[Reader-list] I-Fellowship Ist Posting

[surya upadhyay]

Dear All!
  This is Surya Prakash Upadhyay, Research Scholar, IIT Bombay. This is my first
posting on Sarai, Reader-List. I am also an Independent Fellow with Sarai for year
2007.

  The work with Sarai is titled: "Guru on the Air: Televised Hinduism in
contemporary India".  
   
Looking forward for more ideas and suggestions.
   
The work is looking at the contemporary religious and spiritual gurus in contemporary Hinduism. Though, this is a case study of one such guru named Asaram Bapu but it supposes that some general characteristics about these gurus could be formed through the study. However, there was no dearth of religious personalities in Hinduism since very ancient times but the recent gurus are somewhat different in many ways. They are not only religious figures but they are also personal counselor, healers, soothsayers, and medicine man at the same time. They suggest ways to live life healthy, happily, and prosperously. They have rejuvenated Ayurveda, and herbal medicines along with the keep-fit meritorious value of Yoga. Also, this particular guru stresses more on the ideal of self-restraint and achievement of self-realization. The modern gurus are not based at any established religious centres or pilgrimages such as Varanasi, or Allahabad. Rather, they have their own local ashrams where
 their followers come together and instead of praying to god they prey their guru.  Also, they are not attached to temples, so they are different from the temple priests. They have their own way of interpreting Hindu philosophy and these gurus propagate through  various kinds of amendments in them. As far as this guru is concerned and whatever information, I have, gathered through his literature survey it comes out that he is more inclined towards the Upanishads rather than Veda. It does not mean to say that he discards Vedas but he puts more emphasis on the Upanishads and other puranic scriptures. Also, he includes Buddhist philosophy and treaties on Jainism and Sikhism. From my point, it gives a more broader audience and follower to this guru. One interesting point that is coming out that they readily talk in scientific language and for that they use scientific terms and scientific researches that endorse their view; irrespective of the value placed to that particular
 research work in the scientific community.
   
Basically, all of these practices are going through the telecast of satsang programs through television cable channels, and therefore, I prefer to call these modern god-people as "Tele-guru". A preliminary survey done among his followers shows that almost 80% of his followers came in his contact through listening his sermons on Sony channel and Sanskara Channel. I am looking at the instrumentality of audio-visual media in the construction and maintenance of religio-spiritual world in contemporary Hinduism and at the process of mobilization of people, particularly, towards this tele-guru.
   
The project is an ethnographic work and would likely to be conducted through interviews, and questionnaire among the devotes and followers of Asaram Bapu, living in Mumbai, Ahmedabad, and Lucknow. The reason for keeping three different locations is that I want to see the difference between the responses of the devotees of these three cities. Mumbai is a cosmopolitan city and Ahmedabad is the main ashram. Lucknow is a peripheral ashram. In this way, the study will throw more light on the varieties of contemporary religiosity. 
   
However, the study looks at the media practice, both old and new and will involve
the analysis of print media as well as electronic media and how media is playing its role in the propagation of his organisation in terms of increasing his followers. Till now, I have formed a questionnaire that I will send on the reader-list for your valuable suggestions.
   
Cheers

  Surya Prakash Upadhyay
Research Scholar,
Department of Humanities and Social Sciences,
I.I.T. Bombay,
Powai, Mumbai 400076
  surya_rajan21 at yahoo.com
  surya.upadhyay at gmail.com
  

 

 
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