Prem Rawat (Maharaji) - 1980s Press Articles

In the beginning of the 1980s probably the best description of the state of Divine Light Mission was hysterical. Prem Rawat had decreed that Darshan was the most important part of his "Knowledge" and his dancing was the most celebrated part of the numerous "festivals" that DLM were holding. While new premies were few, the effort to attract them was great and nightly services were still held wherever a premie quorum could gather.

Only Prem Rawat might have had an inkling that the Iron Curtain was about to descend but until Sun Myung Moon was indicted and jailed even he probably hadn't given it a thought. But once Prem Rawat closed Divine Light Mission, ordered his followers to stop advertising or telling anyone about him and his "Knowledge", having nightly public meetings or any regular meetings and to destroy all copies of newspapers, magazines, films and videos relating to him and changed his title to Maharaji from Guru Maharaj Ji, the press stories soon dried up.

The kidnapping and attempted deprogramming of a premie was widely reported. One ex-premie, Maggie Shivers, testified to a House committee.

Prem Rawat was interviewed by Michael Gawenda due to the influence of Johnny Young, a then-follower of Prem Rawat and an important media personality in Australia

It wasn't long before the question wasn't "Who Is Guru Maharaj Ji?" but "Whatever Happened To … ?"