In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Indian TV screens were flooded with saffron-clad babas and godmen like Asaram Bapu and Nirmal Baba, peddling salvation and shortcut life hacks to an emotionally vulnerable population. They promised answers to existential struggles, karma cleansing, and even curing illnesses—with nothing more than a mantra and a mango. Millions…