A religious preacher in India is in controversy. He is behind bars at a jail in Jodhpur in the desert state of Rajasthan. The Indian media is hounding the religious preacher with reports as if there is a hysterical noose that is tightening.

Has the ordeal just begun for the religious guru, endearingly called Bapu! He is though known as Asaram Bapu among his followers.

At the centre of the present controversy is the charge against Asaram Bapu that he sexually assaulted a teenage girl at one of his ashrams in August this year.

Five years ago, this religious guru was at the centre of similar outbursts after four children died at two separate institutions run by him.

It is said that Asaram was a horse carriage driver once upon a time, and also worked at a tea stall.

Today, he runs hundreds of ashrams and has followers in millions.

Well, it is not the first time when a religious preacher in India is facing the heat. Asaram Bapu’s disciples say their guru has been framed in a deep conspiracy.

But the question is how the criminal justice system would proceed in a case where there has been a quick media trial showing the religious guru in poor light, almost without hearing him.

No one has seen the evidences, yet everyone is speaking for or against the 72-year-old religious guru. Is it how we allow our prosecution and courts to proceed?

Of course this has already become a hi-profile case, and hence justice must be fast-tracked, for it may be just another case of sexual molestation for the investigating agency BUT for the Indians it is a matter of faith which is at stake in view of a popular leader facing sex charges. [Click to read How Strong Is Your Faith?]

Asaram Bapu

And this time this popular leader is also a religious preacher. Needless to say that one or the other religious preacher plays an important role in the lives of most of the countrymen.

Also, there has always been a great rapport between a teacher and a student in India that is described as a unique guru-shishya tradition.

This tradition should not be allowed to cave in, come what may, particularly in view of the fact that even the complainant girl’s family has been followers of the religious guru in question. 

Hear podcast: https://neerajbhushan.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/untitled_mixdown.mp3

Director Prakash Jha and actor Amitabh Bachchan discussing Satyagrah in New Delhi.

Bollywood director Prakash Jha’s films have generally done well in the past, so much so that he’s one of the very few identified men behind the camera. His production house also slogans around the concept of ‘Cinema with Power’, and why not when his works portray the real on reel.

However, all his award winning plots and narratives seem to have gone haywire while filming ‘Satyagraha’ which had raised the walls of hopes with trailers promising to stir the conscience of the audience who’ve still not forgotten country-wide agitations against seething corruption and failure of justice delivery system.

At a time when Jha appeared set to collaborate with international filmmakers to present to global audiences fascinating stories, his ‘Satyagraha’ squarely fails to stir the souls gasping to breathe deep amid suffocating politics all around.

Kareena Kapoor and Ajay Devgn promoting Satyagraha in Ahmedabad

Though a multiple award-winning independent filmmaker producing and directing 17 feature films including ‘Gangajal’, ‘Mrityudand’ and ‘Damul’ and having notched eight national awards, Jha has this time himself corrupted the meaning and value of ‘Satyagraha’, much practised and popularised by none other Mahatma Gandhi during India’s freedom struggle.

When the country is brewing with ideas, bubbling youth are questioning everything come whatever despite the elders crying hoarse against the system, it was expected that ‘Satyagraha’ would guide the nation with a message that remains undelivered even by the likes of some great campaigners including Anna Hazare.

Don’t we live in a country where the majority walks miles to eat while the ruling handful run on treadmills to burn extra calories? Aren’t we witness to a total collapse of moral values in our society and indifference of the elite towards the working class? Isn’t a common man today disillusioned by all organs of government be it Executive, Legislature or Judiciary?

Image courtesy: MUSIC OF THE SPINNING WHEEL Mahatma Gandhi Manifesto for Internet Age.

A ‘satyagraha’ undoubtedly is a powerful weapon but hasn’t Prakash Jha made a mockery of the stick public could have well beaten the system with? It was a sad day when activist Arvind Kejriwal turned a politician in his attempts to cleanse the system. And similarly, ‘Satyagraha’ is a bad movie that fails to restore the confidence of the audience in the non-violent ways we have always expressed our anger, since time immemorial.

Country’s raring youth is demanding a road map for success and amendment in fractured laws, but what they end up getting is ‘gyan’ i.e. undeserving advice. ‘Satyagraha’ movie exactly does that.

The remaining nails in the coffin are hammered by (i) Amitabh Bachchan who wears woolen shawl throughout the summers; (ii) Kareena Kapoor who reads a novel in dark; (iii) Vipin Sharma who sings for the government despite being in the opposition; (iv) Ajay Devgn who is convincingly confused with his role and (v) Arjun Rampal who is aimlessly squandering on the celluloid.

Sudheendra Kulkarni

Music too is a pain to ears save one number, ‘Ras ke bhare tore naina’; but then the background score including the song overdose in the form of otherwise magical mantra ‘Raghupati raghav raja ram’ is irritating. Every action, what to talk of ‘direct action’, is a baggage on a popcorn eating movie goer.

Finally, socio-political thinker Sudheendra Kulkarni has this message for Jha: “[I’m] Disappointed [to watch Satyagraha]. So badly made. Fails to capture Mahatma Gandhi’s profound philosophy. Fails also as a film on recent events.  With a good script a good director can produce a masterpiece, as Akira Kurosawa wrote in his autobiography. [But] Satyagraha [is] ruined by [a] bad script.”

Hear the podcast in Hindi – https://neerajbhushan.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/satyagrah-film-review.mp3

I have been doing occasional podcasts for the Hindi news portal Bharat Bolega, run and managed by Greater Voice only.

The recordings have been submitted to iTunes Store, for their approval for global audience, so that Greater Voice may have a new platform to reach out to people.

Here are some podcasts done in the past, for you to hear and give your feedback.

1. Bank for women in India

https://neerajbhushan.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/bank-for-women.mp3

2. Bibi Aisha of Afghanistan

https://neerajbhushan.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/ayesha-of-afghanistan.mp3

3. Malala Yousuf Zai of Pakistan

https://neerajbhushan.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/malala-back-to-school-podcast.mp3

Reopened on Aug.21, 2013 to add:

Apple’s iTunes Store has approved Greater Voice podcasts. Cheers! You can see them on the iTunes Store now. And if you are looking for the URL to access Greater Voice on iTunes Store, please click here. You will also be able to find Greater Voice podcasts through a search on the iTunes Store.