The white babas

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November 4, 2006

 

 

 

Mini Pant Zachariah, Hindustan Times

 

 

The white babas In

her long journey from Amarkantak in Madhya Pradesh to the Gulf of

Cambay, the Narmada traverses 1,312 kilometres dotted with temples.

Like the Ganga, this ancient river has thousands of devotees, many of

them from far-off lands. They are the `gora babas' or white sadhus who

lead the ascetic life — of meditation, a frugal diet and the occasional

chillum. None of them came to India to become ascetics. So what

happened? A shrug, a smile and two words explain it all: "My guru."

Many of them have applied for Indian citizenship. As their applications

remain caught in red tape, they wait — for that piece of paper. And for

salvation.

Narmada Shankar, 44Originally from AustriaClad

in an ochre loincloth, his matted hair coiled high, Narmada Shankar

greets us with an Om Namoh Shivai. He lives in a one-room dwelling,

surrounded by the many fruit-bearing trees he has planted. His chelas

or disciples run errands for him and help cook his meals. Exactly what

he did some 20 years ago for his guru, Brahmachari Raghunathji Maharaj.

Stockl Erwin was training to be a priest in Austria when he set out

on a journey to find an answer to the eternal mystery — death.

Travelling across Greece, he changed course and landed up in

Omkareshwar, where he met his guru. His parents tried to take him back

to Austria but failed. And made their peace with him when, on a trip to

India, his father found Narmada Shankar giving first aid to poor

villagers at the ashram. "My father was so happy. He said, `Eighteen

years ago, I told your mother our son was a loser, I can now tell her

he is a hero'."

In 1993, Narmada Shankar undertook the Narmada Parikrama, circumnavigating the river on foot without once crossing it. "It took me three years. I would start at sunrise and stop at sunset, carrying my meagre

belongings on my head and eating whatever I was given in ashrams and

homes on the way," he recalls. His one wish is "to die on the banks of

the Narmada".

Omkarpuri Baba, 52Originally from FranceAt

the Juna Akhada in Omkareshwar, sitting in vajrasana pose, Omkarpuri

Baba recalls how he came to India 22 years ago, went to the Kumbh Mela

in January 1989, met his guru, Srimahant Kalyanpuri Baba, and stayed on

to be his disciple for life. "So much love. Guruji ne bahut prem diya —

apne bachhe jaisa (he gave me as much love as he would his own child),"

he says, taking a drag of the chillum. Like the other disciples, he

swept and cooked for his guru until his death. "Aur namoh narayan bas

(And prayer; that's all)," he adds.

He refuses to tell us his real name, but does say he worked in the

Navy and was an only child. "Forget about the foreigners who have made

this land their home. Write about the way this land is going to be

destroyed in the next two decades," he instructs me, pointing to the

overflowing gutter snaking its way into the river and a heap of

discarded plastic and other waste.

Pujari Ram Das, 53Originally from ItalyRam

Das, born Oscar Spill in the harbour city of Ancona in Italy, came to

India in 1975 as part of a team to research India's holy men. The team

split over whether to go north or south. Spill decided to go his own

way, found his guru, Raghuvir Dasji, on the banks of the Narmada and

stayed with him for 20 years. "After he passed away I roamed the

country till I reached Janki ghat in Varanasi and learnt the puja

rituals from priest Ram Palak Das. I then served as the pujari in a

temple in Ayodhya before the trustees of the Hanuman temple asked me to

come to Indore," he says.

Pujari Ram Das wakes up at 3.30 am and meditates for an hour before

cleaning the temple, bathing and dressing the deity, and preparing the

prasad for the gods. Does he occasionally offer a prasad of pasta? The

lines around his eyes deepen as he laughs, "No, only Indian fare."

 

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