Researcher decodes gurus, finds them ‘coloured’

Kirti Nuwal's study says that inter-personal communication skills and ability to explain personal life situations help spiritual gurus enjoy the loyalty of their followers



The controversies surrounding spiritual gurus and godmen, who were once considered infallible and God-like, have brought to question the prudence of subscribing to their ideologies. While the controversies and allegations might have tarnished their public image, it has failed to shake the faith their followers have in them. MICA graduate Kirti Nuwal conducted a study to understand what made the spiritual gurus of our times a brand whose value doesn't diminish, at least among their followers. The study 'Branding of spiritual gurus', which was part of Kirti's dissertation project, mainly focused on three revered gurus - Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Radha Maa and Nirmal Baba.

Under the guidance of Dr Falguni Vasavda Oza, associate professor of marketing, Kirti interviewed four followers of each spiritual guru. She said, "This research was done with an objective to decode marketing and branding strategies of spiritual brands. Lately, several spiritual gurus have come to the scene. I wanted to know what made them such a success among people. My study was done in Gujarat and Rajasthan."

Kirti took about six months to complete the interviews and collate the data before analysing them and arriving at a conclusion. So what were the challenges she faced? "The biggest challenge was to collect unbiased data. Since the respondents were loyal followers of their respective gurus, they were hesitant to answer sensitive questions. We had to be very careful while framing the questions, keeping in mind not to hurt their sentiments," Oza said.

Apart from a narrative analysis of the gurus' websites, she also found out that the followers associated their gurus to a particular colour. Oza said, "Sri Sri Ravishankar is associated with white colour while Radhe Maa with red and golden. Radhe Ma is followed by North Indians, mainly Punjabis who believe in Matarani."

The key findings of the study include, every follower has interacted with their guru on a personal level and the gurus share their life stories with their followers. The oratory skills of the gurus and their way of interaction attracted many followers. The strongest marketing tool for the gurus was 'word of mouth'. "Personal interaction, ability to explain aspects of life in a lucid manner and uniqueness on part of each guru is what gives them such following."

Kirti said, "Unlike old days when our tradition or clan dictated our spiritual leanings, today we have the freedom to choose our own teacher. Many of the gurus are secular, modern and have embraced technology, allowing them to appeal to both the religious minded and those who are looking for a teacher. They are able to find a decent connect with their followers' socio-psychological and spiritual aspects."