{"id":1329,"date":"2016-05-03T04:57:09","date_gmt":"2016-05-03T04:57:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=1329"},"modified":"2026-07-17T14:04:02","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T14:04:02","slug":"gurmeet-ram-rahim-singh-roobaroo-nights-dera-sacha-sauda-rape-case","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/?p=1329","title":{"rendered":"Inside Gurmeet Ram Rahim\u2019s Roobaroo Nights"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\u00a0\n

H<\/span>ere\u2019s what we know by now about self-styled God-man <\/p>Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh<\/span><\/a> and the cult-like following of Dera Sacha Sauda. We know he has just been <\/span>sentenced<\/span><\/a> to 20 years in prison for raping two of his female followers. We also know that the followers, who call themselves \u201cpremis\u201d or \u201cInsaan\u201d, wreaked havoc in Panchkula when their \u201cpapaji\u201d was <\/span>convicted<\/span><\/a>. We also know that the Dera\u2019s followers \u2013 several of them lower-caste and -class men and women in semi-urban Punjab and Haryana \u2013 <\/span>consolidated<\/span><\/a> under his leadership with the prospect of leading their lives with dignity.<\/span>\n\nWhat we don\u2019t know, and what we\u2019re coming to slowly learn, is what life inside the Dera looks like. Dera Sacha Sauda is centred in two ashrams in Sirsa; one is closer to the city of Sirsa, while the other is an 800-acre modern township, some distance away. This is the one that\u2019s stoking media interest thanks to the two-storey glass building equipped with state-of-the-art gadgetry known as Babaji Ki Gufa, outside which a queue of supercars and bikes \u201cdesigned\u201d by the beloved Pitaji rest. Babaji Ki Gufa is where the rapes are supposed to have taken place.<\/span>\n\nAmong this township\u2019s modern buildings, multiplexes, and super-specialty hospitals scattered around, the focus of the site map remains the large congregation halls where the satsangs take place. It is the satsangs that undergird every activity at the Dera. In fact, to become a member of the Dera, a person has to first attend a Sunday satsang followed by the \u201cGurumantar\u201d ceremony. <\/span>\n\nDuring the little ritual, Ram Rahim Singh reads out a chant to the aspiring devotee, securing a pact between him and his devotee. The pact includes becoming <\/span>vegetarian, abstaining from alcohol, and containing lust for the opposite sex. At the end of the ceremony, the aspirant is <\/span>given a sweet \u201cJamma insa\u201d concoction to drink: After that, one is a certified Insaan, a real human being and is given a locket with a unique number (Dera Devotee Count), which s\/he is supposed to wear at all times. The children of a devotee inherit their parents\u2019 faith and unless a follower gets the axe for \u201cimmoral activities\u201d \u2013 such as using the Dera\u2019s name for personal aggrandisement or violating the pact \u2013 you\u2019re a lifelong member.<\/span>\n\nAccording to Geeta Insaan*, a lifelong member, life inside the Dera is underpinned by these peaceful satsangs and they are the highlight of a devotee\u2019s life. The satsangs begin in the morning and can go on late into the night when people dance to devotional numbers. Male and female devotees sit in separate rows, while a line of followers is always on the prowl to control the surge. This peace is punctured only when \u201cPitaji\u201d happens to be in town. This happens only when he is not filming, brokering political deals, or meeting the wheeler-dealers of Indian economy and thus the event is special and celebrated.<\/span>\n

\u201cI have seen people pay several times the worth of a 50,000-rupee necklace just because Pitaji had touched it.\u201d<\/blockquote>\nPitaji usually appears for these special satsangs riding his imported motorbikes or driving his customised supercars. On these nights, there is a fight for seats closer to the dais. \u201cThere are people who are willing to pay even a lakh rupees for a front-row seat at Pitaji\u2019s night shows,\u201d said Insaan. <\/span>\n\nIn the past, if Ram Rahim Singh touched any of the fancy items kept on stage, they\u2019d be considered priceless. \u201cI have seen people pay several times the worth of a 50,000-rupee necklace just because Pitaji had touched it.\u201d According to Insaan, some big-ticket followers include politicians, bureaucrats, even policemen. \u201cAlmost all big names of the Congress, BJP, Indian National Lok Dal, and Shiromani Akali Dal have been Dera guests, especially during election time when they kneel in front of Pitaji for votes,\u201d she said. <\/span>\n\n\"Gurmeet\n
\n

According to Geeta Insaan*, a lifelong member, life inside the Dera is underpinned by these peaceful satsangs and they are the highlight of a devotee\u2019s life.<\/p>\n

Image Credit: 101 Reporters<\/p>\n<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\nIn Ram Rahim Singh\u2019s absence, the satsang is led by a team of holy men. But his presence always looms large, even when he isn\u2019t there: The satsang team plays only devotional songs, mostly bhajans written by the Godman. Each of the bhajans is followed by loud repetitions of \u201cDhan dhan satguru, tera hi aasra,\u201d a chant familiar from Ram Rahim Singh\u2019s series of <\/span>MSG movies<\/span><\/a>. <\/span>\n\nThe hysteria in the ashram goes up a few notches on big days. Insaan recalled the recent August 15 celebrations of Ram Rahim Singh\u2019s birthday, through a week-long\u00a0festival. The week-long mela was \u201can effort to resurrect a life gone by, a heritage lost to time\u201d and saw him riding his fancy bikes and descending from heaven, to give his \u201cpremis\u201d darshan. There were performances of folk dances and some of Singh\u2019s greatest hits from his films on \u201cRoobaroo Nights\u201d, which is a kind of devotional music concert. The video of the superhit \u201cLove Charger\u201d \u2013 a song featuring actual Dera Sacha Sauda devotees that has close to <\/span>3.5 million<\/span><\/a> views of YouTube \u2013 is an example of what goes on during a Roobaroo Night. <\/span>\n\n\"Gurmeet\n

\n

In the past, if Ram Rahim Singh touched any of the fancy items kept on stage, they\u2019d be considered priceless<\/p>\n

Image Credit: 101 Reporters<\/p>\n<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\nBy day, there were sports competitions. The benevolent Pitaji played\u00a0gilli-danda and tug of war with even the ordinary devotees, Geeta Insan gushed, and then to prove that he\u2019s just as ordinary as they are, he even pulled tractors. According to Geeta, Pitaji is good at every sport and she\u2019s never seen a better roller-skater or a hockey player or a yoga guru. It is for his excellence in many fields that he is called \u201cCoach Papa\u201d on campus. <\/span>\n\nSince Ram Rahim\u2019s arrest the mood on the campus has been sombre. Satsangs have lost their fervour and Roobaroo Nights have been put on hold indefinitely. There\u2019s only one prayer on the lips of every premi: Pitaji ko maafi de do!<\/span>\n\n* Names have been changed to protect privacy. <\/span><\/i>\n\nWith inputs from Sat Singh. Edited by Karanjeet Kaur. <\/span><\/i>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Life inside Dera Sacha Sauda is underpinned by peaceful satsangs and boisterous Roobaroo Nights, where Gurmeet Ram Rahim makes an appearance like a rock star on his superbikes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":100,"featured_media":1333,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1329","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people"],"yoast_head":"\nInside Gurmeet Ram Rahim\u2019s Roobaroo Nights<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Life inside Dera Sacha Sauda is underpinned by peaceful satsangs and boisterous Roobaroo Nights, where Gurmeet Ram Rahim makes an appearance like a rock star on his superbikes.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.arre.co.in\/?p=1329\" 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