Fashion / From Stitching Clothes To Covered In Gold: Who Is India’s Self-proclaimed ‘God-woman’?

From Stitching Clothes To Covered In Gold: Who Is India’s Self-proclaimed ‘God-woman’?

Fashion Aug 19, 2015

by Rumnique Nannar

If you've been following Indian Twitter in the last few days, you might have come across the rather hilarious memes poking fun at Radhe Maa, a self-styled godwoman who's stoking up more controversy than spiritual activity.

_{^{Photo Credit: www.ibtimes.co.in}}

The guru hit the headlines recently after a video of her awkward dancing to "Ek Tere Bharose Pe" at a wedding went hugely viral, as well as her candid photos, wearing all her bling and velour outfit, miniskirt included! Aside from the dichotomous imagery of her off-day clothes, Radhe Maa is also at the centre of two court cases, one concerning dowry harassment and an obscenity case about her allowing devotees to kiss and hug her.

_{^{Photo Credit: www.darpanmagazine.com}}

Before she became Radhe Maa, she was Sukhwinder Kaur. The now 50-year-old was born in Gurdaspur, Punjab, and residents remember her as a teenager, stitching their clothes to back up her husband's earnings. She was attracted to religious activities like listening to the Gurbani and visiting Kaali Maa temples as a young child — despite reports saying otherwise. But once her husband found work abroad and left her behind with two young sons, she visited a spiritual guru who assessed that she had "spiritual gifts" that would help people.

^{Sukhwinder Kaur before becoming Radhe Maa}
_{^{Photo Credit: www.indianexpress.com}}

According to her followers, Radhe Maa is a reincarnation of the fiery Hindu goddess Durga, has supernatural powers and can perform miracles. Much like Durga, her favourite colour is red, and she's often bedecked in red and gold saris with elaborate jewelry, a diamond-encrusted crown and a gold trident.

She's also earned criticism and praise from Bollywood, with Rishi Kapoor tweeting his snarky digs at her supposed "humble" look:

_^I
_{^{Photo Credit: Twitter}}

Other stars, like singer Sonu Nigam, have defended Radhe Maa by accusing the media coverage of a gender bias.

_{^{Photo Credit: NDTV}}

Both men have raised good points about the controversial godwoman, but where do we draw the line at how genuine a spiritual leader might be? Religion is an individual practice, and people can derive what they can for support and uplifting through gurus and scriptures, but Radhe Maa appears to be raking in her money. Her whirlwind life in Mumbai features a fleet of expensive cars, celebrity followers like Subhash Ghai and soap star Divyanka Tripathi, and generous gifts from devotees around the world.

Outward signs of success can raise a red flag in anyone's mind, even if the person in question is doing a service that touches millions of lives. Would we begrudge Deepak Chopra the same? But there's a darker side to Radhe Maa's saga. She may have driven four farmers to suicide in Gujarat.

Promising the family of seven peace and prosperity in their house and finances, Radhe Maa and two of her aides pocketed Rs 1.5 crore after the family sold all of their land and possessions. The four farmers in the family committed suicide after allegedly realizing that they had been hoodwinked.

This heartbreaking story is just one of many allegations of Radhe Maa's murky past, and one that suggests that she might be a charlatan who's even been banned from the Mahakumbh festival. Has Radhe Maa cornered a market in the religious industry in India by preying on the underprivileged and poverty-stricken public?

It's hard to look away from her outrageous displays of wealth when countless court cases are filed against her and darker reports of abuse of power are popping up. Whether she is deceiving the public or doing some genuine good for some people, Radhe Maa is another iteration of living fast and hoping for divine intervention to bail her out.

^{_{Main Image Photo Credit: www.dailyo.in}}

Rumnique Nannar

Author

Rumnique Nannar is a new journalist with a passion for all things pop culture, film, and art. Rumnique was born in London, with a predilection for devouring English chocolate with her Vogue, ANOKHI, and Glamour magazines in tow. She is currently in her Journalism Masters at UBC. Connect ...

COMMENTS

Statement Sunnies to Sport This Summer

Airport Style Trends To Steal From Celebs

Swimsuit Trends From India Beach Fashion Week 2015 Seasons 1 & 2

Back-to-School Style Essentials

Celeb-inspired Fall Hairstyles

Royal Decadence At Its Best: Sandip Soparrkar and Rohit Roy Walk The Ramp For Rohit Verma

Anastasia Beverly Hills Shadow Couture World Traveller Palette - A Must Have!

Archana Kochhar Debuts Ahimsa R??ama At New York Fashion Week

Introducing Satya Paul Home

From Stitching Clothes To Covered In Gold: Who Is India’s Self-proclaimed ‘God-woman’?

by Rumnique Nannar

If you've been following Indian Twitter in the last few days, you might have come across the rather hilarious memes poking fun at Radhe Maa, a self-styled godwoman who's stoking up more controversy than spiritual activity.

Rumnique Nannar

COMMENTS

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE