The God Men of America

"Jitni sachhai suraj ki kirno mein hai, utni sachhai hai ek naam mein - Ajmeri Baba. Hum mein se har ek pass Ajmeri Baba ka number hona chahiye kyonki (hold your breath) ek sukhi jeewan par haq hum sabhi ka hai"
(As true as the sun's rays is the name of Ajmeri Baba. All of us should have his number for all of us have a right to happy life..!!!)

OR

"Tantrashastra mein har samasya ka samadhan hai (Tantra has solutions to all problems). Contact Chamunda Swami for marriage problems, health problems, business problems and stress management."

OR

"Are you infested with evil spirits or black magic. You want to marry someone and he is drifting apart, your business is losing money blah blah - contact Pir Syed Sahib."

OR

"All your love problems, mrriage problems, business problems, immigration problems - call us at Pandit Maharaj who is a well known God knows what"

If you thought I was reading out ads in a Dadar-VT local train's compartment or Lakhimpur-Mailani 192 up passenger train's toilet or seventh column on the fifth page in Punjab Kesari or several three feet walls in and around Amroha when you enter Moradabad on a train - you are wrong.

These are excerpts from the prime time offerings on Hindi channels in the Silicon Valley, USA. The way the numbers and addresses point to New York and UK, you can assume that the situation would be the same throughout US and UK - Canada too will only be the most logical extension.

The way these ads pop up every 15 minutes - it shows that they make money. The market exists, people watch these ads, call the numbers and pay.

What's amazing is that despite being a part of a very practical culture in America, there are people who fall for such other worldly cures for their worldly problems.

Such healers and treatments do exist in India - infact every little town or hamlet will have an Ajmeri Baba of its own - but announcing it on prime time television - well, I am not sure even channels like Astha etc. would do that.

Even the ads that we see in buses, train toilets, cheap magazines mostly promise to cure your sexual problems - if your Johnson is too small or too big or sleeps early or gets up late - even they don't promise to banish the evil spirits which are plaguing your company's top and bottom lines in 72 hours.

The usual reaction of even a moderately educated person would be to scoff at such treatments which is assumed to be the domain of an older generation which was less educated, less enlightened and with significantly little access to the news of the world and wonders of technology.

I know, all of my friends laugh at these ads and most of the Indian diaspora would be doing the same. However, the fact remains that they are a regular feature on TV and there must be some people patronising them.

The question sticks. Someone who is running a business in America or is facing immigration issues will not, in all probability, be someone who has to mark his thumb impression instead of signatures. We can't even say that they are more religious or conservative than their counterparts in India - most of them are quite liberal and accomodating when it comes to religious practices and beliefs.

I believe, the answer lies somewhere in the inner game.

As a first generation immigrant, one has his job, his wife and children and his immigration issues as the sum total of his universe. The career is usually comfortable though can be stressful at times. There are internal belongingness issues which linger, esp if one has spent his first 27-28 years in India, and usually take the form of ghosts haunting on quite a regular basis.

The support system of extended family, friends, friends of friends is non existent. If a man despairs or feels hopeless at some point, all he can do is seek solace in his wife or alcohol. Wife also, more often than not, is having her own demons to fight and as such can provide little help. I mean, what does a man do if his business starts losing money and he needs some support and solace - all he can do is ask his wife for support who herself would be as vulnerable - because if he loses money, she would be the first one to be affected - with no fall back in sight. The neighbours and your community will be as aware of your existence and problems as you are, of mine. What does a man do in such a situation.

A likely outlet would be turning towards supernatural. He needs a psychological rock to hold on to which is promised by these pirs and swamis - with an inherent promise that the problems will actually be solved with the interference of heavenly powers.

Its amazing and poignant at the same time. Indian immigrants worldwide are a saga of neurons and toil and sweat - and great success but at times, there is a significant psychological cost attached to it too.

But yes, do remember Ajmeri Baba's number, for YOU too have a right to happy life.