When officials in Newark recently fell for a partnership with Kailasa’s United States – a country that doesn’t really exist – Recent Jersey’s largest metropolis became a world laughing stock.
But those in the know don’t find it amusing that Newark is allying itself with a nation created in honor of the so-called Hinduisi Supreme Pope (SPH), Paramahamsa Nithyananda.
Swami is allegedly a fugitive from justice who in accordance with the BBCaccused of rape and child abduction in India.
He is claimed to have fled the country in 2019 and his whereabouts are unknown.
There may be concern that Nithyananda could have wanted sister city status, which was canceled after a few days to provide credence to what some consider is a cult.
“Most certainly, he wants to boost his profile in the United States to recruit people,” iconic deprogrammer Rick Alan Ross told The Post. “And if money is involved, he’s interested.”
The Newark politician told The Post that “money may not have been exchanged, but meals and hotels could have been paid for. That is a global crime committed on our soil. We’d like to know what motivated this decision [by Newark officials to make USK a sister city]what prompted them to stop doing it, and were there any commitments.”
It might have been worse, he added.
“Who knows what may need happened?” the politician told The Post. “We invite these people, unaware of their intentions, and so they may find yourself recruiting people in our city. We might have been used. They might throw parties here and recruit people.
Nathyananda denied allegations of sexual abuse and was not himself at the ceremony in the sister city.
As an alternative, USK was represented by Vijayapriya Nathyananda, who appears to live in the Washington, D.C. area and identifies herself as the everlasting ambassador to the United Nations, despite the fact that the UN doesn’t recognize USK as a country.
Vijayapriya not only bears the name of his guru, but additionally has a large tattoo of his face on his bicep.
“I got this tattoo in 2016, shortly after my SPH experience on a show with hundreds of participants,” she told The Post. “SPH has had a very positive impact on my life. His tattoo serves as a day by day reminder of that. It’s a token of gratitude to Him.”
In accordance with a Newark politician, the public was unimpressed with Vijayapriya’s look, which included gold jewels, smoky eyeliner and a black turban: “People thought he was some form of hypnotist after they saw the photo [Sister City] ceremony.”
While Vijaypriya claims there was nothing fraudulent, a Newark spokeswoman told The Post: “We hope cities across the country and around the world at the moment are alerted to the fraudulent activities of this startling syndicate.”
As for the physical existence of Kailasa’s United States, it becomes a bit unclear even when Vijayapriya explains it.
“It’s a borderless, service-oriented country,” she told The Post. “It is predicated on the principle of Unity.”
Vijayapriya explained that her background includes growing up in the East African island nation of Mauritius, studying microbiology at the University of Manitoba in Canada, and becoming infatuated with Nithyananda’s philosophy after watching it on YouTube.
She is one in every of several women who now represent him around the world in St. Louis, Mexico, Los Angeles and other places.
“I became a Hindu nun,” she said. “I’m committed to the welfare of humanity and world peace, guided by the teachings of SPH.”
In 2018, Nithyananda reportedly purchased an island off the coast of Ecuador where he founded a latest country. Ecuador refused to grant him asylum.
Kailasa’s website claims that there are 2 billion practicing Hindus amongst the country’s population, that it has its own flag, central bank and passport.
A cheeky segment on Fox News saw one in every of Jesse Watters’ employees apply for and getting a Kailasa passport.
Newark shouldn’t be alone in feeling cheated by Kailas’ United States.
Roughly 30 US jurisdictions – including Pomona, California; Richmond, Virginia; and Delaware, Ohio, provided various types of acknowledgment to USK.
Amongst them is Norma Torres, a congresswoman from California.
Through her spokesperson, she told The Post: “Certificate [of special Congressional recognition] it was donated to a local congregation by a former worker. Upon learning of the very serious and credible allegations against their leader, our office immediately withdrew the certificate.”
A spokesman for one congressman, who wished to talk only on condition of anonymity, explained how this got here about.
“The voter wanted a note recognizing the day [to commemorate Nithyandana]the spokesman said. “We get lots of of them a yr and it’s always not a problem. We sent the letter and it was a mistake. It was an try and legitimize the group. They took advantage of our office with a non-binding letter. we came upon about [Nithyananda’s] about the past after what happened in Newark.
To revoke the honor, in accordance with the spokesman, “we’d need to physically pick up the letter.”
Even the UN unwittingly provided a platform for this would-be nation.
Claiming to be the everlasting US ambassador to Kailasa, Vijayapriya appeared at public meetings in Geneva, Switzerland in late February and characterised the USK as “the first sovereign state for Hindus”.
A UN representative described the USK points as “unrelated to the topic of general discussionone on women in decision-making systems, organized by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, and the other, hosted by the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, on sustainable development.
Concerning India’s allegations against Nithyananda, Vijayapriya maintained: “The [sexual and other] the allegations are false. SPH shouldn’t be a fugitive, but a persecuted one that has been denied basic rights.”
Nithyananda, the self-proclaimed “god-man”, tends to discuss traditional Sanskrit text and Hindu scriptures comparable to the Bhagavad Gita, he has also made many pseudoscientific and paranormal claims – comparable to having ESP and the ability to scan the body (essentially X-ray vision ).
In accordance with Every day Beasthas a million followers and claims to find a way to heal the blind – by opening the mystical third eye – and stop the sunrise.
Supporters reportedly said he performed blessings to assist adults grow to a few inches.
Vijayapriya told The Post that claims that Nithyananda had “bailed out” when he left India are unfaithful.
“He didn’t make bail,” she said. “But [he] he left India on bail, which he was entitled to. [He] was abroad to hunt asylum because he claims to have a well-founded fear of being persecuted.’
Nithyananda was the subject of a 2022 Discovery+ documentary titled “My Daughter Joined a Cult”, during which one former member proclaims, “That is a cult and I used to be deceived.”
Other former members of the show who’ve appeared on the show claim their children were taken from them by group leaders, and moms could be seen standing outside Nithyananda’s ashram – screaming for reunion with their children.
Regarding Sister City’s relationship with Newark, Navajaya didn’t specifically answer The Post’s query as to why they broke up.
As an alternative, she replied, “We remain firmly committed to our purpose and we remain committed to world peace.”