By Japan K Pathak

Because of BAPS’s Deep-Rooted Rigidity, All Hindus in France Have Been Put on the Defensive

Last year, a camp on the subject of Indian Knowledge Systems was organised at Gujarat University. I was sitting right at the back as a member of the audience. Suddenly, I noticed that the female Vice-Chancellor left the stage and also asked the other women sitting in the front rows to move all the way to the last row, one by one. Within moments, the Vice-Chancellor herself and all the women who had been sitting in the front came and sat at the back. Among them were lecturers, Vice-Chancellors, women working in the field of knowledge systems, professors and women scholars.

Then, a Swaminarayan sadhu came onto the stage. I understood why the female Vice-Chancellor had suddenly left the stage and why all the women sitting in the front had been moved to the back. In fact, there is a tradition in the Swaminarayan sect that sadhus should not look at a woman’s face. And that is why this happened.

After the programme ended, I met the female Vice-Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi. She was impressive in her speech. During our conversation, she said that we Hindus also need to improve a lot from within. “Look, just now a Swaminarayan sadhu came and all the women were made to sit at the back. If we keep going along with this sort of thing, how will we stay on the same page?”

When I went to the inauguration of the Ayodhya Ram Mandir, there were senior swamis of the Swaminarayan sect on the flight. Were there no women at the airport or on the aircraft? On one side, there are the rules of the sect; on the other, one has to move around the world. So, from a practical point of view, rigidity is naturally put aside, isn’t it?

Then what must have been thought in France when, during Mahant Swami’s visit to the Eiffel Tower, the female staff of the Eiffel Tower were allegedly told to leave and move away because swamis do not look at women’s faces? The employees of the Eiffel Tower went on strike on Monday over the issue and shut down the Eiffel Tower.

Now, because of this act by the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS), Hindus across France have started facing criticism and attacks. Politicians, including the local mayor, have put Hindu society in the dock because of BAPS’s thoughtless rigidity. Last year itself, when there was a discourse by a BAPS sadhu who had travelled from Gujarat to Bengal, a similar treatment was reportedly meted out to women there as well, sparking discussion in the region.

In France, people are now demanding everything from banning BAPS to holding a topless women’s parade (organised there by the radical women’s organisation Femen), wherever BAPS members are seen. Someone has even asked what the difference is between hijab-wearers and these people.

If this rule of not looking at women’s faces has to be followed in the organisation’s internal programmes, let it be followed. Otherwise, it should be given up in public programmes. If a sadhu is internally prepared not to have other thoughts arise upon seeing a woman’s face, then what difference does it make whether he sees the face or does not see it?

If this kind of rigidity is not changed, BAPS will invite more and more controversies, and every time, even those Hindus who have nothing to do with BAPS will also find themselves in a defensive position.

There is no such rigidity in the broader Hindu Sanatan tradition. Whatever rigidity existed has largely disappeared over time. Swaminarayan followers should take stock of the rigidities that ought to be discarded.

The best PR for BAPS at this moment would be to announce that it considers this incident an occasion to bring about a change in its tradition, and to thank the female employees of the Eiffel Tower for becoming the occasion for this change. Senior BAPS sadhus will take the decision regarding any change in the tradition.

Signs of Trouble Next Summer

Over the past few years, a trend has been observed where the monsoon brings abundant rainfall in its latter half. If that trend holds true this year, it would be a good thing. Otherwise, looking at the situation today, the warning drums of a drought crisis are already being sounded.

I keep a daily eye on rainfall figures. A few days ago, Gujarat’s rainfall deficit stood at 16 per cent. It then rose to 17 per cent, and as of today, September 8, the deficit stands at 18 per cent.

The most alarming deficit is in Dwarka district, at 88 per cent. It is followed by Porbandar at 74 per cent. Gir Somnath and Kutch have a deficit of 62 per cent.

As of today, where is there no rainfall deficit? The answer is Surendranagar, Morbi, Amreli, Tapi, Surat, Navsari, Kheda, Dang, Bharuch and Anand. On paper, these districts do not have a rainfall deficit, but the rains have been inadequate here as well. So, there are certainly concerns when it comes to rain-dependent agriculture.

In all the other districts, there is a rainfall deficit both on paper and on the ground. If adequate rainfall does not occur, drought, scant rainfall or scarcity will have to be declared district-wise, wherever applicable, depending on the extent of the deficit.

The most severe impact of a drought is generally felt during the summer of the following year. And if the monsoon remains weak in the second year as well, the hardship increases considerably.

On the other hand, globally too, there are signs that food prices could rise in the coming period. Fertiliser prices have already increased by 30 per cent. The situation with diesel is similar. The worst impact of El Niño has not even been felt yet.

As of September 8, during the ongoing monsoon, Odisha is the only state in the entire country to have recorded rainfall above normal. All other states have a deficit.

Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Bihar, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya and Manipur have rainfall deficits ranging from 20 to 60 per cent and have been placed in the red zone. Meanwhile, barring Odisha, all remaining states have rainfall deficits of less than 20 per cent.

There is an election in Gujarat next year. But before that, there is a monsoon to get through. Pray, and stay prepared.

The Boy Who Cried Wolf

In Ahmedabad, auto-rickshaw drivers have announced strikes several times in the past, but when the day of the strike arrived, the rickshaws would continue to operate. As a result, people gradually began to treat announcements of rickshaw strikes as insignificant. This time too, a rickshaw strike was announced, and everyone took it lightly. It became a case of “the boy who cried wolf.”

But from the night before the strike, reels began appearing on Instagram suggesting that people were being forced to observe the strike. There were scenes of arguments with a two-wheeler rider working for Rapido; somewhere else, a rickshaw window appeared to have been smashed, and so on. Seeing all this, the Amdavad Municipal Corporation (AMC) and the police realised that this time they had been caught off guard. They had not anticipated the strike and had made no arrangements.

From the railway station onwards, people were put to considerable hardship. As always, the government system behaved like a dinosaur. That said, the strike was not as strong as the noise surrounding it had suggested. Rickshaws, Rapido vehicles, taxis—everything continued to operate. In some places, groups were enforcing the strike, while elsewhere everything was running as usual. That was the situation.

The fact is that rickshaw, Rapido and taxi drivers largely come from economically vulnerable sections of society. They are in a position where they earn their living day by day. In such circumstances, they may want to observe a strike too, but if they do not go out to earn, what are they supposed to do?

That is precisely why rickshaw strikes fail. Secondly, there are now numerous unions representing rickshaw drivers, and in reality, none has the kind of leadership or support needed to enforce a solid, united strike.

One genuine problem faced by rickshaw drivers is the frequent increase in CNG prices by Adani. That is a real issue.

The second problem is that rickshaws and taxis have to pay higher taxes and obtain commercial registration and the yellow number plate to operate. Meanwhile, radio taxis and two-wheeler taxi operators, such as Rapido and Uber, can conduct business after paying regular taxes while using private vehicles with white number plates, and attract customers by offering cheaper services.

Public opinion is naturally in favour of cheaper services. Therefore, rickshaw drivers do not get much public support either for their demands or for their strikes. But look at what happened yesterday. There was a rickshaw strike, and Uber and others increased their fares.

Rickshaws certainly have their utility. But their numbers have increased beyond measure, fares have gone up, reliability has declined, and they are not accepting the changes brought about by technology.