In 1990, Gurmeet Ram Rahim became the leader of Dera Sacha Sauda movement. Originally, the group promoted charity and taught meditation practices, but under Gurmeet, its activities became significantly darker. Eventually, Gurmeet had over 60 million followers, who he exploited for his every desire.
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Nov 2022
Waco Siege & Branch Davidians Pt. 1
On February 28th, 1993, ATF agents raided a compound in Waco, Texas, belonging to a religious group known as the Branch Davidians. A 51-day standoff ensued, ending in a violent siege. Eighty-one people lost their lives, many of them children — but to this day, no one knows which ... Show More
33m 53s
Jul 2016
The 93 Rolls-Royces of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh
Some called Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh a messiah, and some called him a cult leader. Beginning in the 1980s, this controversial guru and his followers slowly took over an area of rural Oregon. Yet despite all his spiritual teachings and publications, he's perhaps best remembered for ... Show More
1h 2m
Jun 2021
“The Guru's Secretary” Sheela Birnstiel Pt. 2
With her relationship with Bhagwan strained and her power slipping away, Sheela Birnstiel knew she had to do something drastic to make him happy and gain it all back. So in 1984, assisted by a group of loyal followers, Birnstiel masterminded the largest bioterrorist attack the U. ... Show More
51m 55s
Aug 2020
“Prince Prosperous” Pt. 1: Khun Sa
By the early 1950s, the teenaged Khun Sa was already a militia leader in war-torn northeast Burma (present-day Myanmar). Over the next decade, his power as a warlord only increased. When the Burmese government came to him with an offer of allyship, he set himself up to become the ... Show More
39m 45s
Sep 2023
Sumit Chakrabarti, "Local Selfhood, Global Turns: Akshay Kumar Dutta and Public Culture in Nineteenth-Century Bengal" (Cambridge UP, 2023)
Sumit Chakrabarti's book Local Selfhood, Global Turns: Akshay Kumar Dutta and Public Culture in Nineteenth-Century Bengal (Cambridge UP, 2023) examines the works of Akshay Kumar Dutta (1820-1886), who can be seen as ideologically inhabiting the cusp between religion and rationali ... Show More
38m 30s
Nov 2022
Is Virat Kohli the Greatest Batsman of Our Times? | Sadhguru
In this podcast, Shri Sanjiv Goenka, one of India’s leading industrialists and chairman of the RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group, engages in a lively and insightful discussion with Sadhguru. They discuss the rise of Virat Kohli and his strengths, and what can make him continue to grow as a ... Show More
6m 41s