Francois Gautier, reporter for France s largest circulation newspaper, Le Figaro, is one of the few Western reporters not following the rules, and in a recent editorial he discussed this very issue. The fully-dressed lensmen versus the naked sadhu, might have given the impression of civilization versus Paganism, enlightenment versus Middle Age, as if the educated world was photographing the monkey. Very few foreign newspapers cared to say that it is extraordinary that in the 21 st century tens of millions of people endure endless travels, hunger, cold and discomfort to pray to That which is beyond us. There has never been such a huge congregation of people. Yet everything is working.
Water is flowing, electricity is on all the time.
India Today and India Abroad, both widely distributed in America, managed just about the same lurid coverage, two Naga sadhu photos each, two of ganja for India Today and one for India Abroad. India Today even captioned one of the ganja photos, literal evidence of religion as opiate a slur harking back to Karl Marxs dismissal of religion as the opiate of the people. Finally, Western reporters seem woefully ignorant of factual details of Hinduism. Some didn t know the white substance on a sadhu was holy ash and called it paint. Many called the Nagas Hinduism s highest priests, which they are not, though they are greatly revered for their asceticism.