When Parents Act As Conduits To Turn Their Children Into 'Spiritual Thugs'

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 11 November 2024 One feels terribly sorry for the poor child Abhinav Arora, the youngest 'saint' and 'spiritual guru' in a country which is already teeming with spiritual gurus, thugs, swindlers and frauds in every village, town and city. At an age when a 10-yr-old kid should play, laugh, eat and enjoy, he's being forced to speak like a middle-aged 'enlightened' man who seems to have experienced satori. This is indeed sad. His over-ambitious parents are forcing him to behave like a spiritual guru. Robbed of a normal childhood, this chubby boy is a victim of unfulfilled parental aspirations and extreme social media scrutiny. His perceived exploitation (by the parents) has become a national issue and a much-talked about case study in parental psychology and their fundamental responsibilities toward their offspring. But Abhinav Arora is not an Abhinav ('Abhinav ' means ' unique' in Hindi) or isolated case. He's just one of the many victims, sacrificed at the altar of parental whims and wishes. Abhinav Arora, 10, has nearly a million followers on Instagram, where he describes himself as India's youngest spiritual orator.(Instagram/@abhinavaroraofficial) ----- In these times of overactive social media, visibility ( often over visibility) is the main objective of a large number of individuals. People resort to all types of antics to draw attention and hog the limelight. They also have realised that there's nothing better and surer way than the pop spirituality for an instant fame and wealth. We're living in the proverbial 15-minute Warholian fame. So, everyone is trying his or her luck with a hope to click. Those who've not been able to distinguish themselves in any field and in any way, they use, rather misuse, their kids and push them to limelight, much to their ( children) reluctance. It's not always the fault of parents. Our Maggi-noodles instant culture and overall mediocrity in all walks of life can also be adduced as potential reasons for the proliferation of 'child influencers' and fake characters. The way children are presented, projected and popularised in reality shows, a false sense of ( wise) adulthood becomes a reality. Children are groomed in a way that they lose their childhood and behave like adults. This is not just artificial or affected, this is jarring. Remember the old adage, children should be seen and not heard. Nowadays, the scarcity of conventional jobs whether in government or private sectors also makes youngsters and their parents try their luck in dubious TV shows which get them instant recognition and moolah. The overall mediocrity allows these kids and characters to survive on social media. Once they survive, they eventually thrive. It's our fault to let them do all sorts of idiocy on TV, social media and other platforms. Discard them in the beginning. Nip them in the bud. This very social media, which is trolling and roasting Abhinav, made him a hero a few months ago. They should not have given him so much traction. We're living in weird times. Frivolity is the order of the day. We're all equally responsible for this decline in our thinking and projecting youngsters and kids who should be studying like normal children instead of mouthing cringeworthy platitudes. Lastly, social media is full of new Babas who keep mushrooming here and there 24X7. Their lifestyle and popularity fascinate kids, their parents and our perennially unemployable youths. They think that this is the best and easiest way to earn and become rich without doing much. Recently, when a 12-yr-old child in Kanpur was asked what he wanted to become when he grew up, pat came the answer, Baba Premanand Maharaj, a new Hindu baba who always wears yellow clothes and suddenly became famous when Virat Kohli and his spouse visited his ashram in Vrindavan. When you've dubious and fly-by-night gurus as your ideals and idols, what'll you become? ----- A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/parents-act-conduits-children-spiritual-thugs/d/133993 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism