Monty Panasars Guru?

[Sarbloh Warrior]

http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/pages/live/a...in_page_id=1770

Pretty messed up baba this is. Tells you how smart this fellow monty is who fell for this baba.

How a guru turned Monty into England's new cricket star

He is not, it must be said, a typical Eastern guru. True, he has a whiskery silver beard, but there are no flowing robes - just a white T-shirt, baggy tracksuit bottoms and work boots. His throne is a cheap nylon armchair in the kitchen of a Canadian farmhouse.

Yet this is Maharaj Ji, a man who - although he can't tell an off-break from a googly - has become the guide and inspiration for Monty Panesar, England's newest cricket star.

The 24-year-old spin bowler spent a month on Maharaj Ji's 5,000-acre community farm on the outskirts of Edmonton last autumn. On his return he described the trip as 'the defining moment of my life'.

Galumphing

He said: "To meet the master was fantastic. He told me to go home and concentrate on cricket, to go full whack and give it my passion. He has really motivated me."

Since then the "Montster" has gone from possible stand-in to core member of the England Test squad. Fans love his galumphing wicket celebrations and chant his name enthusiastically at every game.

So who is Maharaj Ji and how has he effected this amazing transformation? The global leader of the Nanaksar sect of Sikhism, he is 68, his wife Anita is in her 20s and they have a three-year-old son.

As is the nature of leaders of this type, he has attracted his fair share of controversy. Six years ago he was convicted of drink-driving and fined £280 and banned for a year.

In 1994, it was alleged that he promoted free sex as a path to enlightenment, blew £21,000 of his sect's funds in the casinos of Las Vegas and used community money to build a home for his wife - all of which he strenuously denies.

To his 20,000 devotees, however, he is a living saint who raises more than £60million a year for charity.

Certainly, when The Mail on Sunday visited him at his farm last week, we found a charming man who is happy to work the same 12-hour days as his volunteers.

Blessings

Asked about his most famous pupil, the Maharaj said: "I don't know what cricket is. I have never seen him play. I have no idea what happens."

In fact when Monty first arrived in Edmonton, the guru saw him simply as the son of Paramjit and Gurharan Panesar, both followers at his temple in Coventry, which he visits every January.

The Maharaj said: "It's the blessings working for him and what he believes. It's a spiritual connection that makes him what he is. I told him to be strong and play with one mind. Put your mind fully into the activity you are doing and believe in yourself 100 per cent."

It was Monty's close friend Subby Sidhu, an IT consultant from Coventry, who suggested that the cricketer, who is a computing and management graduate of Loughborough University, could benefit from the Maharaj's guidance.

Subby, 25, said: "I have been to stay and work on the farm nine times. I knew how much it would help Monty with his game. The guru is a saint, a teacher of life. He told Monty that cricket was his destiny."

During his stay, Monty worked in the wheat and canola fields. At the end of each day, he would be called for the ritual blessing, at which the Maharaj hands out offerings of cereal bars, Cadbury's chocolate, fruit and sweets to his disciples.

Dinner often consists not of lentils and rice but chips, Kentucky Fried Chicken and iced buns. Alcohol is not allowed as it is strictly against the Sikh religion - which sits uncomfortably with Maharaj Ji's drink-driving ban.

Asked if he viewed himself as a saint, the Maharaj insisted: "Others may say that but I don't want that for myself."

Perhaps not, but judging by Monty Panesar's recent performance, his reputation for working miracles is set to grow.

Additional reporting: Elizabeth Sanderson and Christine Challand

[king singh]

[BABBAR KHALISTANI]

For us it might seem comic but what for the non muslims who would have read this article??........would have surely caused a lot more misconceptions about sikhism.

[kurtas]

Please guys bear in mind this baba Ji is a Sant so please do not do any NINDYA. He is a very kewl baba ji, he is bit of a party animal who loves to boogie to the latest tunes during his annual birthday bash.

[beantsingh]

I think this dude is Hardev "Singh" from Nanaksar Richmond.

[Guest Bass Singh]

Kurtas check this 4 a nindia!!

THE BABAS A <banned word filter activated>!

[mAhA_pApI]

n Kurtas listen to this....

nt only the babas....

the people wit him is also <banned word filter activated>....

[Fauja]

actually if u notice in the picture of the article, "babaji" is wearing a hat instead of a dastaar... weird... wonder why that might be... (maybe he has a reason for it :D ) haha

WaheGuru Ji Ka Khalsa WaheGuru Ji Ki Fateh

Bhul Chul Maaf

[_K_]

LOL kurtas was bein sarcastic !

[Sarbloh Warrior]

Free sex and booze scandal hits B.C. temple

Thu, May 08 2003

Shocking new allegations against the leader of a wealthy religious sect accuse him of promoting free sex, holding beer parties and abusing public donations.

By Asian Pacific News Service

The leader of a Sikh sect, hailed as a "prince" by his followers, is promoting free sex at his Canadian temples and having booze parties while building himself a million dollar mansion in Richmond, affidavits filed in the B.C. Supreme Court allege.

The affidavits, filed last week and obtained by The Asian Pacific Post also question why donations to the Nanaksar Gurdwara-Gursikh Temple in Richmond, B.C. have dropped by several hundreds of thousands of dollars since Harnek Singh Grewal became the sect leader.

Harnek Singh

The affidavits were filed by a group of the movement's followers in a deepening scandal that has shocked B.C.'s Sikh community.

The Asian Pacific Post reported in December three members of the Nanaksar Gurdwara-Gursikh Temple society - Madho Singh Pandher, Dharam Singh Manhas and Tehal Singh Kaila had petitioned the B.C.Supreme Court to remove the current directors of the society, stop Grewal's involvement with the temple and appoint an independent auditor to check the society's financial affairs from 1994 to 2002.

The respondents in the petition are preacher Harnek Singh Grewal and society directors Surjit Singh Badesha, Jarnail Singh Heir, Rajinder Singh Pander, Tarlochan Singh Ranu and Gurdeep Singh Waheed.

Grewal, who allegedly controls a $20-million global financial empire has denied all the allegations including claims that he has been abusing his power and diverting hundreds of thousands of dollars in temple donations for personal use.

Grewal, who is known to his followers worldwide as Maharaj Ji or Prince has also denied allegations that he lost C$45,000 of temple funds while gambling in Las Vegas and that he used donations from his followers to pay for his nieces' weddings in England.

The 65-year-old preacher who has been convicted of impaired driving in Alberta, is the spiritual head of the wealthy and powerful Nanaksar Gurdwara-Gursikh Temple in Richmond

His group also controls and has considerable influence in the operations of sister temples in Edmonton, Toronto, India and the United Kingdom.

Nanaksar Temple

The Nanaksar movement is renowned for its apolitical stance and strict adherence to the religions tenets, including a ban on the consumption of alcohol and that its holy men remain celibate.

The core allegations in the latest set of affidavits filed by 13 members involve Grewal's promotion of the Rajneesh philosophy of free sex as a way to find God, his beer swilling habits and the use of temple funds to build a large house in Richmond.

The members attest they had never been told or consulted about temple donations being used to build the house until The Asian Pacific Post broke the story and the matter hit the courts.

Court documents state that the temple society had purchased a property at 10300 Palmberg Road, Richmond for C$525,000 to construct a 6,500 square foot house.

Another affidavit alleges that the house costing about C$500,000 is for the 65-year-old preacher who allegedly recently married a 25-year-old woman in India.

Nirbhai Singh of Bellevue Washington, in his affidavit alleges that he visited the Richmond temple on Aug. 26, 2002 where he saw Grewal drinking beer inside the Temple building.

"Mr. Grewal seemed to notice my having seen him drinking the beer and he called me into his room.

"He continued drinking beer in his room and offered a beer to me, which I declined. He then gave me an audiotape of the Rajneesh philosophy and spoke to me about it, saying that under that philosophy, free sex leads to the realization of God."

Nirbhai Singh said he was shocked by the incident and raised it with one of the temple directors Tarlochan Singh Ranu.

"I recall that Mr. Ranu folded his hands and asked me not to disclose what I had seen and heard to anyone, as this would affect the reputation of the temple in Richmond. He also told me that he was helpless as Mr. Grewal was the boss and that no one could say anything against Mr. Grewal.

"He said that Mr. Grewal had the authority to terminate members and directors at his will."

Another affidavit by Surjit Singh Nanrey of Surrey stated that he remembers Grewal taking a group of visitors from the United Kingdom "out in a car in the evening and coming back later in the evening when they were all clearly drunk."

Several other temple members who have filed affidavits also attested to incidents where Grewal allegedly was drunk, promoted free sex and claimed that he liked the high life including expensive furnishings and a big screen TV for his quarters.

Buphinder Singh Tatla of Edmonton in his affidavit said claims by the temple directors and Grewal that the allegations of drinking were completely spurious and unfounded, is untrue.

"The fact is that I have seen Mr Grewal drink alcohol both inside and outside of the Edmonton temple premises on several occasions. I have also witnessed Mr.Grewal promoting the teachings of Rajneesh, including the idea that free sex can bring about the realization of God to young persons at the Edmonton temple."

The Nanaksar Gurdwara-Gursikh Temple society in Richmond was incorporated on July 12, 1979 by members of the Lower Mainlands Sikh community.

The move to build a temple was led among others by Surjit Singh Badesha, a millionaire blueberry farmer from Maple Ridge, B.C., whom Indian police have accused of hiring hitmen to kill his niece after she married a poor rickshaw driver not approved by the family.

Financial records obtained by The Asian Pacific Post show that the Nanaksar Gurdwara-Gursikh Temple collected C$1,201,269.54 in donations between July 2000 and June 30, 2001.

The income from farm leases held by the temple society for the same period of time exceeded C$350,000. The Edmonton branch of the society has assets of C$5,088,090. 36 while the total assets of the organization are valued to about C$20 million. The society spent over C$37,000 in travel between July 2000 and June 2001 and had a total expenditure $806,127. 83 for the same period of time.

Ronald Parks, a Vancouver-based chartered accountant who reviewed the affidavits and exhibits filed by Grewal and the temple directors said he believes that misappropriation of cash is possible at the temple.

After reviewing the system used to handle the millions of dollars donated to the temple, Parks in his affidavit wrote: "The weakness in this system is the lack of segregation of duties to ensure that all cash received is deposited. "As an example, Kandola (Gulwant Singh Kandola) has control over the donation box, the counting of the cash, the securing of the cash prior to deposit and the actual deposit of the cash.

At any point, he is able to create false reports to hide misappropriations of cash."

Parks also noted that between the year-ends 1994 and 1995, donations decreased significantly from approximately C$1,394,000 to C$850,000.

"This corresponds with the period that Grewal became the new leader. We believe that this change should be investigated to determine the cause of such a significant drop in donations."

http://mycyberguru.net/portal2/40288191067...82a1287.do.html