Of course, this is most applicable in India. We have deep rooted culture in believing some form of God/Guru/Baba for valid and good reasons.
Unlike earlier days, now we have more need and demand for different Babas. Why? Because we have more problems than in the past. People may go to Babas to get solutions or to find some answers, etc. But most people go to them “to feel good“. Most ashrams provide very good environment (better than homes) and provide good food, etc. You will get a chance to do some yoga, meditation, etc. Of course, if we do these at home also you can feel good . Through their speeches, you will get a feeling that whatever problem you have is nothing and make you feel happy (temporarily). And whatever we hear from them comes like real “wisdom” even though we know about it already.
Babas are also under pressure now a days and lot of competition. They need to run their organizations like large enterprises. And we expect them to be purest of pure !!. Really tough job.
Overall there is nothing wrong in following a certain Baba or Guru. It helps some extent.
But I think building own personal philosophy based on your own personality helps in the long run than outsourcing it to some Guru ( just my thinking).
Read the lesson Build your own ..Ism