THE Hathras incident has brought one more baba into the national limelight. In a country of more than a billion people, there are babas, big and small, and perhaps in millions. The tragedy notwithstanding-and the clear lapses in organising the event-what is baffling is the continued popularity of some of these babas across the country despite all their misadventures. Gone are the days of babas who were hermits, renunciants and ascetics. It's not as if this breed is completely extinct, but they are very few and far between. A large number of today's babas have mushroomed as entrepreneurs, as insecurity management start-ups, catering to varied kinds of clientele. Some, like the 5-star ones, handhold the rich and the privileged facing difficult times in exotic and highly esoteric settings. In the meantime, a vast majority of the ordinary, underclass, both urban and rural people, grappling with all kinds of anxieties and insecurities veer around the rest.
This story is from the August 01, 2024 edition of Outlook.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the August 01, 2024 edition of Outlook.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
No Singular Self
Sudarshan Shetty's work questions the singularity of identity
Mass Killing
Genocide or not, stop the massacre of Palestinians
Passing on the Gavel
The higher judiciary must locate its own charter in the Constitution. There should not be any ambiguity
India Reads Korea
Books, comics and webtoons by Korean writers and creators-Indian enthusiasts welcome them all
The K-kraze
A chronology of how the Korean cultural wave(s) managed to sweep global audiences
Tapping Everyday Intimacies
Korean filmmaker Hong Sang-soo departs from his outsized national cinema with low-budget, chatty dramedies
Tooth and Nail
The influence of Korean cinema on Bollywood aesthetics isn't matched by engagement with its deeper themes as scene after scene of seemingly vacuous violence testify, shorn of their original context
Beyond Enemy Lines
The recent crop of films on North-South Korea relations reflects a deep-seated yearning for the reunification of Korea
Ramyeon Mogole?
How the Korean aesthetic took over the Indian market and mindspace
Old Ties, Modern Dreams
K-culture in Tamil Nadu is a very serious pursuit for many