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Archive for the ‘Ashram’ Category

Nityanand Ashram case: Missing sisters issue new video, put forth conditions for coming to India – United News of India

Posted: November 28, 2019 at 7:45 am


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States WestPosted at: Nov 22 2019 9:34PM

Ahmedabad, Nov 22 (UNI) The two sisters and disciple of controversial self-styled godman Swami Nityanand, for whose production in court their father had moved the Gujarat High Court, on Friday issued another video, presumably from a Caribbean country, claiming that they were ready to come to India, provided they were allowed to return under court protection.

The eldest daughter of ex-disciple of Nityananda, Janardan Sarma of Tamil Nadu, who had knocked the doors of the HC, alleging that his daughters have been kidnapped by the Ashram and taken abroad, Lopa Mudra and younger one, Nityanandita, issued the video and called for an open debate on the issue.

Nityanandita, who had dodged the police and other authorities reportedly to move out of India from the Ashram here, even alleged that her father (in the video she continuously addressed her father by his first name, Janardan) had tried to blackmail her earlier to file a rape case under the POCSO Act against Nityanand.

'Swamji (Nityanand) had not only reared four of us (three sisters and one brother) as his own children, but also taken care of Janardan and Bhuvaneshwari (parents) in a similar manner.

Lopa Mudra, the elder one, said they were willing to come to India for appearing before the Gujarat HC on November 26, the next date of hearing in the habeas corpus case.

She put forth five conditions for it. First, they should be given police and court protection till their return. Second, they should not be 'kidnapped' by their family. Third, they should not be arrested.

Fourth, the court should not order them with whom to live, as 'we both are major'.

Lastly, she demanded that the two ladies of the Ashram, including its local care-taker Pranpriya, who have been arrested by the police, should be released.

Meanwhile, Mr Sarma reiterated his allegations that the Ashram people have kidnapped his daughters.

'How could my daughter Nityanadita, who was just 18 when she had arrived in Ahmedabad eight months back, manage to go out of the country? Who arranged the money and Visa for her travel?

'I also want to understand as to what kind of spiritual training my daughters are getting from the Ashram people that they are calling their own parents kidnappers,' he added.

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Nityanand Ashram case: Missing sisters issue new video, put forth conditions for coming to India - United News of India

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November 28th, 2019 at 7:45 am

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4 students of Nithyananda’s Gurukul produced in HC – Daily Pioneer

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Four minor students of a Rs Gurukul' run by godman Nithyananda were produced before the Gujarat High Court on Wednesday, after their parents alleged that they had been held Rs hostage' by the police.

The Gurukul-cum-Ashram (a residential school) is situated at Hirapur village on the outskirts of the city.

As the habeas corpus petitions came up for hearing on Wednesday afternoon, Justice S R Brahmbhatt asked police to immediately produce the four students -- two boys and two girls.

The four teenage students were produced before the court in the evening.

A habeas corpus petition is filed to obtain a direction from the court to the authorities to produce someone who has gone missing or is suspected to have been held in captivity illegally.

The parents claimed that they were not allowed to meet their children by the Ahmedabad district police, who are probing a complaint filed by another parent that his two daughters were held captive by the Ashram authorities. The petitioners alleged that their children had been "kept like hostages in the Gurukul" by the police who are investigating the case of missing girls.

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4 students of Nithyananda's Gurukul produced in HC - Daily Pioneer

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November 28th, 2019 at 7:45 am

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We Demand a CBI Probe, Says Mother of 24-year-old Who Was Found Dead Near Nithyananda’s Ashram – News18

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New Delhi: As trouble brews for controversial godman Nithyananda, the mother of a 24-year-old woman who died under mysterious circumstances outside his ashram demanded on Tuesday a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Sangeetha had died at Nithyanandas ashram on the outskirts of Bengaluru on December 28, 2014. After her death, her parents approached the Bengaluru Police and filed a complaint against Nithyananda alleging that she had been tortured and died under mysterious circumstances inside the ashram.

The CBI should probe my daughters case as the Bengaluru Police failed to conduct an inquiry into Sangeethas death. Many women and children who reside in the Bengaluru ashram are being tortured and killed. To make sure they are safe, the CBI should investigate the case, Sangeethas mother, Jansi Rani, told News18.

Sangeetha, who hailed from Trichy district, joined the ashram in 2010 and died four years later. While the ashram told the family she had succumbed to a heart attack, the parents suspected foul play and lodged a complaint with the Bengaluru Police.

In the complaint letter, the parents alleged that Sangeetha was assaulted in the ashram and that they had seen injury marks and bruises on her legs. The mother said she wanted to bring her daughter back but the officials did not allow her to meet the girl alone. The parents said Sangeetha was always accompanied by other 'sanyasis' to ensure that she did not reveal details of the ashram.

Nithyananda is also an accused in an alleged rape case filed against him in Karnataka. The godman has been on the run and two of his disciples, Pranpriya and Priyatatva, have been arrested by the Ahmedabad Police.

The Gujarat High Court on Tuesday, in response to a habeas corpus filed by the father of two women missing from the Ahmedabad ashram, directed police to use all available mechanism to trace the duo. A division bench directed the police to consult Interpol and Ministry of External Affairs, as well as other agencies, to trace the two women, ensure their protection from any threat, and assure them their independent will and choice will be respected by the judiciary.

Meanwhile, a 15 year-old-girl who was rescued from an ashram belonging to Nithyananda a month ago has alleged she was made to wear jewellery and makeup in the middle of the night and be a part of videos for him.

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We Demand a CBI Probe, Says Mother of 24-year-old Who Was Found Dead Near Nithyananda's Ashram - News18

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November 28th, 2019 at 7:45 am

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‘Philanthropists need to be humble’: Azim Premji Foundation CEO – Forbes India

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Anurag Behar As CEO of the Azim Premji Foundation, Anurag Behar is steering one of the largest philanthropic initiatives in the world, powered by a $21 billion bequest made by Wipro Founder Azim Premji. The Foundation focusses on improving the quality of government school teachers, makes grants to non-profit organisations, and runs the Azim Premji University that trains people for the social sector. In an interview with Forbes India, Behar talks about the Foundations work and how philanthropists could be more connected with social realities. Edited excerpts:

Q. How are you using the rise in endowment to expand fieldwork? We extensively support capacity development of government school teachers in Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Karnataka, apart from Puducherry, one district in Telangana and in the Northeast. We have roughly 1,500 people on the field, which should go up to 2,500 or 3,000 in the next five years. We will deepen our work in places where we are already present. For example, if we are working in 10 out of 17 blocks in the Barmer district of Rajasthan, we will build ground-level presence in the remaining seven too. Right now, teachers from these seven blocks are engaging with us at a much lower frequency.

Q. How many teachers has the Foundation trained in the last ten years? I have absolutely no count of how many teachers we have trained; the total number will be in lakhs in the last 10 years. We keep track of how many teachers we are engaged with in a three-month cycle, which is close to 1.75 lakh. This is because building capacity is not a one-shot process: It involves multiple sessions, different modes and levels of engagement.

Q. What about the new Azim Premji University campus in Bhopal? The Azim Premji University is currently operating from a rented premise [in Bengaluru]. Our campus is under construction [on its outskirts], and we will move there by next June. Over the next four years, our student numbers will go up from the current 1,300 to 6,000. This expansion will be significant for us because the financial model of our university is that roughly 90 percent of expenses are borne by the Foundation, while 10 percent is paid for by the students.

We are also setting up a university in Bhopal, and are discussing approvals with the government. Our objective is to set up the university in two to three years, and accommodate 5,000 to 6,000 students. We will perhaps set up a third university in five years.

Q. How many non-profits have you provided grants to and how do you pick your causes? We have supported about 220 NGOs across India, which in turn have operations in multiple states and districts. Our approach toward grant-making is to support not-for-profit organisations that are working with the most vulnerable groups of society. This work could range from basic efforts to ameliorate the conditions of people to addressing more complicated causes. We have supported initiatives that work in the areas of farmer distress, women who face violence, or homeless children. We help organisations put better processes and systems in place.

Q. What are the lessons that have altered your approach towards the sector? First, we have to recognise that the Foundation is insignficant in the context of India, and still try our bestbecause we are certainly more privileged than most other organisations in terms of our resources. Its a complex and often messy reality out there. There is no full understanding of what the causes are, no agreement on what the end-state is, and there rarely can be, that is the sign of a vibrant democracy.

Second, in business or physical science, you get used to finding the perfect solution. Social realities are so complex that you cannot have solutions, only effort toward improvements. Once you develop that mindset, individual philanthropists or organisations need to be humble. Not always, but too often, people with money start believing that they have all the solutions and that they know better. Youve made money in business, which is great, but if you are thrown in front of 30 children and asked to teach them for a year, you will have no idea what to do.

Third, you have to be really connected to the ground. This is a huge problem. People who sit in cabins in Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi or the Western hemisphere have to mould themselves to suit the realities out there. The reality will not suit their ideas. Personally, I dont think there is some great, transformational philanthropy happening in India right now, or that the country was impoverished of philanthropy earlier. Right now, philanthropy is too often being propped up as a flavour of the month, a talking point. If you go back some 80-100 years ago, there were people like JRD Tata and Jamnalal Bajaj or Amblal Sarabhai who have done incredible things for nation-building. The notion that somehow India has discovered philanthropy now is just a delusion.

Q. So were first-generation entrepreneurs more in touch with the realities of the social sector than businessmen today? Early-generation entrepreneurs like Jamnalal Bajaj, Jamshetji Tata, and Ambalal Sarabhai had a lot more wisdom than many of theeven sincerephilanthropists of today. This is a broad-brush comparison and Im sure there are philanthropists today who are equally enlightenedbut my sense is that we can do with a lot more wisdom today and do less with strategy smart thinking etc.

One of my favourite stories to explain this is about the time when Mahatma Gandhi took in a Dalit couple, a community he later referred to as Harijans, into the Sabarmati ashram. Funders stopped supporting him. One night, a sheth drove to the ashram and realised that it was on the brink of shutting down, and immediately handed Gandhi `15,000, an amount that would have easily sustained the ashram for more than two years. That was Vikram Sarabhais father, Ambalal. Todays philanthropists would have gotten wrapped up in asking the Mahatma for a theory of change or impact measurement. What would have happened if Mahatma Gandhi had been forced to shut down Sabarmati Ashram? That tells you about what humility and wisdom combined with philanthropy can do.

(This story appears in the 27 December, 2019 issue of Forbes India. You can buy our tablet version from Magzter.com. To visit our Archives, click here.)

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'Philanthropists need to be humble': Azim Premji Foundation CEO - Forbes India

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November 28th, 2019 at 7:45 am

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Ungodly tales of godmen: Your faith is sacred! Don’t place it in criminals – Times Now

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Members of the Jai Karnataka damaging the banner of Nithyananda Swami in 2010 |  Photo Credit: BCCL

New Delhi: American author Joyce Meyer once said, "We all face storms in life. Some more difficult than others, but we all go through trials and tribulations. That is why we have the gift of faith." Meyer's words stand true to a country like India where people wear their faith on their sleeve. Since the beginning of time, religious identity has been a predominant factor in the lives of Indians who place their trust and beliefs in a higher power.

People often turn to religion to seek answers to questions that are beyond the comprehension of mere mortals. To that extent, India is one of the countries where religious beliefs are considered sacrosanct. However, each coin has two sides and all good things must come to an end. The extent to which religion has been exploited by sections of the society for their own greed is one question India is struggling to answer, even in the 21st Century.

While it is impossible to list every single case where a religious sect or leader misled his/her followers and exploited their faith, it is important to remember the ones who stand exposed and are either absconding or serving time in prison.

Born in Tamil Nadu's Tiruvannamalai, Nithyananda is a self-styled swami who owns a trust which manages temples, ashrams and gurukuls in India and overseas. In 2010, a sex tape of the 'godman' shot by his own former driver was aired on national television. An investigation later revealed that the tape was authentic. A disciple had accused him of sexual harassment in the same year. He was in jail for 52 days in April 2010 before a court granted him bail. He was also accused of raping a female disciple for over a period of five years and a court slapped charges against him under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in 2018. He is currently on the run and reports suggest that he may have fled the country to evade arrest.

[Picture Credits: BCCL]

Lodged at the Jodhpur Central jail, self-styled godman Asaram was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2018 for raping a teenage girl. At the height of his popularity in the 1990s, Asumal Sirumalani Harpalani or Asaram had 400 ashrams operating across India and abroad. Apart from the thousands of people who followed him blindly, Asaram was often visited by politicians, actors and some of the country's most accomplished businessmen.

[Picture Credits: BCCL]

Leader of Sirsa-based sect Dera Sacha Sauda, Gurmeet is currently serving life imprisonment for the murder of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati. In 2017, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the rape of two female disciples. Such was their belief in him as their leader that Gurmeet's followers triggered widespread violence in the town of Panchkula where a CBI court had issued its verdict in this regard. That violence claimed the lives of 30 people and left hundreds injured. He is currently lodged at the Sunaria jail in Haryana.

[Picture Credits: BCCL]

Founder of the Satlok Ashram and a leader of the Kabir Panth, Rampal was arrested from his ashram in Hisar in November 2014. This was after repeated attempts of the police to take him into custody were foiled by his supporters who attacked police personnel with lathis and other weapons on more than one occasion. At the time of his arrest, the bodies of five women and a baby were recovered from his ashram. Currently, in jail, he is anaccused in at least six other cases.

[Picture Credits: BCCL]

Identified as the kingpin of a high-profile sex racket, Shreemurath Dwivedi was arrested in 2010 and is currently behind bars. A security guard at a hotel in Delhi, Dwivedi gained a mass following as Ichchadhari Bhimanand in 1988.

[Picture Credits: BCCL]

A self-styled godman who ran several ashrams in Tamil Nadu and other south-Indian states was convicted on 13 counts of rape and molestation in 1997. His trial famously involved an illusionist's visit to the courtroom for the purpose of debunking his claims of 'divine powers'. He died in 2011 while at the Cuddalore Central Prison.

[Picture Credits: BCCL]

A household name in Jabalpur and neighbouring areas at one point in time, Vikas Joshi was arrested in 2006 for sexually abusing several girls and filming the incidents. A fast track court convicted him in 2010 and he continues to be in prison.

It would be entirely wrong to state that each man, woman or child who devotes his/her life to religion is corrupt. However, if the past has taught us anything, it is to be careful while placing our faith in anyone who claims to be the child of God. One of the world's greatest sportsmen, ace boxer Muhammad Ali once said, "Rivers, ponds, lakes and streams- they all have different names, but they all contain water. Just as religions do- they all contain truths."

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November 28th, 2019 at 7:45 am

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Gautham Karthik spends time with kids at an ashram – Times of India

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A short video of Gautham Karthik spending some quality time with kids at an ashram in Theni has gone viral on social media. The actor had shared the video with a post, They have been taught to serve others first before they serve themselves. I'm so proud of the way they have been raised! # #Theni. (sic) A source tells us, Gautham Karthik has been travelling around to spend time with his fans in the last few days. After celebrating his birthday, he went to attend a fans wedding in Hosur, and then went to Krishnagiri for a fans meet. From there, he drove to Theni and stayed the night there. The next morning, he visited the ashram to spend some quality time with the kids. He not only played with them, but also had a meal with the little ones, who were full of energy. After that, he went to attend another fans wedding in Theni. Gautham, whose last release was Devarattam, is now busy with a couple of films in Kollywood. The actor is shooting for Chella Pillai, a family entertainer thats being directed by Arun Chandhiran. Hes also got debutant Narthans remake of Mufti, which co-stars Simbu.

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Gautham Karthik spends time with kids at an ashram - Times of India

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November 13th, 2019 at 5:43 am

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Emma Watsons interview was more than self-partnership. Heres the whole story – YourStory

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For a short 15 seconds towards the end of her interview with British Vogue, Emma Watson said,

I never believed the whole Im happy single spiel. It took me a long time. But Im very happy; I call it being self-partnered.

For the remainder of the video, she spoke about a variety of things and experiences shes had throughout her life:

Seeking Gloria Steinem's advice about feminist activism and relearning history from a different perspective, talking about how fame affected her as a child when she played Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter movie series and feeling guilty for being unhappy, and so much more.

Despite Emma diving deep into some of the most pressing issues, people across social media seem to be hooked on to the part of the interview where she spoke about not having a boyfriend or husband, and being self-partnered.

Adding to the hullabaloo, the interview too is conveniently titled Emma Watson Talks Turning 30, Working With Meryl Streep, And Being Happily Single.

It wouldnt be a shocker, since theres no dearth of headlines that focus only on their dating lives, choice of clothing, and whether or not they look camera-ready.

Its time we realise that public figures, especially women, are real, human, and can make meaningful contributions to the world.

Here are some eye-opening segments of Emma Watsons recent interview that deserve more recognition.

When Emma was appointed as the UN Women Goodwill Ambassador, she felt unworthy and not informed-enough. While she could have brushed it off and started tooting her own horn, she wanted to learn more about it.

"I did this speech for the UN - for this campaign that we launched, called #HeForShe, and I had a massive case of the imposter syndrome and it hit hard," she recalls.

Realising she needed to learn the ropes from people with more experience with feminist activism, Emma decided to approach Gloria Steinem, an icon who rose to public recognition when she became a spokeswoman for the American feminist movement in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Emma hosting an interview with Gloria in 2016

Continuing the conversation about feminism, she speaks about receiving criticism about white feminism, which is the form of the movement where white women address only the things that affect them, and disregard other kinds of oppression women around the world go through.

The journey towards introspection, according to Emma, began when she started going to university in the United States.

To sit in another country and hear your history told differently to how you have been taught it at home - it was the first time I had a first-hand experience of realising that history is genuinely told from the perspective of whom its told by, she says.

She goes on to talk about the book Why Im No Longer Talking To White People About Race by author and journalist Reni Eddo-Lodge, from which the biggest lesson she took home was, the desperate need to reform our education system in the UK and the way we tell the story of how we have been involved in foreign affairs, in our relationship to slavery - which we never talk about, and its not okay.

Having previously considered herself very well-read, with a prestigious university degree, learning about different perspectives pushed her towards a course of correction and critical analysis. She says,

Many celebrities often have successful careers even if they don't care to speak up about pressing issues, or aren't well-informed.

But Emma, as host Paris Lees says, devotes so much time and energy, and strives to make a difference.

On why she goes the extra mile to actively participate in the discourse about things like feminism and LGBTQ+ rights, Emma says,

She feels that being an optimist at heart is essential to being an activist, and that being around other artists, creating space, and bringing people together has helped her greatly, over the past six months.

Emma Watson has been in the limelight ever since her debut as Hermione Granger in Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone. From the age of nine, all the way up to nearly 30, she has been in the film industry, among paparazzi and fans, with very less time to herself.

Emma in 2002, at the premiere of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

This much public exposure from such a young age is bound to have taken a toll. On the pressure she has felt, and how she overcomes it, she says,

There have been moments when everything got so big, I felt disconnected. And part of my sense of peace within myself has been in remembering my identity as someones daughter, a sister, belonging to a family, having roots.

Paris Lees, the host of the interview, is a trans woman, who shared the anxieties she faces and has faced throughout her life because of her identity. Empathising with her, Emma talks about a six-year-old trans child that she knows and cares about, and how shes so afraid about what they might go through, and just wanting basic rights for them.

On being asked about what she would say to people being uncomfortable sharing a bathroom with a trans person, Emma says,

You might not have experienced this in this specific way, but you will have experienced it in your life in some way, and you will know how thatll make you feel. Do you want to perpetuate that, and make somebody else feel that horrible feeling of someone telling you that youre not welcome, you dont belong, youre not included, we dont want you here? she adds.

Emma recalls watching the older Little Women movies as a child, and feels that the author of the book, Louisa May Alcott, put a little bit of herself into all of the sisters. She says this was a clever way and good literary device to explain that theres not just one way to be a feminist.

Speaking about the character that she plays in the upcoming Little Women movie - Meg March - she says,

She also talks about working with actors Meryl Streep and Laura Dern, whom she had already met before coming together for the movie. The three of them met in activist spaces, and had an added sense of solidarity of being actors who take part in activism.

In 2015, when Emma was interviewing Malala Yousafzai, she was told by Malala that one of the reasons she wanted to identify with feminism, was because of her speech at the UN. Speaking about this interaction, Emma simply says,

Emma also mentions meeting a young girl from India who lives in an ashram, and follows the actor on Instagram.

She was like, Every time I see you doing what youre doing, I just want you to know that theres a girl in an ashram in India whos rooting for you. I have moments where I just want to delete my Instagram account, but then I think about her, and Im like, No, thats meaningful.

So, there we have it. Emma Watson may be self-partnered, shes so much more, too.

(Edited by Rekha Balakrishnan)

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Emma Watsons interview was more than self-partnership. Heres the whole story - YourStory

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November 13th, 2019 at 5:43 am

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Video Of Muslim Women Singing Ram Bhajans Is Not From The Middle East – BOOM

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BOOM found that the video is from a 2012 event by Prasanthi Nilayam, the ashram of spiritual guru Sathya Sai Baba in Andhra Pradesh.

Published on Nov 12 2019 4:07 pm, Last Updated: Nov 13 2019 10:57 am

A video which appears to show Muslim women singing Ram bhajans is being shared with false claim that it is from the Middle East.

In the clip, a group of women wearing black Abayas a long black robe customarily worn by Muslim women, can be seen singing the Hindu devotional hymn Ram Sharan Sukhadai Bhajo Re.

Click here to view, and here for archive.

The 57 seconds clip was shared on Twitter with the caption, People in the Middle East singing prabhu Sri Ram bhagans.

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The same clip has resurfaced since 2017 and is being shared in the wake of the verdict on the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute case.

Also Read:Supreme Court Paves Way For A Ram Temple, Muslims To Get Alternate Land In Ayodhya

BOOM Hindi had previously debunked the claim that the viral clip was from a mosque in Dubai on September 3, 2019.

We searched on Google with the keywords Muslim woman singing Ram Bhajan which showed a fact-check by ABP News dated February 12, 2018.

The video is from an event by Prasanthi Nilayam, the ashram of spiritual guru Sathya Sai Baba at Puttaparthi in Andhra Pradesh.

The event was attended by devotees from countries such as Bahrain, Iran, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates, reported the Colombo Telegraph.

BOOM contacted Prasanthi Nilayam which confirmed that the woman spotted in the viral video were indeed Muslims.

The viral video has been clipped at the 44 minute mark in the original video which is an hour long uploaded on YouTube by Radio Sai Global Harmony on July 17, 2012.

In the original video one can see different types of bhajans being sung by participants and in different languages.

The viral clip has been shared with the false claim that Ram bhajan was sung in a Dubai mosque since 2017 on Facebook.

We are glad to bring you this fact check. If you are happy with our mission to keep the internet safe of disinformation, do support us by clicking on the link

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Video Of Muslim Women Singing Ram Bhajans Is Not From The Middle East - BOOM

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November 13th, 2019 at 5:43 am

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Mystic and the moolah – THE WEEK

Posted: November 11, 2019 at 7:41 pm


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The Rayalaseema region in Andhra Pradesh is known for its arid landscape and recurrent droughts. But it has long been fertile ground for bloody political feuds and powerful godmen.

At Puttaparthi in Anantapur district, Satya Sai Baba had celebrities and heads of states queuing up to seek his blessings. Bala Sai Baba, of the neighbouring Kurnool district, also had a large number of followers in India and abroad. Both the controversial godmen are no more, while a third notable name, Kalki Bhagwan, is under the scanner of the income tax department and Enforcement Directorate.

The TDP candidate lived in the ashram during the campaign. party workers informed me that the ashrams staff were closely involved in distributing money to voters. K. Adhimulam, YSR Congress legislator

In October, a series of raids on 40 properties in Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Chittoor revealed that trusts and businesses controlled by Bhagwan had unaccounted income of more than Rs500 crore. The IT department unearthed Rs93 crore in cash and Rs409 crore in other assets. There was about 2.5 million (approximately Rs18 crore) in US dollars alone, said a statement issued by the department. About 88kg of undeclared gold jewellery, valued at Rs26 crore, and diamonds weighing 1,271 carats, worth about Rs5 crore, have also been seized.

Born Vijayakumar Naidu at Natham in Tamil Nadu in 1949, Bhagwan started his career as a clerk with the Life Insurance Corporation of India. In 1984, he and his close friend Shankar started a residential school at Rajupeta in Andhra Pradesh. Called Jeevashram, the school aimed at providing alternative education and inculcating spirituality.

By 1989, he had groomed himself as a godman, calling himself Kalki, after the 10th avatar of Lord Vishnu. His philosophy of oneness and instant nirvana became popular, helping him establish ashrams in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra. Devotees began referring to his wife, Padmavathi, as Amma Bhagwan.

Bhagwan, 70, charged Rs5,000 for each darshan; for special darshans, the fee was Rs50,000. As the number of followers grew, he built a oneness temple on 400 acres at Tada village on the Tamil Nadu-Andhra Pradesh border. A monolithic structure of white marble, the temple is a blend of Buddhist and Hindu architecture, replete with stupas, spires, domes, ornate doors and latticed windows. It has a sprawling meditation hall that can accommodate 8,000 people, and at the centre of the hall is a huge, garlanded picture of Bhagwan and his wife.

A week after the raids, both of them released a video saying they had not abandoned the faithful. We have not left the country, Bhagwan said. We are at Nemam, conducting classes and helping you. Activities continue as usual.

THE WEEK visited Bhagwans ashram at Nemam near Chennai, but found the gates locked. A security guard with a vermillion on his forehead said Bhagwan was not in the ashram. He opened the gate to reveal a sprawling entrance hall that was dark and deserted. A mural of the Buddha adorned one wall, and near it were eleven glass-panelled cash counters, all closed. Please go, said the guard. You cant come in here, because you are from the media. There is nobody here.

Investigators say Bhagwan laundered money and purchased assets abroad through hawala transactions. His son N.K.V. Krishna, who runs the ashram, and Krishnas wife, Preeti, were questioned by the income tax department. Krishna also runs several companies that are into real estate, construction, publishing and microfinance. The ED has registered a case against Bhagwan and Krishna under the Foreign Exchange Management Act.

This is not the first time Bhagwan and his family have come under the scanner. In the early 2000s, Bengaluru-based activist and former devotee Vishwanath Swami alleged that Bhagwan and his ashram were involved in money laundering. In September 2013, the income tax appellate tribunal in Chennai found Krishna guilty of tax violation and unlawful acquisition of agricultural land.

The ED and the IT department have reportedly questioned Lokesh Dasaji, the manager of Kalki Ashram Trust. When THE WEEK contacted him, Dasaji said he was in Delhi. We dont have anything to tell the media now, he said.

Sources in the IT department said Bhagwans proximity to the Telugu Desam Party was a prime reason for the raids. The leads came from several raids in the past few years. Political links are not the only reason. There are multiple allegations of money laundering as well, said one official.

Bhagwan openly supported the TDP in the Lok Sabha and assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh this year. Leaders of the YSR Congress and other opposition parties alleged that the TDP ran its campaign in Satyavedu, the assembly constituency that includes the ashram, with the help of Bhagwans employees who doubled as party workers.

My opponent and the TDP candidate lived in the ashram during the campaign, said K. Adhimulam, YSR Congress leader who won from Satyavedu. TDP workers and their families stayed in the ashram and participated in the campaign. Local party workers informed me that the ashrams staff were closely involved in distributing money to voters. This was not new; the same thing had happened in the 2014 elections, too.

Workers of the CPI and CPI(M) had long opposed Bhagwan and his efforts to expand the ashram. In the 1990s, they had organised protests against the ashram for buying hundreds of acres at cheap rates from local farmers. Party leaders said the protests were partially successful; a few farmers got their land back.

In the last elections, our party workers approached the people running the ashram, said a senior CPI leader in Chittoor district. We asked them whether they could donate to our campaign. They never gave a single rupee. We came to know that the ashram did not give money to other political parties as well. They were actively funding the TDPs election activities.

Bhagwan and the top leaders of the TDP, including former chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, belong to the politically dominant Kamma community. When the TDP was in power, said sources, at least three ministers used to frequent the ashram.

Apparently, Krishna has deeper links with the party. He is said to be the co-owner of the news channel Studio N, which was founded and run by TDP loyalists. The office of Studio N was recently raided by the IT department. Krishna reportedly controls the activities of the ashram and related businesses now, as Bhagwan is said to be suffering from health issues.

According to a person who was once closely involved with the ashram, Bhagwans spiritual empire is still largely intact. The organisation is sitting on a real estate goldmine, he said. They do not need money from devotees. Each acre they had bought for Rs5,000 to Rs10,000, near the industrial belt on the Andhra Pradesh-Tamil Nadu border, is valued at more than Rs1 crore now. The extent of land they bought in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and adjoining states is very hard to estimate.

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Mystic and the moolah - THE WEEK

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Spirit of music – The Hindu

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One of Mahatma Gandhis favourite bhajans Vaishnav Jana To written and composed by the 15th century Gujarati poet-composer Narsinh Mehta lays emphasis on the ideals and virtues one has to follow in life. It was a must rendition at the Sabarmati Ashram during the days of Mahatma Gandhi. Ever since, the bhajan became popular, and many illustrious singers from M S Subbulakshmi, Gangubai Hangal, Pundit Jasraj and Lata Mangeshkar have rendered Commemorating the 150th birth anniversary of the Mahatma, a reworked version of the song was composed by Saluru Vasu Rao at the behest of media baron Ch Ramoji Rao for the popular news App Etv Bharat.

It was a pleasant surprise for me when a call came from Koneru Bapineedu, Vice-President and CEO, Etv about this offer from Ramoji Rao garu. At the time, I was wary of the fact that many great singers and composers have done the job before and I should match their standards, says Vasu Rao.

Since it is a national project, Vasu Rao decided to sign singers from the north as well. From the north and east, I preferred folk singers who are popular in their regions, adds Vasu who, from the South recorded the song in the voices S P Balasubrahmanyam representing the Telugu States, Chitra (Kerala), Unnikrishnan (Tamil Nadu) and Vijay Shankar (Karnataka). The song gave me an opportunity to travel to nine states. And the best part of it was a visit to Sabarmati ashram. In Mumbai, Vaishali Made enjoyed singing the song like it was a movie number. Being basically a bass guitarist, I have used that instrument in the song which she liked. It is interesting to note that each of the singers Salamath Khan (Rajasthan), Banerjee (Assam), Lokesh Gadhvi (Gujarat), , Haimanti Sukla (Bengal), Shankar Sahani (Punjab), Subash Das (Odissa) and the singers from the south rendered the bhajan with total devotion towards Bapuji. One of the highs of the bhajan was the rendition of the renowned Pundit Channulal Mishra from Varanasi (Utar Pradesh). At 87, his impeccable rendition added lustre to the album. It is interesting that all the singers sang in an equal sruthi (scale) which I had set. Even while recording the song, I knew it would be a hit.

I have composed Vaishnava Janato in raga Misra Kamas retaining the fragrance from the original tune. I have used traditional music instruments from each region. I must mention here that before recording the bhajan in the voices of the chosen singers, I trained the upcoming singers and my troupe members, Ms. Sahiti Chaganti and Sarath Santhosh to sing the song as track singers. I then sent the track to all the twelve singers.

On October 19, Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited film luminaries for the Change Within Meet to mark the 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi. Besides Bapineedu,and Ch. Kiran representing Etv, S.P. Balasubrahmanyam and Vasu Rao were among the invitees.

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Spirit of music - The Hindu

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