Pandits in Captivity - Fairfield's Conspiracy of Silence

Essay 1 of a 3 part series.
Part 2 may be read here.
Part 3 may be read here.

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." 

 Edmund Burke (1729-1797) 

Young families and greying baby boomers chat outside popular restaurants on Fairfield's town square, accustomed to ignoring the fact that 850 innocents are trapped in a gated, barb-wired compound outside their town.

Turning to my friend I said "Everything is calm and peaceful. Folks chat and bask in sunshine. Fairfield’s TM community is more integrated and tolerant than in the past. But doesn't anyone question the pandit compound? This reminds me of small town Nazi Germany, when citizens colluded to ignore prison camps only a few miles away."

She responded with parroted remarks that I had heard elsewhere, "I don't feel badly for the pandits. They've been paid. They're sending money home to their families in India - as poor immigrants have done from time immemorial. In Indian culture it's common for one member of a family to sacrifice their entire life to benefit the larger family."

Her verbatim response echoed one of Maharishi’s favorite indoctrination methods - multiple repetitions of nonsense would eventually be accepted as truth.

She continued, "The Movement hired a private guard. The local sheriff didn't feel comfortable recapturing escapees any more." Her calm manner shocked me.

“They have a guard? Some escape? Where do they go?” I asked.

“Of course some escape!” She continued, “Some of those Indians came to see America. They are poor people who took this job. They’re not trained as holy men. They have a work contract to meditate and chant for a couple of years. Their families are supported in India while they are here. The escapees usually show up at a nearby farmhouse asking for help.”

"This is 21st century North America, not ancient India’s indentured servitude." I responded. "Everyone in town knows that a few miles away there are people locked inside a guarded compound surrounded by corn fields. In this country, only prisoners are so constrained. Can this be legal?"

"They have visas." My friend shrugged.

"Who holds their passports? Do they know their rights?" I asked.

After brief hesitation, my friend responded “It’s not my business. I just quietly conduct my life here. I have my own problems.”

I let the conversation drop. My friend has her reasons. So does everyone else.

On Highway One, only two miles north of the entry to Maharishi University of Management, a highway sign points west, towards an otherwise innocuous side road directing to the TM Movement’s incorporated Vedic City, which is governed by mayor Raja Bob Wynne.

The highway sign fails to name the fenced compound, around the back side of Vedic City, that encloses over 800 Indian men. Yet, everyone in Fairfield, Iowa knows about the secluded pandit compound.

The Spiral of Silence Theory may explain why citizens of Jefferson County Iowa, including local attorneys, government and law enforcement officials, avoid public discussion of questionable legalities surrounding the forced containment and minimal compensation for these indentured "Pandits" from India.

"How the Hidden has Power" and "Out of Sight Out of Mind - Making Silence Easy" provide further insight to the social milieu of such silent complacency.


My next post will describe a visit to this fenced Compound.
Click here for essay 2 of this 3 part series.