In Kerala, the spirits have always flowed free. This, after all, is the land where government-sold spirit (over eight litres guzzled per head, highest in the country) and over-the-counter spirituality (an estimated 600-odd godmen and women service a 3-plus crore population) flow unchecked. But now, the dispensers of the spiritual highs are courting big trouble.

What began with some dark and edgy stories around one enterprising spiritual operator in Kochi is now a full-fledged, state-wide hunt for godmen. Almost everyone is into it—journalists, cops, resident intellectuals, politicians, rationalists and students have overnight all turned vigilantes. Men and women who were venerated and prostrated before until even a month ago are now being probed, raided, booed, chased, stoned, assaulted—in one case, the mob even de-bearded and gave the godman a de-mystifying hair cut.

The collective frenzy began last month with the police collaring a high profile godman, Swami Amrita Chaitanya, who was initially mistaken to be a gunrunner wanted by the Interpol but turned out to be another conman. But that was the least of it. The swami, who was school dropout Santosh Madhavan till he turned astrologer-godman a few years ago, turned out to be a real-estate shark, power broker and a lot else. He was also given to starring in porn videos made with hidden cameras in his ashram, where he exploited school girls whose education he graciously sponsored after adopting them from poor homes. The cops got a big bunch of the Swami’s porn CDs from his bank lockers. The 35-year-old Swami reportedly told the cops that he used under-age girls because it helped to keep himself young.

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