The Prem Rawat Foundation Is a Fake Charity
Until around 2001 Prem Rawat aka Maharaji espoused negative ideas about charity as did his Father. He stridently asserted that only his Knowledge could make humans happy and bring peace to the world and charitable activities were time and effort wasted that could be best spent on propagating the Knowledge and money spent on feeding the poor could best be spent on him. For a short period in 1972/73, while his following was growing rapidly, he promoted the grandiose and absurd ideas of Rennie Davis that they could feed the world and help the sick and needy through DUO, the Divine United Organisation and Project love. These ideas and plans were quickly forgotten when a more realistic picture of Divine light Mission prevailed amongst the DlM administrators.
In 2001, The Prem Rawat Foundation was registered in California as a charitable Trust. It's Mission Statement is simple though absurdly grandiose:
TPRF advances dignity, peace and prosperity by addressing the fundamental human needs of food, water and peace. The Foundation is building a more peaceful world, one person at a time.
TPRF claims it does this by donating less than half a million dollars a year to charitable causes.
The Beginnings or TPRF as Told to and by His Son, Hans Pal Rawat
I would like to comment on my understanding of the creation of the charity known as The Prem Rawat Foundation or TPRF.
The initial story I was told by my father, was that he had become aware of young malnourished children in Ranchi India, where he had recently built a lavish ashram residence, having to raid rat's nests to gather seeds to feed themselves. He said learning this is what finally persuaded him to start the food for children program at his ashram in Ranchi.
Years earlier, however, I overheard a conversation between him and one of his major donors, at his camp-sight [sic site] in Amaroo. She was trying to persuade him to start just such a charity. His reply was a decisive no. "We are not do-gooders!" He replied.
Some time after the food for children program in Ranchi became operational, I heard an alternative explanation for its creation, from someone who still holds a high official position in the organization.
Ranchi has a distinct dry season and I presume fresh uncontaminated drinking water may become a precious commodity at this time of year. My father, as you probably know, practiced a form of the Indian celebration Holi, with colored water instead of the normal colored powder. He once celebrated this festival at his ashram in Ranchi by trucking in thousands of gallons of fresh water to spray on his premises. I remember being at this event.
I remember how dry and arid the environment there seemed at the time. It looked like 90% of the trees were dead, however, I now realize they may turn green during the wet season.
The music was blaring and a powerful stream of colored water blasted high into the air, probably visible and audible for quite some distance. This, along with colored water reportedly running down the nearby street, attracted the attention of local residents. It is quite likely some there had never seen so much fresh water being wasted in their life. It was all happening right in their backyard, for the amusement of a few unknown outsiders.
Apparently, this event caused quite an uproar amongst the locals and town leadership. I was told, the tactic devised to avert an impending PR debacle for the ashram, was to create a food hall on the property for the benefit of hungry children. It seems this may have been enough to subdue some of the angry locals.
Considering this though, I feel the notion that it was my father's kindness and empathy for the impoverished children of Ranchi that initiated the charity's creation is quite misleading.
Furthermore, in my opinion, the naming of the charity after him, is a clear example of his unmistakable narcissism, as he had adamantly rejected the idea for quite some time beforehand.
One member of my family once told me, they believed my father used money granted to the charity for his own personal expenses, though I have not encountered evidence to back this rather troubling assertion. It is obvious however that many of his followers sight [sic cite] the charity as an example of his empathy and humanity. The vast majority of the funds however come from followers, not from his own rather large disposable income.
I believe that Hans Rawat is truthfully reporting what he was told by his father and others. However, when you examine TPRF, as closely as is possible, and consider the person who was advising him, Linda Pascottto nee Haldan, a trust fund baby devotee of Rawat's. The likely reason for the creation of TPRF is that it is one part of a decades long attempt to make Prem Rawat a respected person by spending years saying he was.