vivek
oberoi
recounts
his
first
meeting
with
a
spiritual
guide
he
calls
cool
dude
swami
The
trip
Five
years
ago,
at
my
aunt's
insistence,
I
drove
down
to
the
village
of
Bidadi,
just
outside
Bangalore.
I
wondered
if
the
entire
exercise
had
been
fruitless.
So
who
was
this
guru
--
this
enlightened
master
--
my
aunt
was
so
enamored
with?
And
what
in
the
world
was
he
doing
in
an
obscure
little
place
like
this
with
nothing
but
a
giant
old
banyan
tree
and
a
tiny
cottage
to
show
for
it?
Cynical
as
I
was,
the
seeker
within
me
was
interested
and
I
hoped
the
trip
would
be
worth
it.
The
meeting
As
I
walked
towards
the
cottage,
I
saw
a
handful
of
seekers
sitting
on
the
floor
and
across
them
was
this
young
man
in
his
twenties
(just
as
I
was
then),
wrapped
neatly
in
a
bundle
of
saffron.
He
looked
like
a
disciple
waiting
for
the
guru
to
arrive.
My
aunt
said,
"Beta,
this
is
Swami
Nithyananda" and
I
thought,
'This
young
boy?
A
swami?'
He
gestured
me
to
sit
down
with
a
knowing
smile
that
suggested
he'd
read
my
mind.
Hello!
Hello!
"I
don't
know
you.
I
don't
watch
movies,
but
I
know
who
you
are.
You
did
a
great
job
helping
tsunami
victims.
God
bless
you."
he
said
with
a
smile.
I
looked
at
him
and
asked,
'Can
I
be
honest?
You
don't
look
like
a
guru".
He
asked,
"What's
a
guru
supposed
to
look
like?"
I
replied,
'Someone
a
lot
older
and
whose
face
is
painted
with
the
wrinkles
and
grey
of
experience.' He
smiled
gently,
"Well,
you
don't
look
like
a
social
worker
or
a
spiritual
seeker
either,
yet
you
are
both."
That
moment
on,
we
spoke
like
old
friends,
our
conversation
flowed
with
spirituality
meandering
between
the
banks
of
humour
and
logic.
He
was
funny,
yet
insightful
and
irreverent!
Overjoyed
with
my
new
spiritual
buddy,
I
said
to
him,
'I
think
I'll
call
you
cool
dude
swami.'
Despite
my
aunt's
obvious
disapproval,
he
said
"You
are
my
friend,
call
me
by
any
name
you
want."
SMS
for
Guru
Over
the
ensuing
years,
my
mobile
phone
would
often
flash
'cool
dude
swami
calling'
and
a
unique,
spiritual
yet
entertaining
chat
would
follow.
Then
in
October,
while
I
was
in
deep
meditation,
he
appeared
in
my
mind's
eye,
smiling
warmly.
I
called
my
aunt
and
asked
her
about
his
whereabouts.
She
informed
that
he
was
in
Mumbai
a
day
for
a
spiritual
discourse.
Was
it
a
mere
coincidence
or
an
SMS
(spiritual
messaging
service)
I
had
received
from
him
about
his
arrival?
When
I
went
to
see
him,
about
a
thousand
people
were
present
and
he
regaled
them
with
humour,
and
calmed
their
spirits
with
the
peace
he
radiated.
No
matter
what
your
problem
was,
when
he
hugged
you,
and
said
'I
am
with
you'
--
you
felt
a
deep
assurance
within
and
knew
it
was
going
to
be
all
right.
Living
enlightenment
After
the
spiritual
workshop,
I
met
him
backstage.
His
organisation
had
expanded
in
the
last
five
years
to
various
countries.
Upon
the
table
in
his
little
room,
there
was
a
stack
of
books
titled
'Living
Enlightenment'
authored
by
him,
which
had
already
sold
a
million
copies.
'I
said
to
him
"How
much
you
have
changed!" He
smiled,
"I
have
always
been
the
same,
it
is
just
the
way
you
look
at
me
that
has
changed."
I
asked
him
what
living
enlightenment
was
and
he
said,
"It
is
being
intense
in
every
moment
and
responding
intuitively
to
achieve
your
limitless
potential
for
creativity
and
joy.
It
is
a
constant
state
of
true
bliss!"
So
that
was
the
big
secret
I've
been
seeking?
I
wondered
and
he
he
laughed,
"No,
now
you
just
know
of
it...
to
know
it,
you
have
to
experience
it"
Self-discovery
His
words
echoed
within
me,
when
I
recently
drove
back
to
his
ashram,
like
I'd
done
five
years
ago.
The
majestic
banyan
tree
still
stood
there,
but
around
it
had
sprouted
a
huge
centre
of
spirituality
and
learning,
a
complex
that
held
and
served
thousands.
I
was
awestruck
with
what
a
man's
vision
and
belief
could
achieve
in
a
short
span.
For
four
days,
I
attended
the
workshop,
discovering
so
many
facets
of
myself
as
my
true
self.
Even
in
the
absolute
simplicity
of
the
facilities,
I
slept
in
sweet
peace
and
woke
up
every
morning
smiling
for
no
particular
reason
at
all...
it
was
divine!
I
had
had
my
first
slice
of
living
enlightenment.
In
the
impatient
world
of
instant
coffee
and
instant
noodles,
I
had
experienced
instant
transformation.
As
he
hugged
me
and
blessed
me
before
I
left
and
I
said
to
him
"You
are
the
coolest
dude
I
know,
with
the
warmest
heart" and
he
replied,
"You
only
see
in
me,
what
you
yourself
truly
are.
"
I
smiled...
and
I
haven't
stopped
smiling
since.