Religion and Identity in Transition

Rajeshwari Mesta / As the port town of Vasco da Gama and the industry around it grew, so did its migrant population. Further, workers from neighbouring states came to work on the trawlers as fishing became mechanised, making Vasco perhaps the most cosmopolitan working class town in Goa. Today, the children of those who came from outside the State know little about the language and the village their parents came from, aside from the little that they glean from occasional visits to their ancestral place. Born, brought up, and educated in Goa, they straddle two different cultures, much like the ‘desi’ Indian children who are born and brought up in England or in the United States of America. This study shows how religion and sociology together helped a young migrant woman’s complex process of self-discovery, as well as her search for identity, in contemporary urban Vasco.

During my school days, my friends were unkind and even cruel to me, because I am the daughter of a fisherman. For example, if I did well in my studies, they said, “Your father gave fish to the principal, so he would show you favours.” I felt very sad about that but had no words with which to reply. Back home my parents said, “Just ignore them.” That didn’t convince me. When I was attending tuition classes in the 10th standard, my teacher insulted me, saying: Mesta nustem gheta ani bazarant basun nustem vikta (Mesta buys fish and sits in the market and sells fish). I was hurt, but again, at a loss for words.

Things changed when I graduated in 2006. One of my friends talked about the differences between Goans and non-Goans; she said non-Goans, and especially fisherfolk, do not have proper manners. I retorted: “If this is so, why are you my friend?” She was speechless. She realized then that there is nothing wrong in being a part of the fishing community, or in being a non-Goan. At the same time, I realized that my own perspective on the fishing community had undergone a sea change! However, some of my friends still address me as a non-Goan; just because my father originally came from Karnataka, they don’t consider me to be a part of this land, even though I was born here and have lived here all my life.

Some years ago I joined Sabha, a new religion group in Vasco, without really knowing why. My mother told me that it was good for my self-development and it would stand me in good stead in my life. In those days I often wondered why I was a part of this group, while at the same time I was still following the traditional practices of my old religion. What was I to identify myself with? Was it what others addressed me as? Was it about what I felt about myself? What was I? Was I a Goan or a non-Goan, a woman from a fishing community or an educated woman in modern Goan society? If I went by these categories then I felt even more hassled. I did not understand what identity actually meant to society. What identity meant to me was that I should be identified by my name and by my performance in my work. By what I have and not what I belong to. As a member of Sabha I was again confused. Was I a believer in Christ or a believer in Hinduism?

Studying Sabha and Self from the inside out

The broad objective of this paper is to profile the history and structure of the New Age group that is called Sabha and to study the personal, religious, and social identity changes within its members. I have used personal experiences and participant observation, and I have also interviewed 15 individuals to provide checks and balances to my own subjective experience.

Amanda Coffey, an authority on social science research methods, writes that “personal experiences and autobiography is (sic) important in social research… personal narratives of the research process are a kind of autobiographical practices in their own right…The self can also be a topic for explicit investigation.” (1)

In my case, my involvement within the group has helped me, right from the beginning, to explore my own experience and personal change.

The ways of the Sabha

In 1980, a man named Ashok Kasle fell ill with kidney problems and was admitted to a government hospital. This middle-class family man from Malvan, Maharashtra, had come to Goa in search of employment, and had first worked as a helper in Panjim before moving into a rented house at Bogda, in Vasco. There he met and fell in love with a neighbour, Reeta Fernandes, and they married. Though their parents did not at first approve, they later accepted the couple.

The doctor declared that Ashok was in a serious condition and would not survive for long. This was a troubled period for the family. Then came the turning point in Ashok Kasle’s life. One night, as he lay asleep on his hospital bed, he heard a voice that said to him, “Get up and spread my name in this world and your entire problem will go away.” Ashok Kasle was baffled by the voice, but by the next morning he felt better and within three days he was healthy again. Doctors were surprised by his recovery. Kasle said, “I am healed. Now I will spread His name in this world. I will give others the true way of life.” He was discharged from hospital shortly thereafter.

Neighbours felt that he was using black magic on people and lodged police complaints against him.

Reeta Kasle used to read the Bible. Through her, Ashok came to know about Jesus Christ. He started praying in his own house and gradually began visiting other people’s homes. He then founded Sabha, a new faith group in Vasco. At this time he earned the prefix ‘Brother,’ and is now known as Brother Ashok.

During this period he and his family faced many problems. People tried to burn his house down. One day their house collapsed, due to bad weather. According to Brother Ashok, a stranger rebuilt his house for free. During his early practice his neighbours created many problems, saying that Sabha was a false religion and that Brother Ashok had been spreading the wrong message. They felt that he was using black magic on people and lodged police complaints against him. Members of some political parties visited Sabha at Bogda. Newspapers alleged that Brother Ashok had illicit relations with a co-worker. Despite all these hurdles he continued to pray and preach. Sabha now has between 8,000 and 10,000 members (Sabhachea munis), from Hindu, Christian, and Muslim backgrounds. Most of them are women; a majority are from Karnataka and Maharashtra. However, Brother Ashok’s problems continue to this today, because some people remain suspicious of his activities.

I have observed that the group has no so-called conversion ritual. Brother Ashok himself practices his earlier Hindu religion; he has not renounced it. According to him, Sabha is not about any religion. One can practice his or her own culture and religion, even after becoming a part of the group. Initially, not much stress was laid on the use of the Bible, but over time the use of the Holy Book has become compulsory among followers. Sabha followers have strong faith in the word of God. They believe that the common man or woman needs three important things in life. “Firstly you should know the true light (way), secondly you should feel the spirit (imagine or dream), and thirdly you will get salvation. The door will be opened to you once you feel the spirit.”

The Sabha is commonly known as “Pavitra Sabha,” or holy place where people gather. The prayer hall at Bogda in Vasco has no image or photo of any god on its walls. Most people gather here on Sundays. Brother Ashok stands in front of the congregation with a musical instrument and then he sings and prays for others. Followers who visit Sabha bring a piece of paper on which they write their name and address, state their problems, and ask for prayers. The papers are collected and later a group of followers prays for the requests. In Sabha, stress is laid on individual problems. Each person in the group has to come forward and talk about his or her problem. Some share how their problems got resolved. These experiences are noted down in a Report Book, which also lists all the activities carried out in Sabha, including prayer services that were conducted, phone calls that were attended to, the number of visitors who arrived, and how many prayer requests were collected on each day. New and old followers are given the Holy Book and a compact disc of songs made by Sabha members. These songs are mostly written in English, Konkani, Marathi, Hindi, Kannada, or Malayalam.

Each follower has to pray at least three times a day in a specific way, first by thanking God, then by singing hymns, then by asking Him to help to solve problems, and lastly by thanking Him again.

New entrants listen to the experiences of other followers and are asked to share their own problems. The practices and ideas followed in Sabha are explained to them. Followers bring along a bottle of coconut oil; this bottle is kept in the centre of the room where all the followers and the Brother pray. The bottles, now considered holy, are then returned to the members. This oil is then used as a spiritual oil, to be applied thrice a day, to the forehead, shoulders, and legs, in the belief that the whole body is then protected from evil spirits. Each follower has to pray at least three times a day in a specific way, first by thanking God, then by singing hymns, then by asking Him to help to solve problems, and lastly by thanking Him again.

Sabha has various prayer groups, including a Youth Team, an Old Age Team, a Word Team, a Sunday School team, and an Ekvat (unity) Team. These teams are found in Goa, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Kerala, Dubai, and Kuwait. The youth group meets on the first Sunday of each month; they perform dances and songs for Sabha events. The youth meeting is conducted by an experienced Sabha member, who asks them about their experiences in the last month, and also teaches the Word of God.

Prayer services are held weekly, fortnightly, monthly, and annually. The annual prayer known as Thanksgiving is the biggest service in the group. It is mostly held outside Goa, because of an incident that occurred at the December 1999 meeting. A lawyer and some people from the locality complained that Brother Ashok was brainwashing people. He was taken to the police station, and the programme was a failure. The situation eased in 2009 when Sabha, now known as the “Spiritual Peace Charitable Trust,” obtained the legal right to conduct prayers in public.

If a follower wishes to marry within the group then the marriage is performed according to a prescribed ritual. All the Sabha members gather in a hall. First the prospective groom and bride are asked whether they are happy to get married to each other. Then the family members of the couple are given the Holy Book to hand over to the couple, signifying they have begun their married life in the light of the Holy Spirit. Next the crown of thorns is handed to the couple, who are told: “Whenever there is a problem in your life you have to take Lord Jesus’ name and all your problems will be solved.” Lastly a model of a house is given to them, saying that now your family will start with the name of God.

Sabha gives some donations to old-age groups in Vasco, and also donates books to deserving students. The money required for such activities comes mostly from the followers themselves. When followers visit Sabha, or when they invite Brother Ashok to their house for prayers, he is given some money. Donations are also given on marriage anniversaries and on birthdays.

What Sabha members say

Narendra Shetty, 17, single, student, Andhra Pradesh
My father took me to Sabha. He said, “If you go to Sabha, you will improve.” I like to participate in singing and in youth meetings. I was weak in studies but now I am getting good marks. I like the way Brother Ashok speaks. I believe that all his words will come true…This faith of ours is not known to our village members because they are very strict and they will remove us from our religion… My friends are not talking to me; they say, “You have become a Christian,” but I don’t respond to them because I know I am on the right path, and I will get salvation in this path, and this path is not that of any religion.

Salma Shaik, 17, single, Hubli, Karnataka
My father had a second wife, and my mother and father were not happy with each other; they were always fighting. My mother was very ill and there was no one to help us. But once I went to Sabha and prayed for my mother, the next day she felt better. My father is also better now… I don’t talk about this faith with our village people, because they will remove us from our religion…My mother believes in this faith but my father says we have to follow our own religion… I, too, believe that we have to follow our religion because it is our God, and our main religion, but this faith is recent.

Kavita Sunkerkar, 18, single, Karwar, Karnataka
My aunt took me to Sabha because she wanted some company. She said that Jesus is there and he is for all people, and if we go and follow this faith our family problems will come to an end and we will go to heaven. I joined Sabha basically for my father, because he used to drink alcohol, and also for my family My mother never visited Sabha but she goes for vinati prayers. She doesn’t go (to the meetings) because she is scared of people, because in Sabha everyone has to speak and tell their problems to the rest, and she doesn’t like that.

Johan D’Silva, 28, single, housekeeping supervisor, Margao, Goa
Earlier I was not on the proper path. I wasted my life just enjoying here and there. But once I came to know about this faith my life changed. Before, my life was full of darkness but now I have the true way and now I will get salvation for my soul. In church they say Jesus is only for Christians but here the God is for everyone. My parents used to follow this faith but now they are gone away because the church opposed it. I don’t go to church; I gave up all my religious activities. I participate in Sabha’s works, talking to people and helping in programs.

Shushma Chari, 34, single, Bicholim, Goa
I joined Sabha for my family because my brother was not well and he was possessed. I am very close to Sabha… I play musical instruments on stage and sing and dance. I take Sunday school, write reports, and also go for the annual camp for ladies and youth. Some of my family members did not like this group. They said “You are going against our religion… Ashok Brother is doing black magic,” but I never responded to them.

Raju Kerloskar, 29, married, salesperson, Karwar, Karnataka
I still don’t know what I am doing here, but I have a faith that all my problems will end one day. When I passed the SSC examination, I dreamt that I would receive 29 marks and next day I got them, so from that moment I started believing in this faith. Next time I fell down from a building but I was safe, God saved me. For eight years I liked a girl and wanted to marry her but my family did not want her; later in 2009, after putting in prayers, I got married…I gave up all my religion. I don’t go to temple, I don’t believe in it. My native family is also in this faith… I don’t believe in salvation, but there is still time to change.

Members who have left Sabha

Kavita Girap, 19, single, employed, Hindu, Karwar, Karnataka
I just joined because I thought all Gods are the same but I never read the Bible because my friends told me if once you start reading it then you can’t stop it otherwise it will be a bad omen for you. I joined because I liked the songs and picnic, it was fun for me. But after two years I left; my relatives were angry with me because I joined this group without informing anyone. They said it is not our God, it is the Christians’ God.

Swapnil Mesta, 23, single, employed, Honawar, Karnataka
My mother told me that you will get good food to eat, so I went. I was very young that time so I didn’t know anything properly. I went to enjoy the picnic. But now I don’t like the way they pray, it is so boring. Our God is our God and I don’t need any other God. I don’t understand what Brother Ashok talks about and I don’t believe him.

Jasi Vaz, 53, married, fish vendor, Vasco, Goa
I am going to Karwar for prayers and there they pray for all and they also pray to Mother Mary. Brother Ashok does not believe in Mother Mary, which I don’t like… Brother Ashok gives money to people so that people should join the group… the Bible that Sabha uses is not correct, it is opposite to the original Bible.

Namina Girap, 17, single, student, Karwar, Karnataka
I joined Sabha for my family, specifically for my father because he was an alcoholic and was not concentrating on fishing. After joining Sabha I found changes in my father’s behaviour but after some time he again continued to drink. So my family gave up this faith. Now, I and my family have joined another group in Karwar and after going there my father has stopped drinking. Now he is good to my mother, and our business is also improving.

New-age religions: A strategy to cope with today’s changing modern world

Cardinal Arinze holds that “New religious movements can arise or attract people because people in this period are searching for meaning when they are feeling lost in a period of culture change…There are people who seek in religion an answer to and a protection against witchcraft, failure, suffering, sickness, and death.” (2)

Robert S. Newman mentions that miracles and visions play an important role in the emergence of new religious groups. He also says that cross-cultural practices are found in Goan communities where people from different castes and religions come together for festivals, like the zatras in Mapusa and Fatorpa. Brother Ashok of Sabha believed he heard the voice of Jesus and this motivated him to form Sabha as a new faith group. Brother Ashok claims he was cured miraculously. Newman says that “A miracle is a statement by the oppressed and powerless, who are striving for power, demanding to be recognized… Most new religious groups are led by oppressed people.”

I have found in my study that most women join such groups for economic and family reasons.

Glock and Stark say that “new religious groups emerged as a strategy in response to people’s feeling of deprivation.” According to them there are five types of deprivation—social, organic, moral, psychological, and economic— that lead people to join the movement. (3) I have found in my study that most women join such groups for economic and family reasons. “My husband met with an accident and there was no one to help me,” said one respondent. Another said, “My husband was a drunkard and wasted all the money.” A third said, “My daughter’s health was not proper,” and yet another told me, “My son was trapped with an evil spirit.”

Aylward Shorter points out that New Age groups tend to focus on resolving such raging problems as alcoholism, drug addiction, sexual promiscuity, and financial irresponsibility, adding, “This is particularly attractive to women who are often the victims and who are the most vulnerable section of our society.” (4)

Usui Atsuko says that women, who are generally the first to enter such faith groups, play an important role in influencing and drawing their neighbours, families, and friends to these groups. This is also seen in Sabha, where most of the women encourage others to join. These movements give women a leadership position. Atsuko believes that economically dependent women “use the authority of the doctrine of the group as a means to justify their economic dependency on their husbands.” (5)

Atsuko also holds that “Men engage in New Age groups in search of miraculous solutions to their problems.” Indeed, men joined Sabha to bring about change in their own lives. One said, “I was a drunkard and wasted my money.” Another joined because “My God has not helped me in my life.” One who was looking for miracles said, “I joined because I was on the verge of dying.”

On the other hand, Aylward Shorter says that “young people seek miracles or breakthroughs in their own life and a sense of belonging and identity that they do not find in their family or mainline church community.”(6) The young ones in Sabha joined because of their parents: “My Dad said I will get good marks…My mother said father will improve if we pray at Sabha.” Most of them like Sabha because of the activities and programmes they can participate in.

Some followers gave up Sabha because of opposition from their families and from their village. Some Christian neighbours, and those who have given up Sabha, are against the group now.

The varied prayer groups, music CDs, tele-praying, picnics and camps show the difference of functioning between Sabha and mainstream religions in Goa. In Sabha the spiritual leader says, “You are on the right path and this path will take you to heaven and the other worldly people are in darkness and we are here to bring them to light.” At the same time he also says, “You can follow your old religion along with this faith.” So there is a kind of contradiction here, yet these words give people a strong reason to stay in the group. They feel this is a place where there is no differentiation; the only aim is to reach the righteous path. There is a satisfaction in knowing that, even if no one cares, there is still this group which will always support and pray for them.

As I compare Sabha with other religious groups, I find some differences. In Sabha there is more focus on activities, prayers, and the word of God, than there is on the leader. I also find there is no conversion and one is free to follow his or her old religion. The spiritual leader of Sabha himself does not belong to the Christian religion, but now he is a believer of Jesus.

Scholarly studies also talk about the opposition that the new religious groups have to face. Some followers gave up Sabha because of opposition from their families and from their village. Some Christian neighbours, and those who have given up Sabha, are against the group now. Some young males left Sabha because their friends made fun of them.

Settlers, subalterns and new faiths

New religion groups such as Sabha are mostly found in urban areas in Goa. Here, people come from different places and religions and settle down for better employment. One will find more migrants than locals in such groups. In villages there are strong believers in traditional religion and the village elders do not want any other religion interfering in their faith. This changes when people migrate to other places. Here they are mostly busy in their work, so there is less time to devote to religion. New Age groups operate when people are free, mostly on Sundays. After joining these groups, members do not find satisfaction in their village religion. Their elders are in their villages and there is no one to guide the migrants in the cities.

Migration leads to change in Man’s relation with religion. The practices that we follow in a village are not necessarily followed in cities and towns and vice versa. The member of a new age faith in a city will try not to discuss this faith with his village member back home because he knows that this can create a hurdle for him in the village.

Another reason could be that today’s urban generation thinks that they can take their own decisions, so they don’t give much importance to the view of their elders. This is because modern thinking believes in self-determination rather than dependence.

Changes in identity

Almost all the members identify themselves as members or children of Sabha. This shows that a member of Sabha has some kind of emotional identification with Sabha. I have found certain changes in the social and religious identity of the members of Sabha.

Each member identifies himself or herself as sabhecho monis (member of the Sabha). Even when the members communicate with each other they say “to sabhecho monis (he is of the Sabha)” and for others they would say “to Bhayalo (he is an outsider)”. This shows the changes in identity. Each one joins Sabha to bring change in his or her life and personality which ultimately brings a change in their identity. “Individuals in new religious movements directly learn new identity norms,” says John Hannigan.(7)

Most of them scarcely visit temples or churches now. They now read the Bible, because they believe that this word of God will protect them from evil. They follow their old religion to respect their family members and their native village. So though modern religious groups do tend to bring a change in the existing religious identity of people, that identity is still controlled by village elders and some conservative family members. Five members said that they have completely given up their old religion. These are mostly nuclear migrant families that have a disconnect with their village.

Some members have even gotten married in the group according to Sabha’s marriage pattern. Inter-religious marriages have also taken place. Brother Ashok’s daughter married a Hindu man in January 2011. Abya Khan, a Muslim from Margao got married in 2010 to Vidya, a Hindu from Panjim within the marriage pattern of Sabha. All the above incidents show the influence of Sabha on the social fabric of its members.

Reflection and conclusion

At the end of my research I feel that this study has made me clearer in my thinking about myself and has brought me closer to Sabha. I find there is more than religion in this religious group. Each one in this world is trapped in a circle of change. Each one wants to find an alternative that can help to cope with this change.

The confusion in my mind about my identity is slowly reducing but still I have many who question me about my identity. Now I have an answer for them. I am a modern educated woman from the Goan fishing community and also a member of Sabha, a Spiritual Charitable Trust that creates no differences among the members. I also have an attachment to my old religion. I feel attached to my community, to Sabha, and to this land Goa. All these facets add to my identity.

Today I am proud of being a part of our fishing community. In Sabha they don’t call me by my father’s occupation. They don’t make me feel different or separate from others. In fact the people I interviewed are mostly from the fishing community, though many people from the Sabha are from other communities. I want to have a career as a writer which will help me and my community, to tell the world that there is nothing wrong in being a part of a fishing community. It is our livelihood!

Sabha gives me a strong feeling of togetherness. Each one of us has to sit together and pray for each other. In any function, all members have to work together, irrespective of class, caste, and religion. All these things bind people together. Along with all these personal practices and gains, members also end up experiencing changes in social and religious identity that come through Sabha.

I shall now conclude my study. It has shown me that most of the women have family reasons to join the group, and most of the men have personal reasons. Most young people join because of parental influence. Each one tries to develop a new identity through this new religious group and wants to bring a change in his or her own life. New religious groups are indeed a strategy to cope with the problems that abound in modern life.

Notes

1. Amanda, Coffey. 2004. Encyclopedia of Social Science Research Methods, Volume 1: New Delhi, Sage Publications.
2. Francis Arinze. n.d. The challenge of new religious movements, at Cardinals Meeting, April 5, 1991 in an address to the April 4-7 consistory at the Vatican. http://www.ewtn.com/library/NEWAGE/ARINNEWM.TXT. Accessed on 02/08/2010.
3. Charles Y Glock, and Rodney Stark. 1965. Religion and Society in Tension. New York. Rand McNally and Co.
4. Aylward Shorter. n.d. Dangerous Evangelists. http://www.thetablet.co.uk/article/6872. Accessed on 23/11/2010.
5. Usui, Atsuko. 2003. Women’s Experience in New Religious Movements. Japanese Journal of Religious Studies. 30/3-4: 217-241 Nanzan Institute for Religion and Culture. 
6. Shorter. n.d. Dangerous Evangelists, op cit.
7. John A. Hannigan. 1990. Apples and Oranges or Varieties of the Same Fruit? The New Religious Movements and the New Social Movements Compared. Review of Religious Research, Vol. 31, No. 3.

Additional references

• Evangelism. n.d. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evangelism. Accessed on 22 /11/10.
• Glock, Charles Y. and Rodney Stark. 1965. Religion and Society in Tension. New York. Rand McNally and Co.
• New Age Spirituality. n.d. http://www.religioustolerance.org/newage.htm. Accessed on 12/7/2010. 
• New religious movement, n.d. http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/new-religious-movement. Accessed on 12/07/2010.
• Qualitative research. 2010. n.d. http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Accessed on 24/11/10.
• Stockdale, Alan. 2001. Social research updates; University Of Surrey, Guildford.
• Televangelist. n.d. Answer.com.  http://www.answers.com/topic/televangelism. Accessed on 22 /11/10.

Rajeshwari Mesta is a strict teacher, a fiction writer, and illustrator who loves music and dance. A post-graduate from Goa University, for the past eight years she has been working in various states of South India as communicative English faculty for schools. At present she works in Pune as a history teacher. Pursuing her music interests, she has scribbled devotional songs for ‘Sabha’ (a new religious group). She faithfully keeps a daily diary. Her work highlights her confusion and discovery about her identity.

Attribution

Religion and Identity in Transition, Rajeshwari Mesta. 2011. An edited version of the master’s dissertation project at the Department of Sociology, Goa University. The work is licensed under the Creative Commons, copyright with individual author. Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial 4.0 International License.