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Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Why they don’t like Sri Sri
Sri
Sri Ravi Shankar did not become famous because of his name. He took
care of that long ago, by differentiating it from the already famous
sitar player. He did not become famous because he had friends in high
places. He did not have a headstart to reach where he is today. He
started alone and all he did was share some of what he knew. You can
argue that yoga, pranayam and meditation have always been known and
there's nothing new in what he does. The bottom line is people liked
what he had to offer and they kept coming to him. Like it or not,
spirituality was not fashionable until Sri Sri.
Whatever
it was that he did, he did it long enough and well enough to be known
all over the world today. So far so good and things would have been fine
if this was all it was. But the trouble is that he doesn't want to stop
at that. He seems to want to be everywhere. It would've been fine if he
had stuck to teaching breathing exercises, working in villages,
reforming prisoners, teaching organic farming, planting trees etc. No
problem. But when he wants to be active on political issues, mediate on
issues he doesn't need to, voice opinions on matters that are not
spiritual, well, that's a problem. Because then, he is encroaching,
edging past people who had headstarts, who have the right surnames. And
that is a serious breach of territory.
He
can close his eyes today and put his finger on any city in India and
gather lakhs of people there. Which politician today in India can do
that? The strength of his popularity and connection with people, all
these years, was visible only in the form of service projects like
trauma relief. No matter where disaster strikes in the world, he is able
to mobilize people and resources, even during the floods in Sindh last
year. Good, more importantly, harmless.
But
when that strength is moved from fringe issues, that affect a section
of society, to core issues, that affect the bulk of the population, it
starts shaking the seat of power. Suddenly, there is a fear that he may
have political aspirations. Jesus, after all, was crucified on that very
accusation. It starts showing up in remarks like "Swamiji, stick to
spirituality, leave the politics to us." The condescension gives away
that someone is rattled.
Sri
Sri Ravi Shankar embarked on a tour of Pakistan a few days ago. You
don't agree with what he does, fine. You question his intentions, it's
your right. But by any account, somebody as widely known as him, going
from India on a peace mission to Pakistan is big news. Consider the
ground work: He has managed to portray spirituality in a way that nobody
finds it an infringement in a religiously orthodox atmosphere. His
volunteers directed relief operations in a country where our government
has no influence. He has been able to tap the significant but
unexpressed sentiment - “Fine, whatever, let’s just be friends now”. He
has created a demand for himself when nobody in Pakistan has a reason to
welcome anything or anybody from India. The breakthrough is historic,
at the very least. Nope, not to our media. Peace mission? Boring.
Our
media likes to believe that people love watching them sit in their
studios and argue over the day's developments in sophisticated
vocabulary. These people reach millions of people on a daily basis. But
they are so busy being full of themselves, that they fail to connect
with common people. How many times have you heard anybody say anything
nice about any of our news channels or newspapers? Nobody today has a
kind word for the media and you have to say, they’ve worked very hard to
get there.
Without
any support from this media, Sri Sri connects with people on the
ground, in millions. Why? He adds value to their life, in some way or
the other. You can choose to remain skeptic, or unimpressed by what he
says but you cannot deny that what he does requires extraordinary
commitment. He may well be the most traveled human being in the world
today, and since planes are still recent to our civilization, in all of
history.
It
was not easy going to Pakistan. Apart from those who regularly
criticize him because they find him elementary, for this trip, he had to
face opposition from the fundamentalists on both sides. "Who are you to
interfere? Who asked you? Let the governments handle it." We have seen
what the governments have achieved over the last 60 years. It is beyond
them. This issue requires a large-heartedness impossible for
politicians. Making policies or signing documents does not bring the
hearts of people together.
People
are very simple and they connect to his simplicity. What he is doing
may not be sensational but it's solid. What is sensational is forgotten
within days, what he is doing will be remembered much longer. This was
an opportunity for our media to show some class. Skepticism is healthy,
cynicism is not. Skepticism keeps windows open to find reality, cynicism
closes them all and shuts you from reality. And the reality is that
today, you cannot ignore Sri Sri. He IS everywhere.
These words from Mahatma Gandhi make a great quote, but nobody thought of them as a prophecy: "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win. The sad part is that “they” are our own people."
If you liked the above, help me blow it all over social media.
