Friday, March 25, 2011

Religion Is Big Business In India: Study

Religion is big business in India: study

London: Religious organisations in India not only operate as business
organisations, but their 'business model' has seen diversification of
activities to retain the loyalty of their followers and attract new
devotees, according to a study conducted at the University of Cambridge.

Led by Indian-origin academic Dr Sriya Iyer, the study reveals that new ways of religious organisations diversifying include cow-lending, computer-based learning; sewing and aerobics classes.

The study's findings are details in the latest edition of Research Horizons.
The Cambridge team from the Faculty of Economics and the Cambridge Judge Business School spent two years surveying 568 Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh
and Jain religious organisations across seven Indian states to examine their innovations in offering religious and non-religious service provision.

The survey is believed to be one of the first of its kind in India with
researchers finding that although India is becoming more powerful and
wealthy, rising social inequality - especially in the poorer states - means religious groups often fill the breach left by the lack of social welfare, especially in the fields of education and healthcare. Dr Iyer of the Faculty of Economics and St Catharine's College, said, "We have found that the resilience of religion draws from the ability of groups to undertake innovation and innovative behaviour, similar to the behaviour observed in business firms".

She added, "In the same ways a business tries to stay ahead of its
competitors, religious groups are showing the same rational economic
responses to changes in the political, ecological and economic environments in which they operate." Examples of religious and non-religious offerings across the seven states included weddings and other religious ceremonies
telecast over the internet in real time for overseas friends and family to witness, blood donation, eye camps, drug rehabilitation, old age homes, widow welfare programmes and organised mass marriages for the poor.

The survey also found that religious groups may act in the same way as
businesses in competing to offer unique selling points when it comes to matters of ideology. In addition to their religious offerings, they provide
more non-religious services in response to perceptions about increasing income inequality.

With rising income inequality, the poor demand more non-religious services and organisations respond to this demand by providing these services more, the study says.

Dr Iyer said, "What is also interesting is the seemingly paradoxical notion held by many of these groups that although India is getting richer and growing economically, inequality is also growing. So people may become
'consumers' of religion based on a religious group's ideology - but also the cost and wealth benefits from membership of a particular organisation such as education, health, food distribution, employment and its other services."

The survey took place in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Gujarat. In total, 272 Hindu religious groups were interviewed, along with 248 Muslim, 25 Christian and 23 Sikh and Jain religious organisations.

Dr Iyer also points out that many religious groups have very positive
effects on their followers and the wider community. She said, "Counter to
some analyses of religion in India that have mainly studied the negative consequences religion might engender, we are emphasizing the positive role
of some religious organisations in India today and the work they do among the wider community".

One of the most striking innovations the team found was the cow lending
scheme in Gujarat, where people from the community can borrow a cow, for as long as they like, at no cost. Researchers said they were also surprised to find activities such as aerobics classes.

Dr Iyer said, "The way religious groups are innovating is fascinating. The offerings made by Muslim and Christian groups may differ from those provisions made by Hindus, but across all religions we see the ways in which these groups act in a business-like manner in response to their competitors and in response to income inequality, but also out of a willingness to do good and help where state provision is inadequate".

She added: "We found evidence that organisations of all religions in India
have substantially increased their provisions of religious and especially
non-religious services in order to substitute for the lack of state
provision and that this is related to their perception of inequality and
poverty. This is especially the case in poorer states.

Edited by: Lawyer Asad

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

If India has a business religion now in 2011 and Hinduism is the oldest religion in the world, what about Islam religion ?

Is Islam a business religion, too
or what is it ? A politics ? Some people say that...I just read in the non-muslim newspapers.

I am Christian , if you are so
kind to give me your opinion. Maybe Christianity is also a business and I don't know.

Thank you in advance.

Unknown said...

I appreciate your concern and comment. More or less every religion has been a business now for people who want a short-cut way to be rich. The Babas, Gurus and the Saints have made religion their property. Because they know how people are suffering from insecurity, uncertainty of life and problems. These conmen are simply exploiting people's loss of confidence in themselves.
They're promising which seldom they can deliver. As a Christian you know Catholic priests once sold Certificate of Credentials for assuring a place in the Heaven. Martin Luther revolted against it and created the sect of Protestants. The Reneissance was all over Europe.
Similarly these Babas and Gurus are promising people with solution to all problems and increasing the size of their exchequer in return.
If we become confident in our own abilities, lead an apparently honest life and have faith in God then all those people will go on starving and out of business.

Virtual Assistant from Chennai, India said...

I should share one of my personal experience here. A friend of mine told me that there are only two ways to become rich soon. One is to build a temple and another is to build a school. Building a school and maintaining it is quite cumbersome than building and maintaining a Temple. Believe me, few of my friends joined hands, formed a trust, built a Lord Iyyappa temple in our place and becoming rich now.

Unknown said...

I do believe you Uma because I'm also witnessing the same. In the towns and cities in West Bengal you can see how temples, mosques and other places of religious faiths have littered the footpaths and public places.
Religion, since the ancient time, has been the most sensitive emotion of people in general.
Building a temple of "Ashram" or "Akhara" is the safe and short cut road to riches.
The so called Baba, who had only an old bi-cycle in the year 2000 now owns more than Rs. 1100 Crores in assets including an island abroad.
Actually so long people would be unaware of their own powers they'd be the easy prey and susceptible to exploitation by these religious "self-styled" gurus.
Its also a kind of escape mentality on our part where we think that a god or goddess would solve his/her problems while he can stay inactive and effortless.
This religious exploitation has very thoughtfully embedded in the mind of the people by the Brahmins who at any cost wanted to retain their supremacy over other casts and earn all the money, power and authority without any physical labour.
The scenario is same even in this 21st Century.
Thank you for your valued comment.