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Elan Vital, the organisation which helps
Prem Rawat (Maharaji) promote his work, is called by some, a
cult. Certain people wish to call it a cult because they know
the word cult has negative connotations and they want to spread
a negative message about Maharaji and his work.
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To a casual observer Elan Vital can be a host
of things. It can be seen as a group, an organisation, a class,
a company, a fan club, a club, a motley crew, whatever fits their
perception. In fact, it is a wide variety of little groups of
people all over the world who co-operate together to present
little or large meetings where anyone interested is invited to
come into a respectful, safe environment to sit down and listen
to a simple message. The message is delivered by an interesting,
entertaining and often humourous speaker, either on a video screen
or for those who happen to be in the same town as he is, in person. |
The critics of Elan Vital say that it is merely a front for
Maharaji to collect funds from innocent, gullible people. In
fact, 99% of new people who attend EV events go because a friend
or family member has asked them to come and check Maharaji out.
People generally do not just wander down the street and stumble
into an Elan Vital event. Sometimes a person in the area of the
event is attracted by the excitement and asks to be admitted
but the general rule is that pre registration is required to
attend an event with Maharaji in person. This is because numbers
of interested people are large and there are often not enough
seats to go around. When people register they are making a commitment
to go to the event in exactly the same way as they make arrangements
to go and see a group perform or organise tickets for an Opera
night. The difference between an Elan Vital event and the others
is that no-one is ever turned away from an Elan Vital event because
they do not have the money to pay for a ticket.
When he began touring at the age of thirteen, Maharaji asked
that no-one be forced to pay anything to come and hear him speak.
Today, in his mid forties, Maharaji still says that no-one should
ever be forced to pay to come and hear him speak. If there is
a reason that Elan Vital enjoys a tax status because it meets
certain standards required by Government bodies then surely that
would be it. It is, on financial generosity levels alone, a model
of what a charity is all about - offering a service or product
for a donation or for free, depending entirely upon the circumstances
of the person benefiting from the service or product.
For thirty years, events at which Maharaji has spoken have
'lost' money. They have lost money because the donations rarely,
if ever, meet the expenses incurred in staging such events. Generous
individuals make up the shortfall. Despite numerous struggles
and tremendous financial challenges, the small body of people
who work under the international umbrella known as Elan Vital
have managed to pull together many fine events over the years.
There is a video/cassette/CD collection that would impress even
the most skeptical observer considering the small budget they
were created with. Maharaji knows that his legacy will be his
work. A glance at the storage facilities which houses copies
of his talks would leave most people breathless at the sheer
effort such a body of work would require.
Some critics of Maharaji say that because he is financially
comfortable he should pay for all the events himself and prop
up any shortfall in funds incurred by Elan Vital events. They
say he has no right to own property and investments, many of
which have been given to him by people out of their gratitude
towards him. People give because they can, many who enjoy his
talks and practice his Knowledge are wealthy, yet they are not
required to or expected to donate. Maharaji has never said it
is not fun to have and to enjoy money, in fact he has encouraged
it and always says that if people can and want to help financially
then great, if not, then great. Money isn't the issue, it's just
another way of helping out. The allegation that Elan Vital is
some sort of money making machine is quite preposterous.
There has never been a guilt feeling put about by Maharaji,
that those who do not contribute are somehow not worthy of his
gift or his teachings. In India, almost all his followers are
poor and cannot contribute anything towards his work, yet today
he is speaking to and inspiring more people in India than ever
before, over 300,000 on the 2003 tour. The grueling schedule
statistics would make the most seasoned performer wince. These
tours happen because Maharaji gets a tremendous thrill from seeing
so many people and being able to share his inspiring message
with them. The feeling is mutual. They enjoy each others company
in a unique but very simple way, much the same as any inspiring
performer connects with their audience.
Looking at his extraordinary workload and lifestyle for the
last 30 years it is a comfort to Maharaji's older supporters
that he was well looked after by some people when he was a young
boy. Company directors and privately wealthy individuals, inspired
by his extraordinary maturity, courage, conviction and integrity
offered him small shareholdings in their companies or financial
deposits. One would assume that over the last three decades these
holdings would have accrued not insubstantial interest and gratuities.
On reaching maturity Maharaji took an interest himself in the
possibilities open to him to secure a financial base for his
work and for his family. It is therefore with some considerable
pride and admiration that his less well heeled followers note
his success in this area. For were it not for his efforts to
remain solvent, he would certainly not have been able to afford
to travel constantly around the world, year after year for so
long. They may not have see him at all but for his effort, at
his expense.
Most places Maharaji has traveled to are a business negative,
he goes there at a loss. So it is a credit to the Government
and State authorities around the world who look at the facts
and figures presented to them and decide for themselves whether
Elan Vital is a negative cult or a thoroughly admirable and deserving
recipient of financial assistance in the areas they can offer
it.
Many thousands of people all over the world would happily
testify to the fact that Maharaji, with the help of Elan Vital,
has brought them untold joy and inspiration though his efforts.
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