O, Baba!

The skill lies in the way you say things

Baba knows everything, your past as well as future! Your good time is about to come!8217;8217; With these loud words the old soothsayer in ochre robes entered my office, disregarding my reluctance to meet him. It was April 2004. The Lok Sabha elections had been announced. India was feeling good and shining as never before, and the ruling coalition8217;s return to power was a foregone conclusion. Most government offices were functioning in the default setting, waiting for the election to get over. So I let Baba have some of my time.

From a portfolio that he carried he showed me testimonials from his patrons and photographs with them. There seemed to be no dearth of insecure officials who had become easy prey to his glib talk.

8216;8216;Baba wants nothing!8217;8217; Saying this, he closed his eyes and started chanting a mantra. After in a while, he opened his eyes and started revealing me to myself. 8216;8216;You can never wrong anyone.8217;8217; I believed him. 8216;8216;You place your trust in others easily. But take care in future.8217;8217; 8216;8216;You do not get fully rewarded for your labours.8217;8217; Hardly surprising 8212; don8217;t we all nurse this grievance? 8216;8216;In all relationships, you give more than what you get.8217;8217; Another thought no one could dispute. He carried on flattering me. I did not demur. Who would?

He then asked me to close my eyes. On my doing so, he slipped a rudraksh into my palm. 8216;8216;Do not see it now. Keep in your pocket. When you go home place it in your puja room. All your wishes would be fulfilled. Now give Baba a certificate and a photo with you.8217;8217;

Saying this he called a youngish disciple from outside. The latter, also in ochre robes, came armed with a camera. I was amazed at their preparedness but being wary of such people declined his request. For a moment his eyes blazed in anger, but collecting himself, he said, 8216;8216;Never mind. Ask a question about future. When proved correct, I8217;ll come again. Then you can give me a photo.8217;8217;

Just to shake him off I asked who India8217;s next prime minister would be. His reply to this was not surprising at that point. As the events unfolded, most political pundits and fortune-tellers were proved wrong, for they had foreclosed their escape route by categorically predicting that A.B. Vajpayee would become the PM again. The Baba8217;s words came true, however, because he had hedged his bets by stating, 8216;8216;Sonia Gandhi will not become the PM!8217;8217;