Bageshwar: Seated on a crimson sofa placed on a raised platform, wearing a long red-and-black robe with neck beads and Hanuman pendant, the latest ‘miracle maker’ of Madhya Pradesh, Baba Dhirendra Krishna Shastri, doles out predictions about the lives of his followers at Bageshwar Dham, which he heads. Thousands of his followers who can’t find space inside the darbar climb the walls to peer through the windows in the hope of catching a glimpse of Shastri.
Recently, rationalist Shyam Manav challenged Shastri to display his chamatkar on stage. He volunteered to bring ten random people with him so that Shastri could correctly name their fathers and give their home address as he has claimed he can do with the help of Bala Ji. In return, Shastri cut his losses and left Nagpur.
However, his followers don’t care about the controversies surrounding Shastri over his claimed miracles. For them, he is an incarnation of god Hanuman.
The train going from Bhopal to Khajuraho is stopped at Bageshwar Dham where there is no station. His followers pull the chain and jump out in thousands in a stampede-like rush — to reach the Balaji temple and book a meeting with Acharya Dhirendra Shastri, the latest ‘miracle-maker’ of Madhya Pradesh.
