11 Aug 2008
From behind the gloss of expensive international PR campaigns, the Brahma Kumaris project themselves as "The Family Path" educating the world in "Spiritual Values". What is not made clear is that "The Family" is the family of Brahma Kumaris followers ... not necessarily the "impure" worldly relatives, as the Brahma Kumaris call followers' families of birth.
For 70 years the celibate, millenarianist leadership has been accused of breaking up families in order to fuel its expansion with followers. At the same time they have re-written the organization's history in order to cover up failed predictions of the End of the World and other embarrassments. In many countries it operates since its inception, individuals adherents have been encouraged to give not just their "bones" but also their homes and family's inheritance to the organization. Whilst registered as a charity "to alleviate poverty" in the UK, families of teenage girls surrendering to the Indian organization are made to pay their keep and hand over their daughters' dowries.
What has been less well documented up until now is the organization's financial ethics and, more importantly, the response of the leadership to financial abuses. In this incident, we examine the BKWSO of New York.
For 70 years the celibate, millenarianist leadership has been accused of breaking up families in order to fuel its expansion with followers. At the same time they have re-written the organization's history in order to cover up failed predictions of the End of the World and other embarrassments. In many countries it operates since its inception, individuals adherents have been encouraged to give not just their "bones" but also their homes and family's inheritance to the organization. Whilst registered as a charity "to alleviate poverty" in the UK, families of teenage girls surrendering to the Indian organization are made to pay their keep and hand over their daughters' dowries.
What has been less well documented up until now is the organization's financial ethics and, more importantly, the response of the leadership to financial abuses. In this incident, we examine the BKWSO of New York.
Naresh Kirpalani wrote:Brahma Kumari Organization
New York
Sent via facsimile and email today
Reverend Sister Kala Iyengar,
I hope you remember my telephone conversation with you requesting you to kindly keep your organizations activities away from my house, and specifically, your Sr. Poonam Sethi. You had assured me that you would keep her away.
I had also warned Sr. Poonam Sethi never to come to my house. Despite that, she challenged me by coming to my house.
As you know this tension created by Sr Poonam Sethi resulted in J.... leaving our house on November 28th. Another success for your organization.
Please find attached envelope containing a bank card recovered from Chase Bank in Sr. Poonam Sethi's name!!!
As you can well understand, I am extremely shocked by this member of your organization who defies my personal rights and persists in coming to my house despite my warnings. Now, she has encroached on fraudulently using my house address to apply for bank cards.
I would like to hear from you immediately, before I take further steps in reporting this issue to the authorities on Monday.
Thank you for your kind attention
Naresh Kirpalani.
encl: Copy of envelope received from bank today which is self explanatory.
Poonam_Seth.pdf- (1.13 MiB) Downloaded 820 times
BKWSU wrote:As the Coordinator of Peace Village, Dr. Kala Iyengar is skilled in facilitating workshops and delivering lectures on values, self-empowerment, and spirituality and medicine, while also serving as director of Peace Village Learning and Retreat Centre. She has taught meditation for 26 years and has been engaged in programs to help patients identify and manage non-physical cause of pain and disease. Kala is a trained paediatrician with extensive exposure to the needs of children and their parents.
