unauthorized access.

• Bans on Certain Firearms: Prohibiting the sale of assault-style weapons, which are often used in mass shootings.


The Debate Over Gun Rights and Reform

The debate over gun control in the United States often pits the rights of gun owners against the need for public safety. Opponents of stricter gun laws argue that restrictions infringe on constitutional rights and fail to address the root causes of violence, such as mental health issues. Proponents, however, point to the success of gun control measures in other countries and the overwhelming public support for policies like background checks.


A Way Forward

Despite the challenges, there is growing momentum for change. Grassroots organizations, survivors of gun violence, and some lawmakers are advocating for comprehensive reforms. The Madison school shooting serves as a stark reminder of the urgency of these efforts. As the nation grapples with its gun violence epidemic, it must look to both its history and the experiences of other countries to find a path toward a safer future.


(The author is a resident of US. Views personal.)

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