The first thing she said as she agreed for an interview was that she will not take any “political questions”. And yet, in answer to a question on “intolerance” the Amritsar-born spiritual guru, who preaches Sufism as much as the Upanishads, said she only too well remembers the killing of Sikhs in 1984 and the manner in which Kashmiri Pundits had to flee their home state (in the face of terrorism). “Intolerance is orchestrated. I am personally aware of the trauma Sikhs and Kashmiri Pundits faced. Nobody talked of intolerance then and returned any award.”
Anandmurti Gurumaa, the 49-year-old preacher, drove down to Delhi from her Rishi Amrit Ashram in Gannaur in Sonepat district last Sunday to talk about Divine Love on Valentine’s Day at a jam-packed Siri Fort auditorium. Looking resplendent in an orange and gold silk sari, she kept her audience spellbound as she sang and spoke for two hours about divine love, in keeping with the spirit of the day, but with the rider that love for god has to be in perpetuity, not limited to a day.
The contemporary, liberal mystic who speaks about Mark Zuckerberg and Steve Jobs, said the purpose of her discourses is to spread “joy” and help people “awaken” to rejoice in god (by any name, in any religion), rather than in materialistic things. She got her calling at a tender age of 14 but went ahead and completed her graduation in political science and philosophy steadfast in her belief that “India cannot appreciate democracy unless it is educated to the core.’’
She is among the few gurus who talks of female foeticide and education of girls during her discourses. At a meeting in Punjab she once asked the women in the audience to raise their hand if they had never got sonography test done to determine the sex of their unborn child. Not many hands came up but she raised awareness among her believers about the incorrectness of the act. Her concerns have translated into setting up of four Shakti Udan Centres — at Gurgaon, Kaithal, Kanpur and Mumbai – to not only train young women in entrepreneurial skills for financial independence but also women who have dependent, alcoholic husbands.
“Prime Minister says Beti-Bachao, Beti-Padhao…we gave this call 15 years ago. For me it started when during one of my meetings in Amritsar, my college lecturer brought to my notice a brilliant girl-student who was crying as her widowed mother could not pay her fees. I decided to pay for her education and that started the process of educating needy girls. Till now 35,000 girls have been educated at Rishi Amrit Ashram… I believe that education will give a flight (udan) to girls and empower them, not to become women libbers, but to make them wise and financially sound.’’
In answer to a question, she said the restlessness in society was coming from growing consumerism and materialism and the huge gap between the haves and the have-nots. “The unrest is because political parties, in their bid to win, can even sacrifice the country if they are required to. The unrest is because in the race for material things, people want to become rich and powerful now and here. And, the big population of the country is the biggest killer because amenities are few and the demands are so much more.”
“My work is to help people understand that the reason for their unrest is their own untrained mind. Whether you are poor or rich you can be happy in both conditions if you have a strong and integrated mind. If not, then you can be a millionaire seeking to be a billionaire with no end to this rut.’’
She rues the fact that while America celebrates Bhakti festivals and Kirtan festivals, India is stuck in Rock festivals. “I have nothing against Rock Festivals. But when materialism is on the rise, spiritualism cannot be appreciated. When a person like me talks meditation, you say it is nonsense. But when Steve Jobs said that you should meditate then people said, oh! let’s do it. When Zuckerberg says we should focus on ourselves, people want to follow because these days corporate honchos, the rich and the famous are the role models. So I believe the rich and the famous should do what I am doing — spreading joy out of wisdom.’’
According to her, the answer lies in giving more respect and attention to those values which bring peace, love and celebration to us. Religion, she says, is not about rituals, but living an ethical life.
For her, who has found her peace and happiness, the next step is to explore the wisdom of various mystics and gurus and bhaktas around the globe. “I do not restrict myself to any nationality, creed, sect or religion. I am like the sky. I allow all kinds of clouds to float into me and that is such a wonderful thing.”
During her recent visit to China she was delighted to learn from Shaolin Abbot that Kung Fu martial art was actually designed by an Indian monk named Bodhidharma. “Kung Fu is not Chinese at all. It is Make in India,’’ she says with a hearty laugh.
