“Gold, God and Gurus”:
my uttarakhand news Bureau
DEHRADUN, 16 Dec: A thought-provoking session on the last day of Crime Literature Festival of India on Sunday, titled “Gold, God and Gurus: The Sinister Cult of Faith and Fraud” brought together former Uttarakhand Director General of Police Ashok Kumar and actor Tridha Choudhury in conversation with film policy architect and ex-journalist Gaurav Dwivedi.
During the session, Ashok Kumar said that law enforcement agencies across the country have exposed and documented a range of criminal activities operating under the guise of certain ashrams and spiritual institutions. These include financial exploitation, abuse of followers and other organised criminal practices, he noted.
However, Kumar was careful to clarify that this does not imply that all ashrams or spiritual organisations are involved in fraudulent activities. He stressed the importance of clearly distinguishing between genuine faith and organised deceit, cautioning against sweeping generalisations that undermine authentic spiritual practices.
Reflecting on her role as Babita in the much famous web series, Ashram, directed by Prakash Jha and starring Bobby Deol, actor Tridha Chaoudhury stressed on the importance of meaningful dialogue on crime, belief systems and public trust. She also shared her journey of mentally preparing herself for the role of Babita and also not letting her faith shake in spirituality and religion. Tridha also praised Dehradun city and its people!
Gaurav Dwivedi further cited instances from celluloid where faith and crime were portrayed and challenged in films like Sangharsh, Oh My God, PK, Guide, Samadhi, Sirf Ek Banda Kafi hai!
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