The Brahma Kumaris Management Board has ruled that BK centres are not to show a dramatised version of the movement's history which lifts the lid on the false history they have peddled to outsiders and academics for decades.
A group of sincere Brahma Kumari followers, dedicated to seeking the truth, have worked to present a more truthful version of the religion's early days, and raise pertinent questions in a light hearted manner.
In the tradition of political censors and historical revisionists the world over, the Brahma Kumari elite (CMG) has responded by "banning it" from worldwide distribution ... even though only 5 out of those 19 censor had actually seen the show ... underlining the truism, "Those who do not learn from history, are condemned to repeat it" (and in the case of the Brahma Kumaris, every 5,000 Years).
However, it is understood to be being shown at a special international media meeting of 40 BKs, from June 24 to 26 2011, at the Brahma Kumari retreat called Peace Village in New York State, USA ... unless it is banned beforehand.
A group of sincere Brahma Kumari followers, dedicated to seeking the truth, have worked to present a more truthful version of the religion's early days, and raise pertinent questions in a light hearted manner.
In the tradition of political censors and historical revisionists the world over, the Brahma Kumari elite (CMG) has responded by "banning it" from worldwide distribution ... even though only 5 out of those 19 censor had actually seen the show ... underlining the truism, "Those who do not learn from history, are condemned to repeat it" (and in the case of the Brahma Kumaris, every 5,000 Years).
However, it is understood to be being shown at a special international media meeting of 40 BKs, from June 24 to 26 2011, at the Brahma Kumari retreat called Peace Village in New York State, USA ... unless it is banned beforehand.
The Avinashi Social Club wrote:Well dearest Sisters and Brothers, earlier this year Sister Sally asked for ideas from us, to help celebrate the 10th birthday of the Centre for Spiritual Learning in Leura.
The Avinashi Social Club was chosen.
The Avinashi Social Club is a show of 10 short films, celebrating the Karachi years, from the recorded experiences of people who were there. The actors in the story are our dear Dadi Prakashmani, 6 old + gold, Oz BKs from Melbourne, 3 Indian Sisters, and a storyteller linking the short films into context.
The Avinashi Social Club is made by Australians, so it is funny, touching, surprising, respectful ... and not at all reverential.
THE AIM ...
... is to entertain the family with the wonderful tale of the early days, as well as share the Avinashi Gyan Yagya beliefs ... so very different from now. Film and performance is a great way to experience the feelings of the time, and the show draws on original documents from the British Library, interviews, and our BK publications to do this.
The show also seeks to encourage our Dadis to share the real tale of Shiva’s arrival on earth, the years of God Brahma and the understandings of those great years, the sudden presence of Piyu in the 1950s, and more ...
WHO’S WHO IN ‘THE AVINASHI SOCIAL CLUB‘ + WHAT HAPPENS?
Three young Indian Sisters, two from Africa, and Dhartibahen from Melbourne, touchingly share the experiences of young Dadis. Niall plays Sir Allah Bux, the Moslem Chief Minister of Sindh, who does his best to manage the politics of the day in the exchanges between Om Mandali and the Panchayat who oppose the group. Sir Allah’s words are from government records.
Michael Westlake is Sadhu Vaswani, a forceful Sindhi spiritual leader who is strongly opposed to Om Mandli, and leads a demonstration of hundreds against it, with guns in hand. Tamasin plays an imagined Sindhi TV hostess of the day, and she interviews the Sadhu. Also in the same colorful role, she shares with us a visit to Om Niwas: a lively report from the Karachi Gazette.
Chris Connelly plays a garrolous Englishman, recording his positive, and rather eccentric, impressions of the Mandli, also from a Karachi paper. Carmen very movingly shares an experience of Om Radhe, and Tamasin plays the young Om Radhe herself, as if at 'Meet the Press', facing intense questioning from the media, and strongly putting her views.
Om Radhe (Mama) is forthright about the Om Mandli/Brahma Kumaris beliefs and attitudes of the day, as indeed she is in her writing. And then Robin links the films together as the storyteller.
WHAT’S GOING ON HERE?
Well, the show is seen as controversial by some of the family. The thing is though, that the God story has been heavily tinkered with in BK books from East and West, on the BK website, in talks and the 7 Day Course. The BK family is confused by this, and wondering why the true story has not been given to us. (Most of The Avinashi Social Club is drawn from British Library archival documents, which are also available online).
85 BKs came to see the show at Leura’s birthday. Our Board / CMG sent out a form later, asking for responses. More than twice the audience number sent in very positive responses, than negative. But the Board / CMG members ruled that BK centres not show it ... though interestingly only 5 out of those 19 members actually saw the show.
BUT NOW ...
... we understand that the Yagya history, or rather God’s story, how to best inform the world and the international family about it after so long, will be deeply considered at a BK international media meeting of 40 BKs from June 24-26 2011, at Peace Village, New York.
And The Avinashi Social Club has been invited to be there.
We do hope the meeting will be a giant step towards illuminating this once-in-a-kalpa tale which has been hidden for so long ...
Om Shanti