Swami Nithyananda - Actress Ranjitha Love Story

Swami Nithyananda is rarest of the rare enlightened masters, if what he tells his disciples is taken seriously. A description of himself in one of the webpages of Life Bliss Foundation is summarized below.

“On 1st January 1978, past midnight in Thiruvannamalai in Tamil Nadu, India, Nithyananda was born, with the birth name Rajasekaran. When Nithyananda was about three years, he met Yogiraj Raghupati Maharaj (Raghupati Yogi). Raghupati Yogi was a friend and Guru to young Nithyananda. Raghupati Yogi arranged for Nithyananda to deliver his first public lecture on the Patanjali Yoga Sutra at the age of ten in Thiruvannamalai to an audience of over 1000 people.”

“Right from his early childhood Nithyananda has been drawn to spirituality. He spent as much time as he could with idols of gods. These were his only joys. He rarely participated in sports and games like normal boys of his age.”

You won’t get much to understand about his days in school, the polytechnic institute where he studied for a diploma, his childhood friends, or about five years he spent in Ramakrishna Mission in his biographies or other places. These are things that he tried to hide in his ghost-written biographies.

His date of birth “1st January 1978” has been challenged by the Newspaper Deccan Herald by producing copy of his visa cancelled by the authorities at the Canadian border while he was trying to cross to the United States.

The Kannada TV channel TV9 interviewed Shivakumar, Nithyananda's classmate in the school, class 6 to 10. Shivakumar tells about Nithyananda's crush with Actress Ranjitha when he was in the school.

Ranjitha made her debut in Tamil films when director Bharatiraja cast her in his movie ‘Nadodi Thendral' (1992). When the movie was released in his native Thiruvannamalai, it was watched by Rajasekaran (Nithyananda) who was in his 10th class. It was ‘love at first sight’ (on the movie screen) for him, says Shivakumar. After watching that movie, he tells Rajasekaran always carried Ranjitha's photo in his school bag. Now, Shivakumar is surprised that after many years of waiting, he made his dream love, infatuation come true.

Ranjitha, born Sri Valli, has acted in a number of Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu films. Her first film was a Telugu film Kadapa Reddemma. She played lead roles in Tamil films till 1999, and she briefly retired from acting after marrying Rakesh Menon, an Army Major. Since her comeback in 2001 she has acted in supporting roles and special appearances in films and in television shows.

According to news reports, Ranjitha, who has been eluding the police after the scandal involving Nithyananda Swami was telecast, has been summoned by the Karnataka CID to record her statement.

Meanwhile the CID officials said one victim of Nithyananda's Tantric practices has come forward willingly to testify against Nithyananda, but the person's identity is being kept a secret. They said the person was a former devotee of Nithyananda Swami.

It may be noted that Nithyananda had told the CID to conduct a potency test on him, saying "I’m not a man. There’s no way I could have indulged in sexual activities with women". But the CID is convinced of his gender as his passport clearly identifies him as a male and not as a transgender.

Swami Nithyananda remanded to judicial custody till May 12

Swami Nithyananda, alias Rajashekaran, was today remanded in judicial custody till May 12 by the court in Ramanagaram on April 30, 2010, after he spent eight days in police custody.

The self-styled godman, who calls himself Paramahamsa Nithyananda, is being interrogated by the Karnataka CID probing various criminal charges including rape, unnatural sex, obscenity, fraud, criminal intimidation, violations of foreign exchange laws, gold-smuggling, possession of banned animal body parts like tiger skins, possession of banned sandalwood items, land scams, money-laundering, and hurting of religious sentiments. Nithya Bhaktananda alias Gopal Seelam Reddy, the swami’s principal aide is also in custody.

Swami Nithyananda denies all these charges. He has also, reportedly told the interrogators that he is not a man and it is impossible that he has committed rape. He has also asked the police to conduct a potency test on him, probably meaning either he is suffering from Erectile Dysfunction/ impotency (ED), or he belongs to what is known as the third sex (neutral), as some reports suggested. He claims that the alleged sex-tapes are fakes.

The court in Ramanagaram, about 40 KM from Bangalore, passed the remand order when Nityananda Swami was produced before it after eight days of police custody, the Karnataka police said. The Karnataka CID so far has not been able to make any significant headway in eliciting any information from him.

The police said, "We are in the process of analyzing the documents and memory card which we seized from Nityananda's former disciple Lenin Karuppanan when he was summoned here for questioning last week."

Lenin Karuppan, alias Nithya Dharmananda, is a former disciple of the godman, who was his driver and reportedly a member of his inner circle. Karuppan, it is alleged, was able to plant clandestine cameras in the bedrooms and private spaces of Paramahamsa Nithyananda with the help of one of the women inmates of his Bidadi Ashram. It is alleged that Ma Nithyananda Gopika, aka Nitya Gopika, who was a very intimate friend of the swami, helped Karuppan in recording the alleged Tantric sex adventures of the swami.

It is reported that 36 tapes are in the possession of the police, and at least five women were involved, including the alleged Tamil actress, Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) Hyderabad is reported to have confirmed. FSL also confirmed the tapes as original and ruled out any morphing, according to reports. The video clips were telecast by many TV channels, and found their way to the Internet, including YouTube.

Meanwhile, Tamil actress Ranjitha has denied her role in the tapes and served legal notices on Google Inc and YouTube for removal of the tapes, through her lawyers. She also denies to have given any interviews to any media. Her lawyers also warn others publishing such scandalous videos.

The Karnataka police are trying to find Nitya Gopika, considered as a vital lead in the case against Nithyananda, and she has been on the run since the sex tapes of Nithyananda were aired. But the police have not succeeded in establishing her identity and the only thing which is known to them is that she was a close friend of Nithyananda.

The police has got some lead about Nitya Gopika that she is a medical doctor who got a divorce from her husband, after she entered in a ‘non-disclosure sex contract’ at the ashram after which she was legally separated from her spouse. Nitya Gopika accompanied Nithyananda many times during his travelling to foreign countries. She had devoted herself to take care of his belongings according to reports.

Lenin on Paramahamsa Nithyananda - Part Three

In the last seven years, the assets amassed by Nithyananda are estimated to be about Rs 2000 crores. There are over 1000 products on sales, including books, CDs, etc. Most of the books/CDs on sale at Nithyananda’s website are prized at $65 each. There are sales sites and shopping carts in his site, all selling spiritualism, meditation, etc. Besides, according to Lenin Karuppan, there is a company Nithyananda Imports and exports private limited that gets most of the money as donations that are exempt from tax, without regular shipping bills or export documentation. Therefore Karuppan feels that there is large scale tax-evasion going on, but it is to be seen by the Government/tax authorities.

Every Ashramite/ inmate of the Ashram is to sign a contract of secrecy or confidentiality with the Swami Nithyananda, Karuppan says. Excepting women who attend on the godman, no one is allowed in his bed room/ private quarters. So, no body knows what is going on there, or anything about the lifestyle of the godman. Asked when whether the women and men abused by Nithyananda have been forced into giving him sexual favours, Lenin Karuppan says, the swami uses his powers of hypnotism, mesmerism, Tantra techniques, etc., to win over the victims’ consent for sex. For the same reason, and for fear, none of the victims complain against the godman.

The whereabouts of Swami Nithyananda is not known, so is of Ranjitha. Karuppan told Sun TV in an interview that the swami can be in Delhi, Haridwar, Nepal, or in another safe Ashram, hiding from media, or to evade arrest. The police is investigating and a case is in the court. The people in the area around Bidadi, where his Ashram is situated is deadly against Nithyananda’s questionable practices. They have raided his ashram, set fire to his photos and other articles, and there was a fire engulfing some huts in the Ashram area.

As Lenin awaits the truth to emerge from the investigations, the CID is probing into the scandal involving the godman and Tamil actress Ranjitha. Though Lenin had made allegations of sodomy against swami Nithyananda, there is no video evidence to corroborate that charge, an official was quoted as saying.

The CID has conducted raids at the Nithyananda Dhyanapeetam ashram and searched his premises before seizing documents relating to his activities, including registers from the headquarters of the cult located at Kallugopahalli in the Bidadi Taluk of Ramanagara district of Karnataka, on the basis of a warrant obtained from the Ramanagara magistrate.

Also, the CID sleuths are going through the documents to unearth evidence related to his financial resources, land acquisition, and links with women brahmacharinis, sources said, adding, “We suspect he has destroyed some incriminating papers.” Sources said they are also trying to find out the role of Nithyananda’s secretary T Dhanasekaran, alias Sadhananda, alias Aiyya, in the land acquisition deals.

On April 12, reports from Chennai said that the Chennai High Court has dismissed a petition seeking a CBI investigation into allegations against Nithyananda Swami. In his order justice R Regupathy said, "When investigation of the case is still pending on the files of special agency at Karnataka and when nothing has been alleged against them, I cannot find any merit to transfer the case to CBI". This petition was filed by Nithya Dharmananda alias K Lenin. Based on his complaint the police had registered cases against Nithyananda for various offences under IPC including rape.

Also, there are reports suggesting that some cases are filed against the godman with American authorities in California/ USA for fraud and other charges.

Lenin on Paramahamsa Nithyananda - Part Two

According to Lenin Karuppan, who was made Swami Dharmananda by the self-proclaimed Paramahamsa Nithyananda, the godman claims himself as the God, not even an incarnation. Nithyananda claims, “I am Lord Krishna, I am Lord Shiva…” According to news reports, Lenin planted video cameras inside the bedrooms of Nithyananda with the help of one or more of the female victims. Once the godman got wind of that, he confronted Lenin, but he escaped from the Nithyananda Ashram, at Bidadi, near Bangalore (Bengaluru) and reached Chennai in Tamil Nadu. Ever since then the godman has been calling Lenin frantically to get hold of the proofs against him which Dharmananda had carried with him. He says, the godman has been threatening him, and sometimes pleading with him, saying that he is not threatening. The interviewer asked Dharmananda whether it is true that he has really quit as the head of the Ashram, his trusts, etc., as announced by Nithyananda. According to Lenin, it is ‘complete drama’, and his secretary who was managing the Ashram earlier is still managing it and there is no actual change in the management.

Asked why the godman is still not arrested by the police, Lenin claims that Nithyananda is in the good books of the politicians and hence, he is not arrested yet. The Karnataka police team has interrogated Lenin, and the Nithyananda Ashram near Bangalore was raided by the police and now the police are investigating the activities of the Ashram’s Branch in Malaysia.

A Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) datelined report on April 11 said that the Malaysian ashram linked to the scandal tainted Swami Nithyananda will cooperate with the Indian police probing the sex scandal. However, the Nithyananda Dhyanapeetam Ashram's spokesman K. Murthi said ‘he did not know how the Indian police could link the center’s activities with the scandal, as they were purely spiritual in nature’. He said Nithyananda had visited the ashram a few times and all activities at the Malaysian ashram had stopped since the scandal broke out last month. This is in reference to what earlier the Bangalore Police had said that it was planning to send a probe team to Malaysia to unearth any evidence at the ashram.

As ANI reported, "Through our investigation, we know there is an ashram in Malaysia (Penang). If there is credible information, we will send our officers to probe," said K.N. Yogappa, Superintendent of Police of the Bangalore Criminal Investigation Department (CID). A total of 30 sex tapes showing Swami Nithyananda indulging in sex with at least six different women have reportedly been submitted to the CID. The investigating officials, who conducted a raid on the Nithyananda Dhyanapeetam ashram at Bidadi on April 5 and 6, have so far interrogated 29 people, according to ANI.

Lenin on Paramahamsa Nithyananda - Part One

Watch this video of TV interview of Dharmananda alias Lenin Karuppan, the whistle-blower who opened the Pandora’s Box of Nithyananda's alleged sex scandals and alleged fraud! As per reports, there are 30 sex tapes in which no less than six women have been involved. Lenin was an insider in the Ashram, and Nithyananda's driver. According to Lenin, 30 to 40 women have been involved in sex with the godman, apart from men. The news made headlines when the very popular Indian TV network Sun TV aired the sex tape involving the popular Tamil actress Ranjitha. Also there are reports that Nithyananda sex tapes are doing brisk business in the black markets in Bangalore and other places. According to reports, Nithyananda’s Newest Technologies to Moksha (Salvation or Life Bliss) are now available at Rs 1000 per CD in the gray market. Watch this video, and look for Part Two of the interview that I will be posting after this.