Has Maharaji made efforts to remove the Indian trappings from the 70s?
It is often overlooked that Maharaji was 13 years old when he came to the West. As a young boy, his public persona and the presentation of Knowledge was handled by Indian adults steeped in Indian ways. This resulted in an environment that now seems anachronistic, but was culturally accepted in the 1970’s, where many Indian rituals and cultural traditions were being embraced by the younger generation. Living in “ashrams” and vegetarianism are two examples. As a teenager, Maharaji often wore traditional Indian garb. People teaching the techniques of Knowledge were called “mahatmas.” As Maharaji matured from boyhood to adulthood, he made it clear that his message had nothing to do with Indian or any other cultural tradition. In the early 1980s, he began to dismantle the remnants of Indian culture and adopted an approach more universal in style. The Western ashrams were closed. He asked to be referred to as “Maharaji” instead of “Guru Maharaji.” The organization created by the Indian herit
