SANAL EDAMARUKU

Superstition and politics in India

Sanal Edamaruku offers a rationalist account of recent political events in India. He is the Secretary General of the Indian Rationalist Association and the Founder-President of the International Alliance against Fundamentalism.

THE RECENT national elections in India brought in a hung parliament without any single group obtaining a simple majority to form a government. The Hindu fundamentalist party BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party - meaning Indian people's party) emerged as the single largest party. The President of India invited Atal Bohari Vajpayee, the leader of the BJP, who is considered comparatively moderate among the Hindu party leaders, to form the government and prove a majority in Parliament. The erstwhile ruling party, the Indian National Congress, the National Front comprising several small parties, and the Left Front opposed the confidence motion tabled by the Hindu party. Though the BJP spoke soft language and tried to display perfect tolerance during the short time of their government (improving their general public image considerably), they had to resign thirteen days after assuming power. Meantime, the National Front, Left Front and a mixture of small parties having contradictory political agendas joined together to form a 'United Front'. They claimed a majority with the support of the Indian National Congress and assumed power. H. D. Deve Gowda is the new Prime Minister.

Though the new united Front is a bundle of inner contradictions, all parties together produced a Common Minimum Programme and this document is the guideline for policies concerning the nation. Political pundits are of the opinion that it might be difficult for this government to continue for long, mainly due to the conflicting views of the different parties participating in it. For example, the Communist Party of India, which has the portfolio of Home and Agriculture is vehemently against the economic liberalisation and globalisation, while Finance Minister Chidambaram is an avowed advocate of rapid change and modernisation. Another dangerous factor for the new government is its dependence for survival on the Congress party whose leader, P. V. Narasiha Rao (the former Prime minister), is facing a series of corruption charges which also involve his notorious guru Chandraswamy. The godman counts Liz Taylor and arms dealer Khashogi among his close friends and made headlines as an international money dealer in big frame who had his hands in every political game. Some months back a court of law succeeded in fixing the highly protected godman in a cheating case and put him in jail.

Contrary to the great tradition of the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, who was a rationalist and never believed in life-after-death or followed superstitions, Deve Gowda, (like his predecessor Rao) is guided by a group of soothsayers and astrologers. An astrologer in Tamil Nadu has already come out claiming that the Prime Minister consults him in all decisions, including political ones. Motupadi Subrahmania Iyor Sankara Iyor, in a press interview, declared: 'The Prime Minister consults me in all major political matters... He works only on my advice. On 25th May, when he visited me, Deve Gowda asked about the most auspicious day for oath taking. I suggested 1st June, 3rd June and 5th June. He delayed the oath taking ceremony on the basis of my advice and adopted the first date I proposed.' On the oath taking day, special pooja and offerings were made and the guru sent the Prime Minister special prasad (offering from a place of worship).

Astrologers, gurus and belief in superstitions have great influence on many Indian political leaders. Ridiculous and silly beliefs are sometimes big issues of concern: While Prime Minister Deve Gowda's star signs made it imperative for him to move to the official residence on June 6th, the former Prime Minister Rao's star signs suggested that he should not move out before June 10th. In a situation unprecedented in India's political history, the new Prime Minister and the ex-Prime Minister were sharing the same residential complex for the next few days. At the temporary house identified for the new Prime Minister at Tuglak Crescent, renovations were made at considerable cost (estimated £2O,000) - later it was rejected as the Vaastu Sastra, a superstition based on the facing of the buildings and room positions, did not approve it.

Gowda also wears a 'magical' chain which he hopes will protect him from dangers. Interestingly Prime Minister Gowda is not the only one in the cabinet who is hyper-superstitious. State Minister for Agriculture, Uma Reddy, entered his office only after priests formally broke a coconut at the office door to remove 'unholy obstacles' and 'bad omens'. Airart Naidu, Minister for Urban Development and Labour, had a similar ceremony conducted by priests. There was a special pooja for his official chair also.

It is reported that Prime Minister Gowda is also a staunch believer in Sai Baba, another godman of immense political influence and international 'reputation'. Sai Baba's disciple Gowda is in good company: former Prime Minister Rao as well as the President of India are followers of the godman, whose recent birthday celebrations were handled like an official state affair.

All these absurdities are not just personal weaknesses to make jokes about. It has in fact a strong impact when political leaders promote superstition and blind beliefs by giving examples. Spreading ignorance against the scientific temper is nothing less than a continued violation of human rights. The tendency to depend more and more on the 'supernatural' grows, especially among the uneducated section of the population living in poor circumstances. And this dependence prepares the ground for fundamentalism. This is why the work of rationalists is of so great importance in India. We understand it as a strong stabiliser of democracy.

Last year's milk miracle which swept with wild frenzy over the whole country within hours, leaving it vulnerable for any possible attack of fundamentalism, is a good example for the key position which rationalists and scientists can have in keeping the political balance. If on this day in September rationalists and scientists had not reacted immediately and unitedly and if the media had hesitated to print and broadcast our explanations and comments (I myself gave at least twenty interviews on this day!), we would not have been able to stop the superstitious ecstasy within twenty-four hours and it is quite possible that the political situation in India would be different today.

Although the Prime Minister and many government ministers are more influenced by what gurus or astrologers would advise them than by quantitative and qualitative data base in implementing policies, there is a considerable section of people in India who find these exercises primitive and undemocratic. The number of people who .refuse these extra-constitutional authorities is growing substantially and they are not easily influenced by superficial changes at the top. For some time we have noticed an increasing public interest in the rationalist movement and scientific explanations of superstitions. Institutions such as the print media are comparatively independent and open and try to satisfy or even promote this upcoming demand by asking our comments in all matters of superstition and blind belief which come into public attention: I was asked to explain the aforementioned milk miracle, the superstition around the solar eclipse, the trick of Pilot Baba, who claimed to have spent three days under the earth, the construction superstition Vaastu Sastra (which prevented the Prime Minister from entering his new house) and many other similar phenomena. Even the state-owned TV broadcast nation-wide four discussions on astrology with me (two of them indeed with heavy censoring, after an intervention of the former Prime Minister's Office!).

Among the wide variety of private television channels coming up, there is more independence and readiness for open discussion. Several channels are asking me regularly for interviews. Currently there are three different projects in preparation for educational serials against superstition, in which I have been asked to cooperate. The first serial, which will be telecast weekly over one whole year, has already started and met with encouraging response. The viewers are asked to make requests for information about all paranormal claims and phenomena which they want me to explain in the programme.

We are determined to do our best to see that the Indian scenario will change positively during the coming years. Of course, we cannot exclude the possibility that the political developments in India can also cause temporary setbacks. If, for example, the present government falls and a new election is declared, there are chances that the Hindu party might emerge stronger and claim power. Then there is a possible danger that the fanatic section in the BJP exert more influence to make it radically fundamentalist. But even in such an extreme situation, I anticipate a possible polarisation against fundamentalist tendencies and we shall try to be a powerful spearhead of it. Sooner or later, the shroud of superstitions and blind beliefs that envelop this subcontinent will be finally removed.