# 14: e-Gurus, A Tale of 3 PMs, and the Pathology of Money
Flying Swamis and e-Gurus
Gurmeet Ram Rahim, aka MSG
Dhirendra Brahmachari taught Indira Gandhi yoga, and acquired unbridled power and wealth. When the Shah Commission was appointed to investigate the Emergency, it looked closely at the relationship between the PM and her guru. Sanjay Gandhi and the Yogi shared a love of flying; going by the Shah Commission’s findings, they shared the Brahmachari’s aircraft, too: of the 213 flights logged by the yogi’s private plane, 123 were ‘practice flights’, or joy rides, for Sanjay, his brother Rajiv, and Dhirendra. Of 60 flights with a destination, 18 were to Rae Bareli - the Gandhi constituency.
The swami claimed the plane was a donation; the CBI said he had paid for it, but not the import duty. Accordingly, the Janata Party impounded it; when Indira Gandhi came back to power, he got it back. Dhirendra acquired two properties in Lutyen’s Delhi at prices well below the market, and the airstrip for his Mantalai ashram was built despite the objections of the Ministry of Defence. At the time, an MP said, "He is everything rolled into one. A politician, a businessman and a sadhu. He can get anything done if he wants."
Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao cultivated Chandraswami. The same old stories played out, the favoured land allocation in New Delhi, illegal foreign exchange transactions, unfettered access and influence peddling.
In my book, the most colourful Indian ‘Godman’ has to be Gurmeet Ram Rahim, the Messenger of God, or MSG, he of the lurid Love Charger music video, and costumes that put Prime Minister Modi’s to shame. Depending on the circumstances, he supported both the Congress Party and the BJP. In turn, his Dera, or ashram, existed outside the mundane ambit of laws and law enforcement. When the Dera Sacha Sauda was finally busted in 2017, 67 weapons were surrendered, half of them unlicensed. It was alleged that 400 followers had been castrated to bring them closer to God. The CBI believed that the sect did this to protect female followers from sexual advances, rather like the eunuchs who guarded the harems of our Maharajahs. MSG, meanwhile, had privileged access to female followers, through hidden passages. Amid many stories of sex slavery, his final conviction was for the rape of 2 women, one of whom had written to PM Atal Vajpayee about her abuse 15 years earlier, in 2002.
In current times, we have our Baba Ramdev, who has accumulated land and commerce with an ease that others only read about, in discredited World Bank ratings. During COVID, our Union Health Minister launched his Coronil drug, which was claimed to be approved by WHO. Within hours, WHO put out a disclaimer, “WHO has not reviewed or certified the effectiveness of any traditional medicine for the treatment of COVID-19.”
In a rare show of spunk, the Indian Medical Association also protested against the abuse of WHO credentials, and demanded an apology from the health minister, Harsh Vardhan, who is a qualified medical practitioner.
Dhirendra Brahmachari, Chandraswami, MSG, Ramdev, and doubtless hundreds of men of lesser fortune, have prospered from their proximity to centers of power. But whereas these were all public persona, widely photographed and publicly feted, the latest Godman to make the news is an e-guru, a shadow figure of no known address. For years, the CEO of the world’s third largest stock exchange, the NSE, apparently took advice on everything from organisational structure to executive remuneration and financial projections from a Yogi who existed largely in cyberspace. The SEBI put out this statement by the now retired head of NSE, Chitra Ramakrishna, “Along the way, since He would manifest at will and I did not have any locational co-ordinates I requested Him for a way in which I could seek His guidance whenever I felt the need. Accordingly, He gave me an id on which I could send my requests.”
Cyber gurus who manifest at will. As with plastic surgery and air travel, India shows the way to the rest of the world.
A Tale of 3 PMs
Diplomatic relations between Singapore and India took a sudden dive after Singapore PM, Lee Hsien Loong, referred to India in a speech about the manner in which a democracy should function. Mr. Lee was moving the house on the Committee of Privileges, set up to look at charges of lying in Parliament.
It was a long speech, over 5000 words, and he mentioned India twice in the speech. I reproduce both sections here:
The leaders, who fought for and won independence, are often exceptional individuals of great courage, immense culture, and outstanding ability. They came through the crucible of fire and emerged as leaders of men and nations. They are the David Ben-Gurions, the Jawaharlal Nehrus, and we have our own too. Imbued with enormous personal prestige, they strive to meet the high expectations of their peoples to build a brave new world, and shape a new future for their peoples, and for their countries.
Presumably, this reference was not the reason for upset, as it would be a highly insecure and parochial government which would take offence to its first Prime Minister being referred to as an exceptional individual. The second reference:
Many political systems today would be quite unrecognisable to their founding leaders….While Nehru’s India has become one where, according to media reports, almost half the MPs in the Lok Sabha have criminal charges pending against them, including charges of rape and murder.
Our External Affairs Ministry sent for Singapore’s Ambassador to India, to protest that these remarks were uncalled for.
Perhaps. Nevertheless, they are absolutely true.
The Association for Democratic Reform (ADR) compiles the data for elected MPs from affidavits filed by them when they announce that they are standing for elections. In the 2019 Lok Sabha, 43% of elected MPs declared that they had pending criminal charges against them. Prof Trilochan Sastry, Founder and Trustee of ADR, told me that this number had gone up from 34% in the 2014 Lok Sabha, and 24% in the 2009 Lok Sabha. Here is a partial list of confirmed charges against just one MP in the ADR data base:
Mischief by destroying or moving a landmark fixed by public authority - 13 cases
Dacoity - 12 cases
Attempt to commit dacoity or robbery when armed with deadly weapons - 8 cases
Mischief by fire or explosive substance, with intent to destroy house etc. - 8 charges
Attempt to murder - 2 charges
The Singapore Prime Minister allowed for the fact that some charges may be falsely pressed, by political competitors. This has been a convenient escape hatch for Indian politicians who are questioned about the presence of criminals in parliament. But one would have to be a very naive Indian not to believe that electoral politics is dominated by money and muscle.
One suggestion that has often been made is that there be fast-track courts to deal with cases against MPs. This would mean that either they would be cleared of fake charges - which would be great for them, and for the dignity of parliament. Alternately, they would be convicted, and removed from parliament - also good for the dignity of parliament, but tough going for the MPs and their parties.
Score: Politicians: 1 Parliament: 0
Mr. Lee’s speech is well worth reading, for the ethical issues it raises:
The system cannot work if the standing of Parliament is called into question. This is why we need to set the right norms of conduct among Parliamentarians, and guard them carefully. Tell the truth always, and do the right thing by Singapore, even when it is hard or awkward – in fact especially when it is hard or awkward. If something goes wrong, or something wrong has been done, own up and take responsibility
I especially loved his reference to former US Secretary of State, George Shultz:
He wrote an op-ed upon reaching 100-years-old and he said that it was one of the most important lessons in his long life: “Trust is the coin of the realm… when trust was in the room, good things happened. When trust was not in the room, good things did not happen. Everything else is details.”
When 43% of your parliament faces criminal charges, the coin of the realm is sullied beyond measure.
All the Money in the World.
Paul Getty was the richest man in the world when his 17-year old grandson was kidnapped in 1973. The kidnappers, from the south of Italy, demanded a ransom of 17 million dollars. Getty wouldn’t pay, saying he had 13 other grandchildren, and paying up would only encourage other kidnappings. In truth, he was a celebrated miser.
In the movie All the Money in the World, Getty deputes a trusted negotiator, an ex-CIA operative played by Mark Wahlberg, to talk to the kidnappers. As it becomes clear that the release is not going to happen without the ransom, the negotiator appeals to Getty for the money. Getty, played by Christopher Plummer, looks at the oil price ticker tape, pours a glass of champagne, and says he is very exposed to the possibility of falling oil prices.
Frustrated, Wahlberg demands,
“How much money will it take for you to feel secure?”
“More”, Getty answers.
This is extremely crisp writing, which underlines the pathology of the man. In an earlier scene, we see him living in an expensive hotel suite, his freshly laundered underclothes hanging behind him. Why overpay precious pounds for a trivial task.
In the event, the kidnappers grew frustrated with Getty’s unwillingness to pay, and cut a ear off the grandson, John Paul Getty III, mailing it to a newspaper to force the billionaire’s hand. He relented, but only to the extent of 1 million dollars. In the film, Fletcher Chace, the character played by Wahlberg, threatened to sabotage Getty’s security arrangements, which is when he agreed to pay the entire ransom.
John Paul Getty III was recovered on December 15, after nearly 5 months in captivity. But it was not a happy ending. His wound was severely infected, and he had been dosed with cheap alcohol and penicillin to keep him going. He remained alcohol and drug dependent all his life, suffered a stroke, and became a quadriplegic. He died in 2011, at the age of 54.
Watching the movie, I was reminded of Ashneer Grover, founder of PhonePe, who is demanding 4,000 crore for his stake in the company. You would think the guy has more than enough money to satisfy his every need, but if you hear his call with a Kotak Bank executive, you would think that his very existence depended on the bank extending him a loan so he could punt on the IPO of Nykaa.
Economists say money has three functions - as a store of value, a medium of exchange, and a unit of accounts. But when it becomes an end in itself, an account of your self-worth, it becomes pathological, and destructive.
Often of the self, but I think of the irony of John Paul Getty III, kidnapped because his grandfather was so rich; destroyed because his grandfather was so stingy.