Salman Khan’s fans and Sant Rampal’s followers – why they aren’t that different

At first glance, Sant Rampal’s followers clashing with the police and Salman Khan’s sister’s wedding, have little in common.

The two individuals – Salman Khan and Sant Rampal – are like chalk and cheese. One is a popular Bollywood star, the other a self-styled Godman; the only constant is their crazy fan following.

Rampal’s followers had been waging war against the state for almost two weeks.  Salman’s fans on the other hand, simply breathe fire and brimstone on social media every time someone accuses their star. But exactly what is it that drives – normal, sane individuals – to behave so irrationally to defend their chosen heroes? 

The truth is that fans of all kinds – of sports teams, religious gurus, film stars, musicians or any other celebrity – aren’t very different from one another. The desire to be part of a group is a basic evolutionary trait; it’s what has allowed mankind to become the dominant species on this planet. Every species sticks together, but not in the same way as humans.  

Unlike other living creatures, man has the ability to make his own choices. We’re not robotically geared to just hunt, eat, mate and sleep. We have a lot of choices to make and that process can become overwhelming. Freedom is scary because that would mean taking all our own decisions and facing the consequences. It’s much easier to be part of a structure which has laws and rules, where we’re told what’s right or wrong.

As French philosopher and existentialist Jean-Paul Sartre stated: ‘Man is condemned to be free; because once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does.’ And these rules can only be set by a few individuals. Even in a democracy, a government once elected, has to take its own calls.  

It’s for this reason that we seek icons or leaders who can show us the path. That’s why the annals of history are full of trailblazers like Buddha, Jesus Christ, Marx, Hitler and Gandhi. These people are powerful leaders who start religions, political movements or throw the world into turmoil. They are essentially the people who are setting the agenda for the human race.

But it wasn’t just the leaders who seek power; it is their followers as well.

Bertrand Russell – philosopher and logician – argued in his 1938 book 'Power: A New Social Analysis' that everyone wants power.  He believed that it wasn’t sex (Freud) or money (Marx) which made the world spin, it was power! And considering that power lists are the norm and individuals are judged, based on the number of fans or followers they have on social media, Lord Russell’s theory wasn’t very off the mark!  

Expounding on his power theory, he said that power existed in two forms – explicit in leaders; and implicit in their followers. We are either born to lead or be led by someone. He believed that people choose a leader and follow him because they believe that his triumphs are theirs, that they imbibe the qualities of their leaders. Most men don’t have the temerity to lead, so they follow.  

And Russell also mentioned a third kind of power seeker – the sage or the hermit. The sage or hermit doesn’t seek power in a normal way. He doesn’t want to lead or follow, instead choosing to lead a hermetic life. He does not normally fit into regular social structures and while he is not indifferent to power, he is unable to obtain it by the usual methods.

Sant Rampal – and other so-called godmen of his ilk – fall under this third category, although if there’s a greater surge in their popularity, they could become the aforementioned leaders. Such men become saints or heretics, founders of monastic orders or of new schools in art and literature. And these individuals have a tendency to find disciplines that combine a love of submission with an impulse to revolt.

There are the qualities that surge through the disciples of godmen, who wreck havoc any time their leader’s supremacy is questioned. Essentially, they aren’t that different from the Salman fans, other than the fact that have a greater tendency and scope to cause violence for their leader. And sadly, incidents like this will continue to occur till the end of time, as long as we’re human. It’s just in our nature!