In today's India of surging Hindu nationalism fostered by prime minister Narendra Modi, public life teems with self-styled Hindu gurus, ranging from the dubious to the downright disreputable.
They dominate newspaper headlines and fill the airwaves of 24-hour Hindu channels. Some gain fame for breaking the law, others for conducting vast campaigns — ostensibly to benefit the country — and one even runs a multi-billion-rupee company that manufactures groceries, cosmetics and other consumer products.
Hinduism has no central church and no officials presiding over the religion as a whole. As a result, it is not difficult for men and women to set themselves up as gurus or, in common parlance, “godmen” and “godwomen”.
But never before in the history of independent India have such gurus accrued power, influence and money as rapidly as over the past decade.
While some are deemed righteous, many other gurus have been revealed to be frauds. On Sunday, Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad (ABAP), the apex body of Hindu sadhus, released the names of 14 people, saying they were “fake babas” and “rootless cult leaders”.
Jaggi Vasudev, who is currently on a month-long drive across India to promote saving the country’s rivers, runs a foundation with allegedly seven million volunteers in 300 centres around the world.
Mr Vasudev — although not one of the 14 names released by the ABAP — has been criticised for his "questionable" solutions to India's polluted and mismanaged waterways, embroiling himself and his campaign backers in breaches of environmental regulations.
Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who was convicted of rape last month, was one of the 14 names on the list. He leads the Haryana-based Dera Sacha Saudi sect, which claims to have at least 50 million followers across India.
Politicians would try to woo Singh with government grants and personal donations, because his followers represented a large base of voters.
Also charged with rape and on ABAP’s list is Asaram Bapu, who was arrested in 2013. His trial has moved so slowly, prompting India’s Supreme Council to instruct the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state of Gujarat to proceed with the prosecution “as expeditiously as may be practically possible”. Meanwhile, Radha Maa, also deemed as “fake”, will go to court on October 13 for allegedly trying to seduce a man and insulting him.
Also on the list is Swami Aseemanand, who was accused of involvement in attacks on Muslim places of worship but later acquitted. Aseemanand — a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the Hindu nationalist group that is the ideological parent of the BJP — confessed during trial of having a hand in the attacks but claimed afterwards that his statement were a result of being tortured.
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Most gurus run non-profit organisations, making it difficult to know what they are actually worth. However, with Baba Ramdev, who runs Patanjali Ayurved that sells food, beauty and medicinal products, it is not very difficult.
Mr Ramdev — who started his career as a yoga teacher — founded the company in 2006. In the financial year ending March 2017, his earnings were roughly $1.6 billion (Dh5.9m). His name was not included in ABAP’s list.
The Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad said it will release another 28 names following the Diwali Hindu festival in mid-October.
“We appeal to … the common people to beware of such charlatans who belong to no tradition and, by their questionable acts, bring disrepute to [genuine Hindu leaders],” said ABAP president Narendra Giri.
He added that the body will “demand that strong legislations be brought to check the activities of these self-styled cult leaders”.
According to Chennai-based Navalpakkam Narasimhan — who tutors students in Vedas, the ancient Hindu texts — some of the forces that swept Mr Modi to power three years ago have much in common with the forces that swell the ranks of these gurus.
"People feel confused by the modern world, I think," Mr Narasimhan told The National.
“There are so many unfamiliar trends from overseas, there’s so much uncertainty about livelihood. And people feel fearful about the future of their religion, which isn’t really necessary.”
Mr Narasimhan said Mr Modi’s BJP promises the same kind of protection of Hinduism that these gurus implicitly do.
“This is why so many people end up giving so much of their faith to both the party and these so-called gurus,” he said.
