The Story of the Aashrams Behind AASHRAM
Interview: Kuldeep Ruhil, the scriptwriter of the MX Player web series Aashram stayed at eleven ashrams and deras in North India to research why devotees are drawn magnetically to self-styled Babas.
With accusations of rape, financial irregularities, land-grabbing, murder, and criminal conspiracy, ashrams and deras around the country—institutions that allege to be centres of spirituality—have earned a notorious reputation. These centres have been accused of faking miracles, peddling unscientific medicines, heckling sex education, and supporting crony politics. While they often ask their followers to give up the moh-maya—attachment to mortal/worldly pursuits—the leaders of these ashrams and deras themselves pursue luxury cars, YouTube views, and screen time on the voyeuristic TV show, Bigg Boss.
Which begs these questions: are the faces behind these ashrams all crooked, or are there some any genuine exceptions? Are these deras a den of vice as they are portrayed, or a refuge for the troubled soul? And, just how and when do followers get sucked into this web of lies and scandal?
Are the faces behind these ashrams all crooked, or are there some any genuine exceptions? Are these deras a den of vice as they are portrayed, or a refuge for the troubled soul? And, just how and when do followers get sucked into this web of lies and scandal?
With these questions in mind, actor-scriptwriter Kuldeep Ruhil visited eleven ashrams in North India over the course of seventeen days in 2018, and many of his observations made it into the script of the Prakash Jha directed and produced series Aashram on MX Player. The web series is about the fictional Baba Nirala (Bobby Deol) and his charitable persona, which comes under scanner after the skeleton of a woman is found in the town of Kashipur. Season 2 of Aashram, which was released in late October, unravels the rest of the story.
The Mumbai-based Ruhil recently joined The Chakkar for an interview to further discuss his research in real ashrams and deras. Here are some edited excerpts from the conversation:
The Chakkar: Which ashrams and deras did you go to for your research?
Ruhil: I can't name them. It's not because I am scared of their Babas and followers. It's just that I don't want to give them unnecessary mileage. The more we talk about them, the more powerful they become and the more drama they do to seek attention.
The Chakkar: But your series, Aashram, is giving the Babas and ashrams a lot of mileage.
Ruhil: It's the opposite. Our focus is on the followers. Who are they? Where do they come from and why? How do they become victims? What happens to a girl after rape? We are hoping the audience will see the inner workings of an ashram and its nexus (with the powerful).
The Chakkar: So did you go undercover?
Ruhil: No. Most deras are quite open to newcomers and you can easily get in. It's only when you become a devotee, you get access to areas like schools and hostels. But, yes, while meeting the Babas, I was always a businessman looking to leaving the material world [laughs].
Kuldeep Ruhil
The Chakkar: It was reported that Karni Sena had sent a legal notice to Prakash Jha for hurting Hindu sentiments and for the objectionable portrayal of Aashrama Dharma and Babas. Jha has confirmed it was a fake letter since. Have you received threats from these ashrams after the show went live?
Ruhil: Luckily, no. But a few people in my village in Haryana did tell me, “A few Babas may be corrupt but our Baba is not like this”. Others were happy. They said, “You have shown the truth. Until and unless these crooks go, deras will keep getting a bad name.”
The Chakkar: The dera culture is big in your home state, Haryana, isn't it?
Ruhil: Yes, but you will be surprised to know that half of its population is against Babas. Maybe because they've seen a lot of Babas grow from a nobody in their areas to somebody, and they know that most are fooling people. Another thing I have observed is people like to worship far-off Babas. So, a lot of people from Haryana go to deras in Rajasthan, Rajasthanis come to Uttar Pradesh, Uttar Pradeshis go to Himachal, etc.
The Chakkar: Do you attend deras yourself?
Ruhil: Not me, but my sisters go. Having said that, when my first TV serial Kittu Sabb Jaanti Hai came out in 2006, they took me to a dera in Delhi. And the moment the Baba came to know I am an actor from Mumbai, he sent all his devotees, including my sisters, outside to have a one-on-one with me. “I also know a lot of producers. We can work together,” he said. That's it. I took a vow to never go back. I knew all this was eyewash yet we end up doing irrational things at some point, right? I was 26 then and struggling in my career.
The Chakkar: What did you learn about these Babas in your research?
Ruhil: I wanted to know why they chose to became a Baba. I got to speak to only three. Of which, one tried to avoid me, while the others were predictable and filmy. They told me, “What's there to seek in the material world? God is the truth and those who realise that quickly, leave everything.” They threw verses from the Bhagavad Gita at every second sentence.
The Chakkar: Tell me a little bit about what these ‘real’ ashrams and deras actually look like.
Ruhil: Smaller deras look like a school. They have a big office, two or three temples, a site to commemorate Babas who have passed away, a meditation hall and a common area to receive prasad. The bigger deras can run into 1,200 to 2,000 acres. They've got farm lands, schools, hospitals and cinema halls. They feed visitors five times a week and residents all the time—for free. In one dera, I sat with 150 women and men to peel only the peas for lunch. One dera even had its own news channel and paper! So, it feels like a business setup, not a place of worship.
Some have colonies for followers and also for non-followers. Due to which, the town or city outside the walls of an ashram start participating, too. Over time, municipal corporations and politicians get involved, and these Babas become powerful.
The Chakkar: A lot is speculated about the inner world of these ashrams. What did you discover from your experiences?
Ruhil: All of that is in the script! Jokes aside, I learned that the staff rescues the injured dogs, monkeys, cows and ducks and gives them shelter. That was a surprise. However, I was shocked to see how heavily-guarded the hostels were. There were CCTVs, security guards and a 10-foot compound wall that was further beefed up with barbed wires that ran high. I can't explain you the feeling, but it looked like a jail. Plus, hostel students had curfew timings and a dress code to identify them from day-scholars.
The Chakkar: Why do people come to ashrams? Is it just disillusionment with life?
Ruhil: Spirituality is just one reason. The thing is, people want to talk, be heard and feel belonged to. Although we say we are a society of close-knit families, the truth is we don't hear out one another. However, at these ashrams, just greet a devotee sincerely and he/she will share their life's history with you.
From kids to 80-year-olds, individuals to families and rich to the poor, everybody comes here. Women, more so. We don't give our mothers, our homemakers, our working women the respect they deserve or opportunities to speak. If there's a get-together at home and she wants to join in the conversation, we send them inside to bring pakodas. If we keep on closing our doors on them, they will drift to ashrams where they will find Babas and devotees who have the time to listen to their stories.
The victims of caste discrimination get drawn in the same manner and we have explored that on the show. In that sense, an ashram becomes a commune.
People want to talk, be heard and feel belonged to. Although we say we are a society of close-knit families, the truth is we don't hear out one another. However, at these ashrams, just greet a devotee sincerely and he/she will share their life's history with you.
There are many kinds of people. I went to an ashram whose Baba was in jail. When I stepped out, I saw a car with a poster, which read Mera Baba Nirdosh Hai [‘My Baba is innocent’]. When I enquired, the owner—a devotee—said, “The court can frame anybody but if we don't tell others that our Baba is innocent, who will?”
On the other hand, a devotee didn't want the small dera he goes to, to grow any big. He said, “You never know what they'll do when they become powerful?” This mistrust came from the charges of sex allegations, money laundering and political nexus that have been levelled against Babas in recent years.
But mostly, [the followers] are innocent—they don't realise when the Babas cross the line.
The Chakkar: Did you personally witness anything objectionable?
Ruhil: No. But what happens is that people are so devoted to their Baba that even he touches them wrongly, they don't see it that way. That's what blind faith is.
The Chakkar: Are these places of spirituality or a seat of power and evil? What did you feel?
Ruhil: I got a beautiful feeling in small deras. Devotees come for meditation and spirituality. They don't discuss politics or ways to grow the dera bigger. They can visit everybody from the Guru to the bodyguard openly or serve at cowsheds. The corruption hasn't started there yet. Maybe they genuinely began as the site for a Sadhu, I felt.
On the other hand, the focus on individual growth is missing in big deras. For them, it's about what they can and will do for you, which can give an impression that just joining a dera will resolve your problems. In that sense, they are playing mind games like Chanakya, but for selfish gains—to grow their empire.
The Chakkar: So, are the Babas and Maas here to stay?
Mysticism is a big part of India. People such as Apple's late founder Steve Jobs come to seek spirituality here, and at some point, everyone tries to find what is beyond life. This is not the issue. The problem is the ‘genuine’ Babas are hidden away from limelight, somewhere in the ghats of Haridwar.
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Barkha Kumari is a freelance journalist and a lucid dream blogger from Bangalore. You can follow her on Twitter: @Barkha2803 and Instagram: @rainsnroses.
