BKs rewarded obese leader ... $10,000s of surgery & servants

33% of the world’s starving people live in India. 212 million are undernourished. As many as 3,000 to 6,000 children die every day. 42% of children under five are underweight, 57% are stunted, 20% wasted and 70% to 79% anaemic. As many as 99% in the adivasi classes experience chronic hunger on a daily basis (unable to have two meals).

But that's OK, say the Brahma Kumaris ... "they are "scorpions and snakes", untouchable "devils" suffering from their own bad karma!!!"

Meanwhile, back in Brahma Kumari land, a lifelong and obese Brahma Kumari, Nalini Didi from Mumbay, is rewarded for her indulgence with $10,000s of surgery caused by her overeating.

In India, being fat is a sign of power and wealth, and therefore attractiveness or to aspire to.

Please note, I do not mean to hurt the feelings or offend any of you who might be a little overweight ... [i]out of your earnings. What you do with the money you earn is your own business. My criticisms here are firmly targeted on religious charlatans, in a nation like India, who have never worked and become obese out the donations of the poor under them ... while children drop like flies around them. (That is also what the god spirit of the Brahma Kumaris teach, that impure "Kali Yugi" souls come and die like flies on the dung heap of the old world).

As a BK, I at first lost my health and struggled with the large amount of weight I put on. In an effort to stop it, it was physically uncomfortable, I started to learn about healthy eating, chi exercises etc but was put down by the leaders for being a body conscious "health Bhagat".

Whereas "health Bhakti" - healthy eating, sport and exercise etc portrayed as an alternative religion - was looked down up, no one questioned emotional overeating or those who indulged in it. Intense, overly sweet confectionaries, sweet rice, oily food and puddings etc were the only sanctioned indulgences, and used directly as rewards.[/i]

Nalini Joshi "surrendered" to the Brahma Kumaris aged 14, (elsewhere stated as 17, or 15), after being introduced to BKism by her mother. Hailing from a royal family of Kutchchi Saraswat Brahmins in Kutch, she has never had a proper job. All of that fat comes has been eaten from the donations of her followers without any censure from the leadership ... presumably a good bit of the family wealth, her dowry, inheritance etc, went into the Kirpalani Klan's coffers?

Nalini Didi's health problems, and misplaced concerns, became a newsworthy event in the Brahma Kumari world. For many years she hah had health problems due to her obesity which was so bad it even restricted her movement. She is portrayed by the BKs as having "reached the pinnacle of spirituality" and given the title -Ji, normally given to saints.

On 15th August she was admitted to the Brahmakumaris's built and funded by government and big business donations Mumbai hospital for urgent surgery for an umbilical hernia ($4,000 Indian rates) as well as an "Tummy tuck" (abdominoplasty) to remove excess fat and skin from her abdomen ($6,000 to $12,000 US rates).

So on 19th August she underwent triple surgeries for Hernia, abdominoplasty & gastric bypass with the Brahma Kumari follower Dr Ashok Mehta calling in Mumbai's top metabolic surgeon, Dr.Sanjay Borude & his team, to perform these triple surgeries as a one of its kind event.

Cost of gastric bypass, a surgery only usually available to people with potentially life-threatening obesity, ($24,000 in the United States). A gastric bypass is where your digestive system is re-routed past most of your stomach, so when you eat it takes much less to make you feel full.

The 6 hours of surgery were followed by two days in the ICU ($6,000 to 7,000 per day average US rates) and two days in her hospital room ($1,500 to $2,000 each).

On 25th August, she was to be discharged, however she experienced acute angina pain in her chest and, on further investigation, her team of doctors found that she needed an immediate Angiogram ($5,000) performed by a renowned Cardiologist, Dr M.G.Pillay & his team, followed by angioplasty to open a major block in her right coronary artery. (Say $20,000 in California, angioplasty can cost anywhere from $44,000 to $144,000).

Followed by another two days in ICU (intensive care unit) at $12,000.

On top of which, they flew/drove in their "sweet angel" Dadi Janki ji and Dadi Ratan Mohini to come and see her and had the BKs' VIP Villa Parle centre running after her. She was discharge on 31 August after 15 days.

Needless to say, she will now be careful for 24/7 by a team of Brahma Kumaris indentured servants, the young girls they use as unpaid workers - who will have to empty out her urine and stools and wash her afterwards - and, for some reason, she was the recipient of coordinated official prayers, aka "positive thoughts".

Let's conservative estimate, at relative rates in the USA, of $120,000 worth of medical treatment, and remember, the BKs called in some of India's top people.

Why when the same money could have save 100s of children's lives?

And, more to the point, where overeating is often a symptom of emotional problems and obesity certainly a lack of exercise, why was her condition not flagged up and challenged long before this point? You cannot get that obese without compulsive overeating and, even in BK parlance ... a huge amount of Maya.

Good Wishes Messages for Nalini Didi can be sent on "nalinididiji@gmail.com".

Nalini's mother wanted her to visit the Brahma Kumaris often. Reluctantly, she agreed on one condition, that nobody should start preaching to her, that she would do as she liked. Her mother took her to Mateshwari at Mt. Abu. Nalini's first impression of Mateshwari was that she looked beautiful. Clad in white sari, with long, open hair, a nice face ...

Nalini was a BK for about 10 years while Lekhraj Kirpalani and Om Radhe were alive, hence her value to the BKs as a living connection to them. If so, she must have joined around 1955. She is and has been a principal teacher for giving training to young girls aspiring to become Brahma Kumari Teachers.

Funnily enough, even the Brahma Kumaris would describe most of the causes and symptoms of overeating as being "Maya" or "negativity".

For decades, within Brahma Kumarism, pursuing a healthy lifestyle has been seen as a negative and self-indulgent "body-conscious" Bhakti (or pointless religion) and discouraged, whilst a blind eye was turned to those who over eat.

Culturally, for perverse reasons, being fat in India - where so many starve - is seen as being rich, "healthy" and powerful. I say, "perverse" because the connotations are back to front or outside in, only the rich and powerful can afford to be fat ... being fat and eating does not make you rich and powerful. It is just another facade. Likewise, a chubby child - like the pictures of Krishna - is seen as "healthy" and likely to survive in a society where there are so many deaths through malnourishment.

Conversely, being skinny is not a sign of wealth and health as it is in the West, it is a sign of being poor and having to work hard physically.

Emotional hunger is powerful and can be easily mistaken for physical hunger.

Emotional hunger comes on suddenly.

It hits you in an instant and feels overwhelming and urgent.

Emotional hunger craves specific comfort foods.

Emotional hunger craves fatty foods or sugary snacks that provide an instant rush.

Emotional hunger often leads to mindless eating.

Emotional hunger isn’t satisfied once you’re full.

You keep wanting more and more, often eating until you’re uncomfortably stuffed.

Emotional hunger isn’t located in the stomach.

Rather than in the stomach, emotional hunger is a craving in the head focused on specific gratify textures, tastes, and smells.

Emotional hunger often leads to regret, guilt, or shame.

When you eat to satisfy physical hunger, you’re unlikely to feel guilty or ashamed because you’re simply giving your body what it needs. If you feel guilty after you eat, it's likely because you know deep down that you’re not eating for nutritional reasons.

Common causes of emotional eating

Stress

Stress makes you hungry. It’s not just in your mind. When stress is chronic, it leads to high levels of the stress hormone, cortisol. Cortisol triggers cravings for salty, sweet, and high-fat foods—foods that give you a burst of energy and pleasure. The more uncontrolled stress in your life, the more likely you are to turn to food for emotional relief.

Stuffing emotions

Eating can be a way to temporarily silence or “stuff down” uncomfortable emotions, including anger, fear, sadness, anxiety, loneliness, resentment, shame ... and sexual urges. While you’re numb with food, you can avoid the emotions you’d rather not feel.

Boredom or feelings of emptiness

Eating simply to for something to do, to relieve boredom, or as a way to fill a void in your life. Food is a way to occupy the mouth and your time. It fills you up and distracts you from underlying feelings of purposelessness and dissatisfaction with your life.

Childhood habits

"Remember your childhood"

Was good behaviour rewarded with sweeties and ice cream? Toli, "holy sweeties" are the only reward the Brahma Kumaris have. Emotionally-based infantile eating habits often carry over into adulthood driven by nostalgia for the child-like experience of life.

Social influences

It’s easy to overindulge simply because the food is there or because everyone else is eating. Overeating in social situations often happens out of nervousness. Others can encourage you to overeat, for many it’s easier to go along with the group and in BKism, elders are not questioned or challenged.

To look or question a Senior Sister's obesity would be to show disrespect and be seen as extreme "body consciousness".

BKism also puts a block on many of the avenues of help or alternatives to emotional eating for sufferers.

For example;

Calling someone who always makes you feel better when you are depressed or lonely; playing with a pet dog or cat, or look at a favorite photo or cherished memento.

Exercising or dancing when you are anxious to expend nervous energy.

Treating yourself, e.g. with a hot bath, some scented candles, massage or a non-food comfort.

Reading a good book, watching a movie or comedy show, exploring nature, or any other hobby or activity you enjoy.

All of these would be considered a show of Maya and an admittance of weakness in a system where the only cure is "more remembering Baba" and the only acceptable activity promoting the cult (aka service).

Just to be clear, the length of topic titles are limited by the software and so I am not saying that the BKs *have* spent over $100,000 on the woman. What I am saying is that the equivalent value of the surgery would be worth over $100,000 in the developed world and I am questioning their morals and ethics over their re-direction of funds and resources to serve themselves rather than those who most need it.

How can the BK live as they do, surrounded by so much poverty and starvation?

How can the BKs claim is it is a spiritual decision to save one old pensioner who has eaten herself to death and immobility, whilst the same money could have saved 100s of young children with their lives ahead of them?

Obviously, the BKs will be pulling in favours and not paying full price, but some expenses and the cost of running the hospital comes out of donations.

They just have too much money now and are drunk on it.

And what are the politics of who gets such treatment?

How much do you have to put in, or pull in, for how long to the BKWSU before you are covered by their welfare system?

Where is the policy ... in writing, not whim and favour?

I suppose Nalini Dadi is a "fee earner" for them. Worth it for the money she brings in, the subservience she commands, adding value and credibility for her direct connection to Lekhraj Kirpalani and Om Radhe. Like Janki Kirpalani and other "Original Jewels", I suppose they just have to keep propping them up for as long as they can to justify their activities.

But looking at her CV, and listening to her talk, I am thinking it's just like listening to a tape recording of what's been said 10,000s before. It's not deep at all and it's boring as hell.

They seem to think something is deep just because they say its deep ... and say it s-l-o-w-l-y.

They seem to think their audience is as stupid as they are.