Brahma Kumaris

The Brahma Kumaris, also known as Om Mandali, began in Hyderabad, Sindh, in northwestern India. It got its name because participants would chant "Om" together before conducting a typical satsang-style discussion on spiritual issues. The Bhagavad Gita was a central theme in the original talks. Lekhraj Khubchand Kirpilani (also known as "Om Baba"), the group's founder, was a rich jeweller. He described a sequence of visions and other transcendental experiences that began about 1935 and served as the inspiration for the talks. He said that he felt he was channelling a higher force, and that many of those who attended these gatherings were having spiritual experiences as well. Women and children from the Bhaibund caste - a caste of rich merchants and businesspeople whose husbands and dads were frequently away on business - made up the majority of those who arrived. Mysuru Vijaynagar, Yelwala, Mysore, India. Radhe Pokardas Rajwani (1916–1965), the President of Om Mandali, about 1964. After roughly three years of meetings, it became obvious that Om Mandali placed a high value on women's roles and did not follow the caste system. Radhe Pokardas Rajwani (then known as "Om Radhe"), a 22-year-old woman, was elected president, and her management committee included eight other women. Attendance at meetings was open to people of all castes. The organisation also argued that young women should have the option of not marrying, and that married women should have the option of living a celibate life. These personal life decisions were the sole domain of males in patriarchal India, which was steeped in tradition. The 'Anti-Om Mandali Committee,' led by a number of senior male members of the Bhaibund community, formed in opposition. This group picketed Om Mandali's headquarters on June 21, 1938, stopping members from entering. The town was thrown into chaos as a result of this. Women who attended were verbally assaulted, there was an attempt to set fire to the venue, and police arrested many people. Domestic violence was later perpetrated against many women and girls in their households. Criminal charges were filed against both organisations as a result of the picketing, and on August 16, 1938, the local District Magistrate ruled that Om Mandali be barred from meeting. After an appeal to the Sind Judicial Commissioner's Court, the prohibition was lifted on November 21, 1938. The justices, in an uncommon move, explicitly chastised the District Magistrate for attempting to penalise the victims for the disruption created by the criminals and for applying the law according to his own personal prejudice. Despite this, Om Mandali had chosen to depart Hyderabad and transfer its operations to Karachi in the later half of 1938, due to an increasingly sour climate. Around 300 people were relocated. Anti-Om Mandali Committee Picketing, preventing children from entering Om Mandali – Hyderabad Sind India 1938 Om Mandali group on an outing at Clifton beach Karachi Approximately 1940 On March 31, 1939, the government established a tribunal to investigate Om Mandali's activities. Om Radhe replied to the Tribunal's conclusions by producing a book titled Is This Justice? Objecting to the tribunal's conclusions, which were made without accepting Om Mandali's testimony because it lacked a constitutional foundation. The government essentially reinstated the ban in May 1939, citing the tribunal's findings and designating Om Mandali a "unlawful organisation" under section 16 of the Criminal Law Amendment Act 1908. Despite this, Om Mandali continued to hold Satsangs, despite the government's refusal to enforce it. The committee may have paid someone to kill Om Baba as a result of this, but the attempt was unsuccessful.