Shaila Dhondapant Waghire has finished her morning chores. With her husband off to work and children at school, the next few hours are Shaila’s own, to spend the way she wants to. She picks up her mobile phone and opens the YouTube channel of Indurikar Maharaj, a kirtankar – a singer of poems and teachings of the saints of Maharashtra. Shaila is a great fan of the Maharaj, having turned a convert some months ago. His way of interlacing Hindutva with relatable topics in a rustic humorous way has found a fanbase, larger than that of many others.
Born Kashinath Nivrutti Deshmukh, this 51-year-old kirtankar calls himself a social educator. Hailing from Induri – a small village in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra – Indurikar Maharaj is emerging as a proponent of Hindutva, in the post Covid-19 era. He is not a hardcore fanatic, but through relatable instances narrates the importance of being one. For Shaila and an increasing number like her, the lessons on Hindutva narrated through humorous kirtans are interesting. The easy narrations in Marathi about the way of life of a Hindu woman, the need to live right, family management and having children etc., have women like Shaila hooked on to the kirtans. On days the family is home, Shaila misses listening to her daily dose of the Maharaj’s religious interactions.
Those who know him say that Indurikar Maharaj understands the pulse of the villagers. He speaks the language of the villagers in a manner that they can relate to. In the initial days, the kirtans he sang talked about societal practices, its ills and made fun of them. However, as his shows started getting popular with people flocking to hear him, the tone of the kirtans changed. In crept strains of Hindutva. The colour of his turban went from white to orange. However, he continued to wear white kurta-pyjama like before.
Educated up to BEd, Indurikar Maharaj worked as a school teacher and started performing kirtans in Marathi, from the age of 12. Having learnt the art from his father, who too was a kirtankar, his style of singing got more popular than that of his father. He used relatable examples interlaced with humour to instantly connect with the audience. Following the release of his first cassette of kirtans in 2003, Indurikar Maharaj became a social media sensation.
An increasing number of politicians across the political divide have been using his popularity for electoral gains. Since Induri Maharaj travels across Maharashtra spreading the word of being a “good Hindu” amongst other things, the fanbase has been growing. He has been edging closer to the BJP and there has been consistent talk of him joining the party. However, recently his mother-in-law Shashikala Pawar contested and won the post of sarpanch. She later joined the BJP. A sizeable number of elected representatives too are part of the fanbase. According to sources, the support of politicians has been a turning point in his career. Induri Maharaj has been receiving expensive gifts and his income runs into crores of rupees, say those who know him.
Numerous fan clubs have been set up in his name by those who feel inspired by his kirtans. His fans have also set up social media pages and populate them with his kirtans.
His kirtans have come under fire from various quarters including rationalists and women’s groups. In February 2020, when a group of rationalists opposed the kirtan of Indurikar Maharaj at the Shivaji University in Kolhapur (western Maharashtra), saffron flag bearing Hindutva organisations converged there in support of him. These saffron organisations extended their support to his kirtans and the message it conveyed to the people. In one of the kirtans he describes the Hindu way of procreation – sex on even days begets boys, sex on odd days begets girls, sex on any day will beget children who will bring a bad name to the family. Rationalists have protested his anti-woman comments while popularizing the Hindu way of living.
With increasing political support and endorsement of his views, Induri Maharaj has become the newest poster boy for the Hindutva brigade.
