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Tuesday, November 25, 2025
TopicGodmen

Topic: Godmen

What sets Premanand Maharaj apart—‘doesn’t sell miracles’, a celebrity favourite

Premanand Maharaj’s popularity stems not just from his soft-spoken sermons, but also from his positioning as a ‘progressive baba’ — one who supports love and inter-caste marriages, and gives logical, non-ritualistic advice.

Ananya Panday is the latest star to flaunt her ‘guruji’. It signals India’s crisis of faith

Seeking spiritual guidance is nothing to be frowned upon. But the masses flocking to babas should also be read as a symptom of a larger problem—India’s crisis of faith.

‘Who is Bhole Baba’, ‘what caused Hathras stampede’—and why was TV news so late to report

'Your children died right before your eyes?' an ANI reporter asked a woman. Such insensitive reporting of the ‘UP Stampede Horror’ was as shocking as the indifference of the organisers of the satsang.

Jay Shetty’s fake origins don’t matter to his Instagram cult. They just want ‘meaning’

Most influencers are modern-day godmen and snake-oil salesmen riding on our insecurity and peddling fake dreams. Jay Shetty is just the latest to be called out.

Why godmen seem to get away with murder in Punjab and Haryana

North India has emerged as the epicentre of colourful and blingy babas who make practice of religion simpler, with fewer lifestyle restrictions.

Asaram found guilty: Who is the controversial ‘godman’ and what is the case about?

Self-styled 'godman' Asaram has been found guilty of raping a teenager in 2013 in his ashram. ThePrint looks at the case and Asaram's controversial past. 

Godmen chant Modi mantra in poll-bound Gujarat

Gujarat BJP has been posting videos of religious and spiritual gurus praising PM Narendra Modi, and asking their followers to 'strengthen his hands'.

Laws repealed, but rape victims continue to face humiliating questions

Experts say defence lawyers always find ways to skirt around cross-examination regulations.

Talk Point: What are the lessons from the violence after Gurmeet Ram Rahim’s conviction

An expert panel also offers tips on how such instances of violence can be prevented in the future.

Clueless in Babaland: Ram Rahim to ‘Freezer Baba’, how ‘godmen’ cast a spell over Punjab & Haryana

Gurmeet Ram Rahim, now out on parole ahead of elections yet again, is just the most colourful and blingy of north India's 'godmen'.

On Camera

Worker exploitation powers the firework industry in Tamil Nadu’s Sivakasi

For an industry globally classified as hazardous, protections such as health insurance and a provident fund for workers are necessities. In Sivakasi, they remain elusive.

172 countries & counting, India looks to hit new record in rice exports. But there’s a flip side

The industry forecasts exports are set to grow 16% in 2025-26, boosted by surplus domestic production and a drive to push into 26 underserved global markets with strong potential.

India and France to jointly manufacture HAMMER air-to-surface missile

Indigenisation level will progressively increase up to 60 percent with key sub-assemblies, electronics and mechanical parts being manufactured locally.

A tribute to Tejas. India’s delay culture is the real enemy in the skies

It is a brilliant, reasonably priced, and mostly homemade aircraft with a stellar safety record; only two crashes in 24 years since its first flight. But its crash is a moment of introspection.