Yes, you read that one right. Newark in New Jersey, US, almost got scammed into becoming a sister city with a non-existent Hindu nation. Worse still is that the person happens to be the absconding godman from India who has been charged with rape and child abduction since 2019.
Actually, it all began in January 2023, when Mayor Ras Baraka invited what he assumed was a Hindu nation of ‘Kailasa’ to Newark’s City Hall for a cultural trade agreement, only to find out that it was fake after the official ceremony.
The news got the Mayor’s office brushing aside the whole incident as a regrettable incident, and they further added that no money was exchanged at any point in time. They said they were open to partnering with people from diverse cultures in order to enrich each other with connectivity, support, and mutual respect.
But the citizens of Newark felt more strongly that such a thing shouldn’t have happened in the first place as “it would have been simpler if someone googled the fake godman.” The fake godman happens to be Nityananda, who claims to have established his own nation on the island of Ecuador.
A Google page says that the nation will promote ancient culture and revive Hinduism and that Nityananda is the ‘reviver.’
Later, representatives of Nityananda even spoke at the UN in February, and the body totally washed its hands off the statements made by the two representatives at the time.
Reports also say that there are over 30 US cities like Richmond, Virginia, Dayton, Ohio, and Florida, that have signed a cultural partnership with the fake Kailasa nation— cities from Richmond, Virginia, to Dayton, Ohio, to Buena Park, Florida.
