A wealth of spiritualism

India's growing prosperity is becoming fertile ground for 'godmen'

The death of Nemi Chand Jain, better known to the world as Chandraswami, marked the passing of one era of spiritual gurus, uniquely referred to as “godmen” in India. Best known for his close links to an astonishing variety of movers and shakers, including Dawood Ibrahim, Adnan Khashoggi, the Sultan of Brunei and two prime ministers (P V Narasimha Rao and Chandra Shekhar), Chandraswami represented the last of the Rasputin-type gurus, with their elite political contacts and sinister reputations. He somehow survived accusations of cheating, Foreign Exchange Regulation Act (Fera) violations and even his alleged involvement in Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination,