Dark Days for a Guru
Cleo Paskal
Weekend National Post
May 7, 2005
www.nationalpost.com
www.kanchiforum.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=864
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->The most famous alleged murderer in India speaks quietly, almost in a
whisper, which in the still evening air sounds more like the muted
rustle of leaves than a human voice. Until he giggles, which is often. Even by
Indian political soapopera standards, the case of Sri Jayendra Saraswathi
is remarkable. As the 69th Acharya (religious leader) of Kanchi Mutt - a
2,500-year-old temple complex in the southern state of Tamil Nadu - he
is the closest thing Hinduism has to a pope. He has hundreds of millions of
followers worldwide, including in Canada. And he has been charged in
connection with the scandalous murder case of a manager from another
temple.
Other elements of the bizarre convoluted case include an
ex-film-star-turnedpolitico and her live-in same-sex companion. Many
believe the links in the case stretch all the way up to Sonia Gandhi,
the Italian-born widow of assassinated Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Out of
jail on bail, Sri Jayendra Saraswathi has agreed to talk to me, his first
formal audience with a journalist. We can't talk about his case, so we cover
politics and, of course, religion.
"It's not just religion that needs to grow, but morality as well," says
the Hindu guru. "Morality is not restricted to religion alone, it pervades
all your life. You have to educate children. And bring a moral dimension to
the media. As long as there is a commercial aspect to the media, we can't
expect the truth. If the youth and the media change, then politics change."
Sri Jayendra Saraswathi was chosen as a child to be the 69th Acharya,
and grew up in the rarified air of the temple. The modest compound where he
now lives, with white-washed walls and pilgrims in white wrap-around leg
coverings, has a free clinic, a school for the physically challenged and
a nursing home for the elderly. Dr. V., who guided me around the temple
and is my interpreter, is a London-trained neurologist. Like many of the
temple workers, he volunteers out of religious conviction.
As the leader of 860 million Indian Hindus, Sri Jayendra Saraswathi is
revered as much for his modern ways as he is by dint of ancient
tradition. One of his most influential moves was to open the temples and centres of
Hindu learning to everyone - all castes, women, Muslims, Christians and
anyone else who was interested. The wider he opened the gates, the
larger his following grew - and his influence. That influence has also been
felt socially and politically. Sri Jayendra Saraswathi became a powerful ally
to the Hindu nationalists and their political party, the BJP. And he became
a threat to other centres of political power. It is said, albeit in hushed
whispers, that one of his biggest enemies is the powerful Sonia Gandhi,
who leads the BJP's political rival, the Congress Party.
The top politician in the state of Tamil Nadu is chief minister Dr.
Jayalalithaa, a flamboyant former actress who calls herself "Puratchi
Thalaivi" (Revolutionary Leader). She had a famously difficult
adolescence growing up in the adult world of film before she finally made the switch
to the real stage, in politics. As her power grew, Jayalalithaa started
calling herself "Amma" or mother, to better distance herself from her
sultry past. In her early days in political office, she implemented
much-needed social and education programs and was highly regarded. But
soon, there were mutterings about the undue influence of her live-in
"best friend," Ms. Sasikala. Most of the whispers were about the sudden
prosperity of Ms. Sasikala's friends and family.
Amma started courting the Hindu vote. She passed an anticonversion bill
aimed at slowing the progress of Evangelical conversions. She began a
program to feed children at temples, rather than at school. But she was
a Brahmin in a state with a small Brahmin population. And she was losing
popularity. Then, on Sept.3, 2004, at approximately 5:45 p.m., the
manager of another religious complex in the state, not the Acharya's, was
attacked and left dead on the floor of his temple. It was a shock. No one was
sure who had killed him. Or why. He had been a strident man, complaining
about myriad perceived improprieties, including ones allegedly committed by
the Kanchi Mutt hierarchy itself. But strident people are not uncommon,
especially in a temple town.
Two months later, on Nov. 11, the eve of Diwali, one of the biggest
Hindu holidays of the year, the police showed up at a religious centre in the
Congress Party-run state of Andhra Pradesh and dragged Sri Jayendra
Saraswathi off to jail. Over the next couple of months, he was followed
by 24 co-accused. Although official charges had yet to be laid, the
hundreds of pages of accusations boiled down to one against the Acharya: that he
had abetted or masterminded the murder. No one was saying that the renowned
guru had wielded the fatal dagger himself. Thousands, not all of them
Hindus, were outraged at his arrest. One person self-immolated in
protest. The Hindu Conference of Canada condemned the arrest. Meanwhile, much of
the world press, including the BBC, claimed that the incident showed that
finally, Indians were getting over their reverence for religious leaders.
It took months for official charges to be filed - March 31, 2005. People
began to suspect that perhaps something else was going on. It is
doubtful such a high-profile arrest could occur in the state without the
involvement of Amma. And an election was approaching. But could Amma make such a
brazen move without the approval of Sonia Gandhi?
Gandhi has consolidated her power at the national level by taking
control of the ruling Congress party. However, she has been shrewd enough to not
take on the public responsibility of being prime minister. Such an
arrest would suit her very well. Gandhi is propping up rival Hindu religious
leader Swami Swaroopanand who, unlike the Acharya, supports her and her
Congress Party.
However, the tide is turning against the two ladies. There is a palpable
anger on the street, much of it directed against Gandhi's religious
meddling. Amma's popularity is also plummeting. As well, a petition has
recently been presented to the Indian Supreme Court to move the case out
of Tamil Nadu. And this week, the Indian High Court ordered 11 of Sri
Jayendra Saraswathi's co-accused released unless other charges were brought
against them. Sitting on a simple plastic chair in a bare concrete room with an
open roof, the Acharya's gestures are elegant but child-like.
Periodically, he gazes over my shoulder, as if he sees something there that reassures
him.
He is relaxed, comfortable, at peace. Despite the storm surrounding
him, here, there is a calm. He gently chides me for thinking in terms of
India versus the West. "Aren't we all one?" The Hindu pope certainly
appears to be a wise and good man. But in a politically volatile India,
that may be the most dangerous kind of man there is.
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