‘The Times’ reports on gurus, sex, money, power

The Times has reported on Indian gurus tarnished by sex and money (Click here to view article). The occasion is that the Kerala government reportedly plans to hold a detailed inter-departmental inquiry into the wealth of the godmen from all religious communities in Kerala (see NewKerala.com).

The Times states “…the latest cases have exposed the seamier side of many gurus, some of whom claim millions of followers — including top politicians — and become hugely rich from donations. ” This is not least a thinly-veiled reference to such figures as Sathya Sai Baba, who was exposed on BBC World by the documentary ‘The Secret Swami’ and also in an article by Dominic Kennedy of The Times And a second article here

NewKerala.com’s report continues with: “…two self-styled godmen came into the police net last week at Kochi.” and “An official in state Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan’s office told IANS that the minister is in Delhi and there is every likelihood for an inter-departmental probe into these godmen operating in the state.”

The first saffron-robed man to hit the headlines was Santhosh Madhavan alias Swami Amritachaithanya, arrested May 13 and charged with the rape of a teenage girl and possession of ‘ganja’ (marijuana). A tiger skin and a large number of pornographic films were also recovered from his house in Kochi.

The second godman, whose threats to shoot himself inside a police station in Aluva were beamed across television sets Saturday, is Himaval Maheswara Bhadranandaji, popularly known as ‘Ernakulam Swami’.

See also Dominic Kennedy’s article in The Times (of London) here

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