Awakening with Brahma Kumaris ends BK Godlywood splashes out

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moreclearnow

Re: Awakening with Brahma Kumaris ends BK Godlywood splashes

Post13 Jun 2013

Such comparisons with charities and social service organizations are fine but there is a difference between social service focussed charities and BKWSU. If you have to evaluate an organization, you need to do it against its objectives. If BKWSU preached that they were taking donations from students to feed the hungry but diverting the money into building facilities, then it would be a crime and you have full right to criticize but everytime any student contributes, it's well known what the project is for and people are free not to contribute if they don't belive in its cause.

And it's not that they don't engage in any form of social service. They do in many Indian villages in drug and tobacco de-addiction programs, through medical wing at GHRC for health care and prison reform services.

And BKs do operate in villages. I had personally seen many small centres in villages and poor areas of India run by local Sisters without much facility (BTW, these are the places where I met some of the best BKs in terms of their effort, love for God, simplicity, selflessness and purity).

The food problems across the world can be solved if the top 2% of wealthy who command around 50% of all the riches in the world donate just 1% of their income! But does that happen? Unfortunately not because inequality in the world is only rising and the problem of hunger is much deep rooted in poor governance, corruption, crime, lack of education, capitalism and so on ...
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pawan_kr

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Re: Awakening with Brahma Kumaris ends BK Godlywood splashes

Post13 Jun 2013

moreclearnow wrote:If BKWSU preached that they were taking donations from students to feed the hungry but diverting the money into building facilities, then it would be a crime and you have full right to criticize but everytime any student contributes, its well known what the project is for and people are free not to contribute if they don't belive in its cause.

Asking money or any service in the name of promising high status in their Golden Satiyug is definitely not crime :shock: because everyone knows for building golden palaces, stitching golden suits for Satiyug Price and Princess, Golden ornaments etc you need huge amount of Gold and Brahmakumaris are just asking for contribution after all, all these will be used by people themselves in the Golden Age Satiyug.

The Big Big Photos of Golden Age Satiyug present in every centre is like adverting a township plan of some real estate builder.

satyug_township.jpg
LAUNCHING SOON SATIYUG TOWNSHIP. BOOKINGS STARTED. ENTRY ON HIGH CONTRIBUTION BASIS!

Kaliyug township.jpg
Kaliyug TOWNSHIPS ONLY FOR SHUDRAS !! BUT WE ARE BIG HEARTED SO PURE SOULS CAN ACCOMMODATE TILL THEIR SATIYUG IS LAUNCHED!!
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ex-l

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Re: Awakening with Brahma Kumaris ends BK Godlywood splashes

Post13 Jun 2013

pawan_kr wrote:They set up their centres only in big cities not in villages whereas the maximum population of India lives in villages and their maximum BK Sisters are from rural background.

This is important to pick up on and it correlates to the independent academic research on the Brahma Kumaris I have read.

In essence, what they are doing are using poor, vulnerable workers from rural areas ... the girls you speak about ... but targeting the wealthy middle and even upper classes. They merely train the young girls to be hospitality workers and public relations people wearing the garb of religion. The model is basically the same as any capitalist cooperation in which the workers have no rights, no ownership, no stakeholding, no security, no pension, no healthcare benefits, obviously no wages and no holidays. And they could be thrown out tomorrow. It's incredible to think it could be going on in this day and age.

The BKs can turn around and say, "they can leave if they want, no one is forcing them to stay" ... but to where? To become street sweepers, beggars, prostitutes? Even those positions are full in Indian society.
moreclearnow wrote:If BKWSU preached that they were taking donations from students to feed the hungry but diverting the money into building facilities, then it would be a crime ... but ... it's well known what the project is for and people are free not to contribute if they don't belive in its cause.

The question, as stated by Pawan_kr, relates to coercion and 'undue influence'.

Firstly, I disagree with you. Poor BKs and center-in-charges are coerced to give donations and punished if they don't. Try running a BK center and NOT giving donations to Madhuban and the Dadis and see how long you last. You wont.

Secondly, there is considerable social pressure to give and exploitation of Hindus tendency to give, e.g. Dadi Janki will ask for money with the promise it will goes direct to Madhuban under the influence that giving to Madhuban is worth more karmically than giving to a local centers and Hindus want the best return. She then collects good cash donations ... which I bet she keeps and uses herself.

Such coercions, even excluding the ridiculous of telling people they will get extra gold and a high status in heaven, are plain wrong. Exploitation of naive individuals.

Lastly, in my experience, there is democracy or accountability relating to so called service programmes or the BKWSU budget. I've asked ... no one know how much money the BKWSU has or earns each year.

That is to say, there is little to no discussion or questioning of how money is spent and it keeps being spent in the same way time and time again without questioning its purpose, reason and effectiveness. As long as it is "official Baba's service" they seem to believe it is all 100% effective ... which it is plainly not.

And what is the purpose of it ... I mean, justify buying those huge, luxury chairs and a private preview cinema theatre in India where there is child killing poverty just a few miles away.
And BKs do operate in villages ...

I am sorry but it is not good enough to say something like that. We need you to qualify it ...
    How many villages ... how much money ... what to do ... how much effect?

    A peace march here and there does not count for much ... and if they put on an anti-smoking rally (why I am not sure?), how much of an effect did it have, e.g. did they go back in 6 months and check how many did not smoke?
I think the criticism of the BKs as money chaser still stands until proven otherwise.

Let's start with, how much wealth do they have and how much do they make ever year?

Certain women always have been gold diggers and just because they put on a white sari does not mean their nature changes. Some are good at it, some are more moral. Janki, for example, is great at it. It strikes me her position of power was based on it.

Pawan, you made a good point about 'property developers' but you missed out an important detail. See if you can see it!

BKWSU_Kaliyug_township.jpg
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pawan_kr

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Re: Awakening with Brahma Kumaris ends BK Godlywood splashes

Post13 Jun 2013

I showed pics of two adverts of the new launching of township, one is launched by PURE SOULS BUILDERS LTD and the other is from SHUDRAS BUILDERS LTD. See the bottom tag line of the pics.

Yes, Shudras builders Ltd have no objection for BKs presence in their township !!!
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Pink Panther

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Re: Awakening with Brahma Kumaris ends BK Godlywood splashes

Post14 Jun 2013

The pictures remind me of an interesting, pertinent fact.

People think MacDonald's is a hamburger & fast food business. In fact, it is in the Real Estate business.

It buys land and builds, finds some person looking to get into a business and gets them to sign a tightly contracted franchise to run a MacDonald's outlet - and only that, strictly according to HQ decisions and rules. MacDonald's has built quite an empire from the rent, percentages and royalties ( ;) nice pun!) received.

It's a multinationally successful business model that's much imitated.

Interestingly, BK international service began around the same time MacDonald's started franchising internationally.
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ex-l

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Re: Awakening with Brahma Kumaris ends BK Godlywood splashes

Post10 Jul 2013

ex-l wrote:Meanwhile ... the Brahma Kumaris have just spent another $80,000 on a video mixing desk alone (not the price of the actual luxury, air conditioned Godlywood studio in the Thar desert which much be worth millions) ...

The BK facility was designed to function as both a preview theatre and a premix room.

Estimate on the hardware equipment alone ... 1 Crore rupees or $ 220,000.
    plus the acoustics
    plus the seating
    plus the travel & accommodation for setting it up
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pawan_kr

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Re: Awakening with Brahma Kumaris ends BK Godlywood splashes

Post12 Jul 2013

ex-l wrote:Estimate on the hardware equipment alone ... 1 Crore rupees or $ 220,000.
    plus the acoustics
    plus the seating
    plus the travel & accommodation for setting it up

BKs spend lots of money on their luxuries without any hesitation or second thought.

It is basically because this money is not their hard earned cash. This money is looted from innocent peoples by showing them a GOLDEN dreams of GOLDEN PALACES of Golden Age - Satiyug.

In my opinion, Brahmakumaris are not YOGIS but BHOGIS (भोगी - voluptuous/worldly) and ROGIS (रोगी - sick person).

A Yogi or a saint will lead his life simple with minimum necessities, I don't understand why any spiritual person will have so much lust for GOLD ... :shock:.
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ex-l

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Re: Awakening with Brahma Kumaris ends BK Godlywood splashes

Post12 Jul 2013

If you want to feel really sick, the BKWSU (UK) charity official claims that it was set up "to alleviate poverty".

We assume they meant their own poverty when they arrived in the UK without jobs and without seeking work in order to live off others. Then, despite preaching Destruction in 1976, the first thing they did was aim to purchase a freehold property.

Funnily enough, I cannot remember the BKs ever doing a public programme or campaign based around alleviating poverty (of others).

There have been some bad drought years in the Abu district when many low caste families faced actual starvation. I have no recollection of the BKs every raising the issue or doing anything.

Now, if it happens again, they will be able to sit in their air-conditioned preview theatre and watch the latest videos and animations whilst doing nothing.
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