[UPDATE: After arresting Commander Selvam last fall, the police have decided drop charges against him, for lack of evidence. See Atlanta Journal Constitution]
Reader MacWalla sent us a tip to this story, which ran on a local Fox affiliate in Atlanta:
It’s about an Atlanta based swami named Selvam Sidhar, also called Dr. Commander Selvam (though his real name is apparently Annamalai?), whom the reporter finds to be a fraud. There’s also a second part I would strongly recommend here, where the reporters went undercover to book a “beer bash and barbecue” in the Temple’s main hall, and Commander Selvam readily agreed to have meat and alcohol served on the premises. After the Fox reporters called the next day to “out” themselves, big banners reading “Hindus Only Allowed — No Trespassing” went up around the temple.
Some of the footage they use, showing his house (heavily mortgaged), and his car, isn’t by itself an issue for me. If anything, the $900,000 mortgage on the house suggests he doesn’t actually have as much money in the bank as might be expected. Is this exposé overblown at times?
Finally, the reporter responsible for the recent story on Fox Atlanta, Randy Travis, has a blog post up, with 179 comments on the story.
[UPDATE: After arresting Commander Selvam last fall, the police have decided drop charges against him, for lack of evidence. See Atlanta Journal Constitution]
When there are people ready to pay $2500 to do “astrological guidance”, it is actually a surprise that there arent more cases of frauds like this. Another point worth noticing from this is the extent of abuse of the H-1b perpretrated by some Desis.
People that gullible should be relieved of their cash…no sympathy from me unless they were senior citizens. The Commander is straight out of Twain’s “Gilded Age”. Right down to the military title that Southern snake oil salesmen preferred
I believe I have seen his ads in India Abroad!
He also runs ads in India Currents. Mom called him once to see when I would get married, and he offered to pray for my stars and send me a yellow saphhire ensuring my nuptials wthin one year — only for $2750. And, he closed with “After all, what price can top a mother’s happiness?”
What really turned me off was his “salesman-like” attitude to the reporters. Definitely seemed all about trying to sell them on the auditorium, saying anything about his organization, his followers, etc., in order to convince them to part with their money. That shouldn’t be the spiritual leader’s role; he should be providing spiritual guidance, and he should leave running the business affairs of the temple to those hired/assigned to do that. On the topic of pujas performed remotely after collecting details over the phone, that isn’t unusual. Most temples have historically done that, especially in the 80’s when they weren’t that accessible to most Americans. My parents used to have pujas performed for us at the temple in Pittsburgh; they would perform the puja and then send us prasadam. In this case, however, I’d be afraid of letting “Dr. Commander” anywhere near my financial information…
I’ve seen his photo in India Abroad, too, and thought it was incredibly laughable, as is the paint job on that temple. It looks like a cheap movie parody or something.
I will say that I wasn’t thrilled about the fact that they brought a hidden(?) camera into a place of worship, which is generally frowned upon. But what they showed was indisputable (those signs! WTF!), and Fox 5 is a decent news source here in Atlanta, and nothing like the cable network of the same name.
If you want a decent temple in Atlanta, go with the Hindu Temple of Atlanta. Gorgeous architecture, kind priests who truly live priestly/ascetic, and a Shiva temple that’s a lot more tasteful than the HTG’s black-and-white checker-floored one!
Amardeep: There is a sucker born every minute. In Gujarati we have a saying: Lobhiya Hoy Tyan Dhutara Bhukhe Naa Mare. In other words as long as there are greedy people, the con-man will never go hungry. In the name of Religion and false fear and hope these con artists are growing all over the world very successfully – especially in India.
commander selvam sounds like a ltte moniker, i must say.
As for the question: “Have you ever heard of a swami living in a million dollar mansion?”, isn’t that pretty much every swami?
Amardeep: The last name is Siddhar, not Sidhar. It means “somebody who’s attained enlightenment”, I think. It’s an appelation, not his name. Further, I seriously doubt the news report’s contention that his name is “Annamalai Annamalai”. One Annamalai I can understand, two just sounds like he’s shooting for the stars (0:40).
When I saw this magazine published by the Hindu Temple of Atlanta, I knew something was clearly not right with this megalomaniac. http://www.siddhiusa.com. Somewhere I remember seeing that he donated $2 million for the Hindu Temple of Atlanta, which was built with a cost of $17 million!.
2 · louiecypher said
It’s not that they’re gullible, in my estimation, it’s that they want an easy fix for their “problems” without having to accept any personal responsibility and making the life changes that would require. Blame the stars, blame the evil-eye, blame black magic–it’s never your own fault. You are the victim; you don’t make any mistakes or bad decisions.
That doesn’t let these opportunistic con men who prey on vulnerable people off the hook, though, either. Why do senior citizens deserve special consideration, more than, say, somebody who is severely depressed and feeling helpless?
speaking of swamis who’re living large, does anyone know anything about Ramdev Baba? I keep seeing his ads in the local papers and his camps seem to be going full. I was wondering if he’s another in the line of con men who specialize in parting goras (and desis) and their money.
Because I will grow old and I feel very strongly that no one should con me during my Magoo like senescence. But Rajneesh cheating yuppies out of Rolls Royces and granting “boons” to their wives….pure comedy gold
You folks have to see The I-Team: The Swami, Part 2 which is even more revealing. I hear a part III is on its way in a week or so. If you click here you will see his corporation filings that show a very shady pattern, and recent court casesthat he dodged for almost 4 months. Here are his Better Business Bureau complaints as well!
The comments section on the Fox station website is really interesting… people are posting details about court cases involving Dr. Commander and his associates, and also information about companies registered to DrC — it seems that the temple is buying material from a company owned by DrC, which in turn imports goods from a company in India also owned by DrC — and apparently, based on the tax laws, he is able to reap a 100% profit avoiding taxes completely. Crazy.
I won’t call these people dumb. I have a friend who is 2x smarter than anyone I know (approaching Razib maybe)….he sits transfixed watching Sai Baba dispensing gifts from his arm pit and is like “See, Baba is God only”. He’s not depressed but I think he is not comfortable with the implications of the physical reductionism that he operates under professionally
11 · Johnny Valker said
He seems to be legit. My wife bought one of his DVD’s from Amazon, and though I am skeptical about some of his claims about what yoga can do, I haven’t heard about any shadiness in terms of the business operations around Patanjali Yogpeeth.
Baba Ramdev just makes some extravagant claims about the health effects of doing the “Pranayam” Yoga. He does not offer to remove black-magic or any such stuff. He has massive following as far as I know. At least in North India. He is like Sri Sri Ravishankar, who started with the whole “pranayam” thing.
That’s the American way and Americans pride themselves on that. Why should not people round the world get a piece of the pie? That’s how American advertises itself globally anyway.
18 · Amway said
I always confuse Mormons with IBM sales execs. They’ve got similar dress codes and sales tactics. And IBM sales execs are often situationally polygamist (ever see them at a podunk hotel bar?)
18 · Amway said
And if you think a temple should operate like Quixtar, then Dr. Commander should be your guru. Go to the Hindu Temple of Georgia and fall at his feet — er, perhaps you should wait until he comes out of hiding 🙂
15 · louiecypher said
sounds pretty dumb to me.
i am all for people like selvam fleecing devout fools. there needs to be rampant profusion of these conmen to the point that people lose all trust in these false promises when they are unmasked. i mean not everybody can make like afro baba and go to the moon, can they?
Im in the process of creating my own empire.
15 · louiecypher said
it is possible to grow up with Baba indoctrination–i have relatives that were fed a diet of 90% Baba media throughout their formative years (basically since they were interested in the images flitting about on TV). That could be an extenuating factor.
i have a feeling that Selvam will go the way of Kent Hovind.
21 · anton said
That is an extremely callous attitude. I’m an atheist with a love of blasphemy and iconoclasm who would love to see more people wake up from what I consider the dangerous delusions of religion, but that desire does not make me side with hucksters and con men who prey on the (for argument’s sake) weak and stupid.
If you are right and these people are fools, how does their idiocy justify his taking their money? Are you saying that his superior intellect trumps ethics and morality? That claim is as baseless as the true believer’s claim that morality is impossible without gawd.
24 · Harbeer said
it is callous but they also had more than Selvam to choose from, when it came time to select their G-D representative. If he was the only game in town, then yes I would feel bad for the suckers but considering that they did have a choice, you don’t feel the slightest urge to point the finger of i-told-ya-so?
Razib? All he does is copy and paste. Without google……..where would he be?
25 · Nayagan said
My parents are way into dumb stuff like this. WAY into it. They consider themselves Sikhs and yet they go to both Muslim and Brahman “holy men” and “saints,” despite these practices and claims being very explicitly prohibited in Sikhi. I criticize them and chastise them about it all the time; I encourage them to stop playing the victim and take control of their lives; I’m really excited about starting work on my second novel, which will be a satirical exploration of this very sociological phenomenon–I actually picked up Selvam’s magazine a few months ago as part of my research and ended up making a big collage using ads from various “holy men” for an assignment about a month ago–and yes, I do get the urge to point that finger BUT I don’t think it’s a great thing when people are conned, as Anton suggests.
I like being vindicated about some things, but I really wish that I had been wrong about stuff like global warming and the credit crisis, you know? I’m as crusty and cynical as the next guy, but I wouldn’t mind my cynicism being proven wrong from time to time. I think I might actually like it.
27 · Harbeer said
i was actually asked, by a more elderly relative, to research the scientific benefits of a Homa (worshipfully facilitated by these folks). Once I realized that the site’s authors regarded formaldehyde inhalation as a health benefit, I realized that some cons are laughable and others are just dangerous. When it is your family who are suckered into these deals, it makes the glibness harder (even though there are a thousand Homa hucksters from which one can choose their poison).
His parents are outspokenly atheist. They make Dawkins look like a wuss when they go on a rant. I think he’s just troubled by randomness. There are people like Dawkins & Hitchens who are happy with humanism and others who are not.
Mocking Sai Baba identifies you and Nayagan as lacking in wisdom and discernment. Can you name another person in the world who is more unique, more remarkable and more deserving of awe and admiration?
Even if one refuses to believe in his supernatural powers, one cannot dismiss the fact that here is a spiritual teacher and guide from an obscure village in India who without a guru to teach him, or even a high school education, has become the guru of gurus. Who remains in the village he was born drawing millions of devotees to his ashram. Who has done more outstanding charitable works than any other person in India. Whose discourses and writings have inspired millions around the world from all races, nationalities and religions.
yo sufi, you forgot the sexual molestation charges, the grand multi room house and the fancy air conditioned car.
umm.. jesus christ? glory be! JUST KIDDING! the correct answer is clearly dubya.
30 · Sufi said
yes, I would rather spend my days developing a proper Cannibal Corpse-esque growl than groveling at the feet of a man who managed to take advantage of a millenia-old tradition of wise men leading the herd. I would rather join the Cavalera Conspiracy than ooing and aahing at the feats of a fifth-rate kinder-party magician who depends on the hard earned contributions of many thousands of people worth many million times more than him (Heck i’d even watch Akerfeldt and Wilson go mano-a-mano in a prog quiz). (and yes the hospital and related developments are well and good, but would you advance the hard utilitarian argument that a quick fondle here and there is worth it when the child is yours?)
25 · Nayagan said
Whether he’s the “only game in town” does not effect my attitude toward his marks, but I can think of two factors that do–what percentage of their savings were the fleeced for and how petty was the “problem” they wanted him to solve?
harbeer – i was obviously being facetious – to a degree. my lack of sympathy for the average duped “bhakta” does not mean that i don’t want the wrath of the law visited upon frauds like dr. commander selvam esquire the third.
30 · Sufi said
Yes, me. Duh! Any other questions?
More about this fraudster CLICK HERE
Thanks for posting this,SM team .
Amardeep…Out of curiousity, why did you put an exclamation after mentioning that “vhpofusa” comment?
Someone above commented that all swamis are corrupt but you obviously don’t have any facts to back that up. With that twisted logic, I should just assume all Catholic priests fondle young boys.
Hindus today are quite stupid, to be frank. They don’t know anything about their scriptures and run to these magicians and pour milk over statues to solve problems they likely caused themselves.
30 · Sufi said
How has he become the “guru of gurus”? Let’s restrict ourselves to one particular branch of Hinduism, vedanta for now. Has SSB written any unique commentaries on either of the Vedas or Upanishads? Has he undertaken a philosophical study on the Mahabharata. At the very least has he published a commentary on the Brahma Sutra Bhasya? AFAIK he has done neither. For someone to become guru of the gurus, at the very least, he (or she) must undertake a detailed study of the vedas (since we have restricted ourselves to Vedanta for the purposes of this conversation). To cement their status as “guru of gurus” this study must bring out something new and unique. I will concede that many of SSB’s teachings mimic traditional advaita. Therefore, at most SSB can be considered guru of an “offshoot” of Advaita, and nothing more.
Also do you have tangible proof that SSB has done more charity than all the NGOs, businesses, politicians etc. put together (because essentially this is what you’re arguing). More so you also have proof that his discourses have inspired millions. Proof for that too please?
As a sidenote…I have no problems in people being devotees of SSB, it’s a free world, whatever tickles your fancy.
Those who follow fake gurus such as this commander selvan (India does have plenty of spiritual frauds and con artists) may be gullible all right, but those, such as you, who spread unproven malicious accusations against holy men are far worse than just gullible.
That grand multi room house is a Temple for the use of devotees, and Sai Baba lives in a small apartment within it. The car is used not for selfish joy rides but to get to his devotees. Do you also have a problem with Jesus riding on a donkey instead of walking like his followers? Or with Jesus allowing expensive oil to be used to anoint his feet? How about the Pope living and traveling in impressive luxury?
A better example would have been Buddha. Jesus did not have too many followers in his lifetime, perhaps because his ministry, unlike Buddha’s and Sai Baba’s, was violently cut short. Most of his followers abandoned him anyway when the going got tough. His popularity today is a result of men like Paul and Constantine. Sai Baba does not have a powerful Empire adopting him as its icon. It is his teachings, his works, his miraculous powers that have drawn not just hindus but muslims, christians, buddhists, jews, zoroastrians, shintos etc to accept him as their spiritual guide and inspiration.
By the way, Jesus and Buddha too had unproven malicious accusations made against them by people just like you.
So did OJ Simpson and Michael Jackson. What’s your point?
What is Afro baba’s return to charity on every rupee donated to him? Maybe one of his photos can miraculously weep tears of financial disclosure one of these days?
You are looking at him with blinkered eyes narrowed by blind adherence to a particular tradition. Sai Baba transcends any one particular tradition of hinduism. His Discourses and Vahinis are themselves unique and enlightening commentaries on not just the Vedas and Upanishads but also the Puranas, the Yoga Sutras etc. Even many christians, muslims and buddhists are enlightened by his unique explanations of their own belief systems. There are quite a few spiritual guides around the world who have Sai Baba as their own guru. Do some googling.
Which NGO in India has accomplished what Sai Baba has? He has brought water to millions of thirsty people, free education and medical care of the highest quality to thousands, spiritual guidance and inspiration to tens of millions.
Folks, let’s not get drawn into a flame war about Sai Baba.
He is a widely respected Hindu holy man, and there is no reason to insult him or his followers. He has admittedly been criticized at times for various things, but that is not the subject of this post. The good works for which his organization are responsible are also widely known and respected.
43 · Amardeep said
Okay, I shall follow you. No more responses from me w.r.t SSB
43 · Amardeep said
i understand you might not want to offend sensibilities, but this is the kind of uncritical attitude that lets charlatans get away with their fakery.
but i will play by your rules starting now and keep my peace after this post.
Sufi: I agree with you that Sai Baba’s org has done many good things, it’s just the narratives of these miracles that make me skeptical…especially when stage magicians (and not physical reductionist ideologues like the “Amazing Randi”) picked out the conjuring trick the first time they viewed the videos. But on the other hand one can argue, as in the case of Siberian shamans, that misdirection can be used to positive effect in healing etc. In any case I agree with Amardeep, this is not the place to discuss this and I apologize for causing offense
You appear to have a real issue with his afro, as you keep mocking him for it as if that alone should be enough to dissuade anyone from following him. Any decent and sensible person would recognize your petty nastiness as a damning charge against you not against the object of your passionate hatred. Perhaps you hate Buddha for his tightly curled afro hair as well? And Rama and Krishna for their black skins?
By the way, there are some who think that Jesus too may have had an afro, based on the depiction of him as having “wooly” hair and bronze feet in the Revelations part of the New Testament Bible.
43 · Amardeep said
fine, but if we’re talking about fraudsters with zero transparency…
Ok Mr. Amway, how are you creating your empire? Aren’t you telling your followers to parrot what you parrot? You seem to be a charlatan just like Cmdr. Selvam.
LOL!!! Sorry couldnt resist.
Alright, this is indeed the last one.
I am sorry if I offended your sensibilities, Sufi. The spectacle of a 80+ year old man sporting a full head of black hair fashionably styled in electrocution victim chic is indeed a miracle.
And by the way, I worship only Fair and Lovely. Melanin is my Satan. Of course, your comment has also revealed you as a Prema-bot manifest with a different appellation.