I believe, therefore I am
Faith is the bedrock. Be it the vulnerable or the blessed, everyone needs it in one form or another

Is all consuming faith overpowering reason? For many, that might be a highly debatable question considering that the very connotations of faith, religion and spirituality are open to multifarious interpretations. The argumentative Indian might ask: “So what’s new?” John Lennon and George Harrison took the Hare Krishna mantra to the West, and the Beatles swore by transcendental meditation till their relations with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi turned sour.

There are those who need faith because they have nothing to lose and there are others who have too much at atake and must therefore seek faith to shield it. Take for instance corporate honcho Sunil Bharti Mittal, who considers the number 23 sacrosanct and makes sure that he closes all his important deals only on the 23rd. Or soap queen Ekta Kapoor who takes all her tapes to Tirupati before letting them go on air.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar regards faith as the central core of human life, something that sees one through difficult times. “Faith is not contrary to logic as is understood in the West. When knowledge lodges itself firmly in one’s life, it is called faith. Having faith is to realize that God’s protection is there for you. If there is faith that everything will be all right, then everything will settle down. Even those who say I don’t believe in anything have to believe n their words! The issue is where you put your faith,” he explains.

Prabhu Devamitra, president, temple of the Vrindavan chapter of ISKCON, for instance, left behind a masters degrees in management and a cushy job in an MNC to subscribe to his over empowering faith in Hare Krishna. “No one can live without faith in something – be it spiritual or materialistic, religious or non-religious. Even atheists have faith in something. Consequences of faithlessness are becoming more and more apparent as materialism is gaining ground.” Not utopian anymore.

Faith doesn’t act as a crutch but as strength. For Rajiv Kumar, managing director, DS Group, faith is connecting with the higher being. Kumar occasionally goes to the temple and listens to devotional music, but prefers to feel liberated by strict rituals. “We definitely consult a pandit for an auspicious time before signing an important deal or inaugurating a factory. Numerology, too, influences my decisions – especially while deciding the vehicle numbers and sometimes for christening our new ventures,” he adds. Meditation is what industrialist B K Modi turns to, to reassert his faith. And what else? “I believe faith is about confidence in oneself. But yes I do occasionally visit “special temples and I also celebrate on full moon days.” Looking back at his spiritual sojourn, he further adds that “he has been able to overcome his superstitions to a large extent and therefore there is little space left for strict temple rituals that he followed earlier.”

But youngsters like Kavita Kapoor shaw are still trying to find the roots of their faith…… A marketing associates with Star News, she turned to Buddhist faith Soka Gakkai “when nothing around her seemed to be going right.” Her immediate group has now increased from a couple of people to a couple of dozens.

Profound indeed. Quite like the contemporary perspective that theologian Valson Thampu presents. “There’s far greater spirituality in the secular world. And also among people who are fighting for social justice – like Aruna Roy and Medha Patkar.” But meanwhile as new influences are adopted, the religious and pilgrimage tourism continues to drive strong – according to the Domestic Tourism Study conducted by National Council for Applied Economic Research, 80 million Indians travel to religious worship destinations, annually spending a massive Rs. 10,530 crore in the process. Lord Venkateshwara temple in Tirupati attracts over 15 million pilgrims per year, tops with Rs. 1,000 crore, The industry is estimated to grow by 30% per year. Hopefully more – fuelled by the celebrity factor: Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachhan at the Vishwanath Temple of Benaras, or the former at Pushkar and Ajmer Sharif!