Aniruddhacharya faces severe backlash, with the internet up in arms against his sexist comment about women: ‘25 saal ki ladki...'

Spiritual speaker Aniruddhacharya, aka Pookie Baba's recent remarks implying that women who are unmarried at 25 or older are promiscuous, has led to widespread outrage. The Mathura-based religious speaker made the sexist remark during a religious event at Vrindavan's Gauri Gopal Ashram.

In a video, that is going viral on social media ever since, Anirudhacharya can be heard saying, “Ab ladki late hai 25 saal ki. Ab 25 saal ki ladki chaar jagah mu maar chuki hoti hai. Sab nahi par bahut. Aur wo 25 saal ki jab aati hai toh puri jawan hoke aati hai. Jab jawan hoke aayegi toh swabhavik hai ki uski jawani kahi fisal jaegi." (Now girls are marrying at the age of 25. By then, many, not all, have been in relationships with multiple men. By the time a woman is 25, she is fully grown. It is only natural that by then, her youth has slipped away somewhere).

Widespread outrage

The video has taken the internet by storm and was condemned as misogynistic and regressive. His remarks have drawn criticism from women’s rights advocates and public figures. The Mathura Bar Association condemned the remarks, and a group of lawyers met the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) in Mathura, demanding legal action against the seer.

The women lawyers protested against the sexist remarks and demanded stern action against him. "Such derogatory and sexist remarks are not expected from a religious personality... it shows his rotten mentality,’’ they said during the protest.

Khushboo Patani, a former Indian Army officer and sister of Bollywood actress Disha Patani, slammed Aniruddhacharya’s remarks. In a video shared on social media, she questioned the double standards in Aniruddhacharya’s speech, adding that a live-in relationship involves two consenting adults, and yet, the criticism is made only against the women. She also called out the spiritual orator for the sexist remarks.

Aniruddhacharya’s apology

(Pic courtesy: Facebook/ @Aniruddhachary Ji Maharaj)

Following the outrage, Aniruddhacharya posted a video on social media saying he only meant “some women, not all”. He also added that the keywords from his speech were edited out before the video went viral, “so as to create a false narrative”.

In a video shared on Instagram on Saturday, he said, “Radhe Radhe. Aap logon ke dwara humein soochna mili ki kuch behnein naraaz hain is baat ko lekar, kyunki unhone aadhi adhoori video suni. Us video mein kaha gaya ki aaj kal 25 saal ki ladki... dekhiye baat yahaan ja rahi thi ki kuch ladkiyaan aisi hoti hain jo live-in mein rehkar chaar jagah mooh maar chuki hoti hain. Aur jab woh kisi ghar ki bahu banengi, toh kya woh rishte ko nibha payengi? Isliye, ladka ho ya ladki, dono ko pehle charitrawaan hona chahiye. Yeh baat kuch ladkiyon ke liye thi, sab ke liye nahi."

("Radhe Radhe. I have been informed by some of you that a few sisters are upset because they listened to an incomplete video. In that video, it was said that nowadays, a 25-year-old girl... Look, the point being made was that some girls are such that they have been in live-in relationships and are involved with multiple men. And when such a girl becomes the daughter-in-law of a household, will she be able to maintain that relationship? That’s why, whether it's a boy or a girl, both should be of good character first. This statement was meant for some girls, not all.")

Who is Aniruddhacharya

(Pic courtesy: Facebook/ @Aniruddhachary Ji Maharaj)

Aniruddhacharya Maharaj, born Anirudh Tiwari in 1989 in Madhya Pradesh’s Jabalpur, was drawn to Hindu spirituality from a tender age. His father, who was a Hindu priest, has deeply influenced his spiritual path. A prominent spiritual orator, Aniruddhacharya, is known for his spiritual teachings wrapped in humour. Aniruddhacharya is the founder of Gauri Gopal Ashram in Vrindavan in Mathura, UP, dedicated to animals, including cows. His brief stint on the reality show Bigg Boss also added to his popularity. He has over 25 million followers across various social media platforms.