Prem Rawat Maharaji Biography Page 1

Prem Rawat was born in India on December 10, 1957, and while still a child was given the honorary title Maharaji.
In 1971, at the age of 13, he began traveling internationally, speaking to diverse audiences about the real possibility of inner peace. At the core of his message are techniques that he makes freely available to those who wish to discover the inner experience he speaks of.
Today, Prem Rawat's message is broadcast via public channels on satellite and cable TV in more than 88 countries and 70 languages. In the US, an estimated 200 local cable networks air his addresses weekly in 33 states, reaching tens of millions of households.

Broadcasts are entirely financed by voluntary contributions and the sale of related materials. He supports himself and his family through independent means, deriving no income from the organizations that support his work.

“Within you is the most amazing feeling you can possibly imagine. All that you look for, that you have looked for all your life, has always been right inside you. This is a gift that you have, and I can show you a way to get in touch with it.”

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His successor was Michael Dettmers, who said that Prem Rawat asked for a message to be sent to Bob saying, “The door that you walked out through goes both ways; you are always welcome to walk back through it.” It was sad, because Prem and Bob had enjoyed a good relationship. After his departure in late 1976, Mishler became increasingly bitter, making bizarre, unsubstantiated claims. Four years later Mishler and his wife died tragically in an air crash in the French West Indies.

By 1975, Knowledge had spread to 58 countries, but reports suggested that some of the instructors trained by Prem Rawat's mother, Mata Ji, had been teaching variants of the techniques of Knowledge. The problem may have been in part due to their poor command of English. Prem Rawat began training western instructors, and in July 1975, the first four non-Indian instructors were appointed and began traveling internationally. During the same month he held a 3 day event in Venezuela, a relatively safe haven from the political turmoil that gripped much of South America at that time. His speaking engagements that year included events in Nepal, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Malibu, Denver, Boulder, Essen, London and Sydney. In Orlando, Florida,there was an outdoor event for 8,000 people.

In February 1976, his address to members of congress in Washington, D.C. was included permanently in the Congressional Record. His event schedule included a European tour with a national coordinators meeting in Essen, Germany, and another event in Sydney, Australia.

The following year he did an extensive tour of North America, including multi-day events and an outdoor event in Miami. He also conducted seven training sessions for new instructors. In London, he did an event for 10,500 people. In Europe, his schedule included an event in Spain and a 5 day international event at Rome's Palazzo dello Sport for 14,500 people.

Events continued in 1978. The climax was a multi-day “Hans Jayanti” event in November at an outdoor location in Kissimmee, Florida. More than 20,000 people attended from all over the world.

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Prem Rawat's tour schedule during the 1970s was as hectic and demanding as it is today. By the mid 1970s, DLM was chartering various aircraft to take Prem Rawat and his staff to widely spaced events. However, after a series of alarming incidents including an engine failure and an autopilot malfunction, a safer and more reliable means of transport for Prem Rawat and his tour staff became desirable.

A Boeing 707 was purchased in 1979. It was old but affordable. Prem Rawat began training for a commercial pilot's license, and the following year, after an extensive renovation project, the plane was put into service. The 707 project was well publicized internationally. Many thousands of people around the world contributed mostly small amounts to help make the purchase and refit possible. Several talented volunteers who helped refit the plane went on to establish careers in aviation-related industries.

Towards the end of the 1970s, large international events - 'festivals' as they were called at the time - were held at indoor and outdoor locations, sometimes lasting up to a week. Many people traveled from one festival to the next, finding short term employment to support their lifestyle.

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Ashram residents pooled their funds and bought discounted airline tickets to attend major international events. Over 20,000 people attended outdoor festivals in Florida, one during 1978 and another in November 1979.

In India, Prem Rawat's father had been famous for singing and dancing through the night with his students. Hoping that Prem would do the same, some musicians wrote a song, "Dance all Night Long", and a ceremonial Krishna costume was prepared for the occasion. He put on the costume, and after a great deal of coaxing, got up and danced.

Immensely enjoyable though this era was, it did not last long. Prem Rawat wanted to take his message to a wider audience and began working towards that goal.

By 1981, he had obtained the necessary pilot's ratings and was able to fly the 707 himself, traveling to more than 40 cities and speaking on 120 separate occasions.

That year, he toured North and South America, Europe and India, and traveled to additional events in Nepal, Australia, New Zealand and Malaysia. (p228, Peace is Possible, Cagan) New aircraft noise regulations came into effect that year in the US. The 707's home base could no longer be used, and the plane had to be sold. A smaller and more economical executive aircraft was then obtained.