Shikha Dalmia's Diwali Rumination On Hinduism's Propensity for Cults and Charlatans

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Gurumustuk Singh

During the Diwali celebration today, Hindus worldover will celebrate the victory of good over evil. But this year many of them are wrestling with the allegations that one of their most popular gurus engaged in an evil deed: raping the minor daughter of a devotee. He is not the first guru to go rogue and nor will he be the last. Fake gurus are an endemic feature of the world's oldest religion. Shikha Dalmia ruminates whether this propensity should be regarded as a defect, or an internal defense against dogmatism.