Reiki grandmaster's student's allegations reveal darker side to healer who was God to so many
A Prominent Reiki Grandmaster from Dadar, who is at the centre of a controversial social media campaign, designed to make him return to Mumbai and face the music, is still incommunicado.
Acolytes say that their teacher, Prasad Karmarkar, is facing allegations of sexual molestation from some of his students, was called out on social media for the abuse, and has disappeared more than a week ago and simply nobody knows where he could be. On September 10, a couple of students and teachers with Karmarkar's The Spiritual Company in Mumbai got an email from Karmarkar's email address which read:
Hi, I know many of you are angry and hurt because of me. I would like to meet you and would request you to please come to the centre. In the mean time I have a request that we please, please, please do not use names of people who have been hurt. Also, please stop taking the names of the reiki teachers as they have never been a part of anything and I take responsibility to address this with you. Can we pls meet on Wednesday 12th September at 7pm at the centre.
Prasad. (Letter ends)
That email was followed by other communications on September 12 and 18 which read:
Hi, I wanted to meet you all ..
But sorry that we have to postpone today's meeting.
Hi everyone,
Just wanted to reach out and say that I am not absconding or running away.
But there were reasons and circumstances that I could not meet you and hence had to take a step back.
Will meet you all soon.
Prasad.
The Spiritual Company in Dadar which is closed. Pic/Ashish Raje
Background
The Reiki teacher has not been heard of since. Some students speaking on condition of anonymity told this paper that, "he said he is ill," we do not know.
Mystery surrounds this healer who studied interior decoration in Mumbai. An internet background check says that Karmarkar has been practising Reiki and conducting transformational seminars and workshops for over 20 years. He had his Reiki and transformation training under the late Karl Everding from Germany and then decided to spread his work in India.
Dark goings on
Karmarkar started small with 12-15 students, in his Dadar residential colony, after which he grew in popularity and gathered what disciples claim is a cult following. There are many who vouched for him, saying he changed their lives for the better.
Yet of late, there have been rumblings about a darker side to the man so many considered God. Students who speak of the verbal abuse they accepted as part of their learning, and Karmarkar's teaching to improve themselves and their life, are now asking if it was really teaching or simply abuse?
Hefty fines
Thousands of people have paid substantial fees for different levels of Reiki courses. Karmarkar also had a method in which he would collect hefty 'fines'. A student said, "One method was giving a student a 'project'. This project was like: somebody had to lose four kilos in one month. If you could not achieve that, you had to pay a substantial fine." A student claimed that the projects did benefit some; but the fines did pinch. Students continued to pay because they felt his teachings were transforming their life.
Karmarkar allegedly used verbal abuse to make his students' lives better. A woman claimed that he used to 'fatshame' certain students. A man stated he used to tell men that he wanted to release their "sexual energy". Karmarkar would say that the body is "different from the soul."
Big fall
The followers kept increasing though, as the lure of this charismatic teacher increased. The boy from Dadar was spiritual for most, celestial for many. Now, for a significant number of disciples, their world seems to have collapsed and like a social media post says: 'This post is for those of us who are reeling from the shock of finding out that our 'reiki master' Prasad Karmarkar was human after all and did have feet of clay…
Deathly silence
Karmarkar's centre in Dadar has been closed for days with everyone professing ignorance. Karmarkar did not respond to numerous efforts by this paper to contact him via email, phone calls or messages. His website is also down. This paper tried to access his Prabhadevi residence on Friday late morning, but was told that "nobody was at home" by the security personnel at the building reception.
With no clue to his whereabouts, we have to take the healer at his words in his email to his followers, 'Just wanted to reach out and say that iam not absconding or running away. But there were reasons and circumstances that I could not meet you and hence had to take a step back. Will meet you all soon.'
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