Hi All, 19:35 Unreported World on Channel 4 Friday (UK) The popular South Indian tourist destination Kerala sells itself as 'God's own country'. It's home to hundreds of ashrams - spiritual retreats where thousands of pilgrims from India, Britain and the rest of the world seek salvation through a growing number of gurus. But, as this week's Unreported World reveals, Kerala's 3,000 "godmen" are facing allegations of varying degrees of seriousness ranging from fraud to physical and sexual abuse. Reporter Jenny Kleeman and Producer Edward Watts begin their journey in Amritapuri, on India's south western coast. It's home to one of India's most famous - and richest - women. Amma is famous around the world because she blesses her followers by giving them a hug. It's estimated she's hugged 30 million people worldwide to date. Ten thousand devotees from many countries, including the UK, live in pink tower blocks at "Amma's" ashram, worshipping her as a living god. The ashram receives more foreign donations than any other organization in Kerala and it's big business. Officials tell Kleeman that most is spent on charities and Amma's work appears benevolent compared to allegations the team investigates. Kleeman and Watts move on to Cochin, a popular stop on the tourist trail and home to a godman called Santosh Madhavan. Neighbours tell Unreported World that his guest house was recently raided by the police after one of his devotees claimed he'd cheated her out of thousands of pounds. After the raid, two young girls came forward to say Madhavan had sexually assaulted them. He's been charged and is currently in jail awaiting trial. The police tell Kleeman they fear there are many other corrupt godmen still at large in Kerala. Heading further north, Kleeman and Watts arrive in the town of Trichur. Here, a family of 'chathan' swamis claim they can harness the power of evil spirits to solve their followers' business and health problems - for a price. Devotees tell Kleeman they have spent hundreds of times the average daily wage in exchange for the godmen's help. The chathans' publicity brochure says they live very simple lives, but their family home seems far grander than the other houses the team have seen. Moving on to Calicut, the team meets Gopal Swami. He claims to be able to perform miracles, including curing the terminally ill and giving infertile couples children. But they hear disturbing reports about his methods. One man, fearful of revealing his identity, tells Kleeman that he and his wife had spent months praying at Gopal Swami's temple after trying unsuccessfully for a baby for eight years. Eventually, he claims, the guru told his wife that she had a snake inside her and then kicked her three times in the stomach, with such force that she had to spend five days in hospital recovering. When the team tries to put these allegations to Gopal Swami, his minders threaten them, saying that unless they go away they will destroy the camera. Even though India is modernising, religion is still central to life in Kerala. As the economy booms, spirituality is being turned into big business - not just for Indians, but also for the spiritual tourists who visit. And it's clear that this business's customer base of many vulnerable and desperate people is open to abuse.
