"Tamm's parents met in the Manhattan apartment of the guru Sri Chinmoy* (above) and quickly married each other at his insistence; when they violated his commandment not to have sex with each other, however, he regrouped by declaring that their daughter, Tamm, would become his greatest disciple. The cult leader was a skilled manipulator, and Tamm's descriptions of her internalization of his predation, constantly blaming herself for not feeling worshipful enough, are wrenching. The outward pressures were equally difficult: she was forbidden a college education and sent abroad when she was caught violating the cultwide ban on dating—and the first time she was banished from the group, she begged for readmittance. Tamm, now in her late 30s and a professor at Ocean County College in New Jersey, is unsparing in her account of the psychological damage Sri Chinmoy inflicted on her and her family, from her parent's loveless marriage to her half-brother's gleeful acceptance of the role of the guru's enforcer. She reveals the difficulties in shaking off the guru's influence—under which she had spent literally her entire life before her final expulsion—and though readers might wish to hear more about how she eventually regained her identity, the harrowing details of her story create a sense of emotional devastation that will linger."-- Publishers Weekly, in a blurb for the book "Cartwheels in a Sari: A Memoir of Growing Up Cult," excerpted at JayantiTamm.
*It sure is funny how, when The New York Times wrote this creep's obituary, they didn't mention any of this stuff. We're telling ya, that's one hell of an informative "newspaper" they've got there,...
Thank you for your article, really helpful material.
ReplyDeleteNine years after this post the influence of the occultist Chinmoy Ghose is still prevalent.
ReplyDeletePope Francis blessed the Chinmoy 'peace run'.
The Chinmoy male choir toured Catholic churches, abbeys and cathedrals in Ireland during the summer of 2016.
The world knows Chinmoy was a manipulative cultist who had satanic control over his vulnerable followers.
Eight women have testified to the fact that Chinmoy sexually abused them.
But because of his former friends in the UN the Chinmoy image remains untarnished among so many foolish people.
And there are cults and manipulative religious groups springing up every day.
They leave people with psychological disorders.
We need more public awareness about the danger of mind control and brainwashing.
The London Church of Christ has been barred from many college campuses in England because of its aggressive recruitment techniques, and its hate speech against Jewish people.
Let's have our schools warning pupils of the danger of cults.
J Haggerty