Dear Media,

My name is Sai Amrita Kaul and it just so happens to be that I am an intelligent, independent citizen who appreciates well researched information and will stand by those expectations especially with regards to News Media.

In that context, I thought it might be good for you to know that I am also a disciple, devotee and sincere admirer of Paramahamsa Nithyananda and I thank you for being part of this play towards strengthening His presence and spiritual force in the country. And you must believe that I say this with utmost confidence because I KNOW that those clips were aired simply for greed and not public interest, because those clips were created by a coward not a seeker of the truth, and most importantly because those clips were never true in the first place.

In case you don’t want to read the rest of my response, I’m basically writing in to let you know that your channel has moved (even further) away from expressing any semblance of credibility in what you air.

Also, I’d like you to note that I’m not writing in to defend Swami Nithyananda; He does not need any kind of defense. I’m writing to defend my own intelligent opinions and those of the thousands of other people who agree with me. As a patron of the media arts, I am also writing in to defend journalistic ethics which you have so ruthlessly abandoned.

Any journalist knows the importance of courage and honesty, yet I find none of it expressed in your work about Swami Nithyananda. There was nothing original about the story. Everyone knows that news channels are always waiting for an opportunity to bash the Spiritualists who keep our country running and we all know that you’d sell your soul for a sleazy story. Furthermore, there was never a mention of the sources for any of your stories. They’re all nameless and faceless. Why don’t any of your people come to those of us who would like to speak about Swami Nithyananda? If you’re actually interested, I can provide you with at least 200 ready candidates to talk about their experiences at the Dhyanapeetam Ashram. (Somehow, I doubt your channel would have the gall to speak with us) The invitation is always open.

You’re simply participating in a smear campaign that has no real substance or consequence to it. Obviously, it’s more than just a coincidence that this entire ordeal had to happen just before Swami Nithyananda’s trip with a large group of devotees to the Poorna Kumbh Mela where he was to be honored as the Maha Mandaleshwar – a very prestigious title in the spiritual world. Clearly, this may have bothered many opponents and bolstered any plans to impede Swami Nithyananda’s success. And of course, the other party involved in the purported scandal had to be a successful actress whose name and character had to be attacked in such an underhanded way. Swami Nithyananda’s ashram has many female visitors and ashramites, all of whom have only ever stated that they feel deeply safe, secure and respected there. The video that you constantly air goes completely against the grain of everyone’s experience. But of course, you’d rather sell the sleaze than seek out the truth.

If your news channel was so concerned about Public Interest, wouldn’t you have sent the video over to the police rather than repeatedly airing it and creating more confusion? Clearly, you were greedy and knew that the video would send your own ratings through the roof, and the fear of having the police leak it to another channel prevented you from doing what you should have done. Fear and greed…it’s what you run on, and what you try to send through to us as well. Sorry, but we’re not buying it.

I understand that you might be running on a high from your more recent success in getting Mr. N.D. Tiwari to resign after airing a segment about his personal life, but why can’t you try and present an unbiased opinion? If you present such big theories about the quality of your news segments, at least do it correctly. All that I have seen or heard from your news channel is about the purported scandal, and that too with hyper-sensationalized music and graphics along side it. Do you really think that so many of us are stupid enough to take your ‘blinged out’ headlines at face value? And besides, since when is 4 minutes long enough for an ‘in-depth analysis’? How dare you think that anyone will be placated with such shoddy investigation? Your work is a true insult to Journalism and all that free media stands for.

In case you haven’t caught my drift yet, I am utterly disgusted at the poor quality of news that your channel has delivered. You’ve made no mention of the responses from the Dhyanapeetam ashram, have not spoken to a single person who lives in the ashram and can speak of their experiences and understanding, have not provided any kind of conclusive evidence to suggest that your videos are authentic and yet you present it as the truth. It is really very sad to think that media giants as big as you have so little respect for the intelligence of Indian citizens.

This is really just a smidgeon of my actual opinion about your segment and I’d rather not go into too much detail. As long as you understand that I’m hugely dissatisfied with your news and will not watch it again and will also continue to express my disapproval to my students, friends and colleagues who certainly have more respect for my opinion than yours.

If you need to contact me, please feel free. As I have learned from the Spiritual Masters in my life, truth is the absence of fear. Swami Nithyananda will emerge even stronger as a spiritual guiding force within the next few months. By then, you would have hopefully been paid off by your shady associates and insiders and will have moved on to something more useful.

I am grateful for your role in this drama towards Swami Nithyananda’s undoubted success, but more importantly, I wish you all strong human values and the dignity that comes with living by them.

Until then, I, along with many others, will continue to radiate Eternal Bliss; Nithyanandam.

Sai Amrita Kaul

amritakaul@hotmail.com