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Preacher Aniruddhacharya says sorry for comment on unmarried women, with ‘edited’ caveat: ‘Sab nahin, par bahut’
His remark implying women who are unmarried at 25 or older are usually promiscuous led to an outrage
Aniruddhacharya, a Hindu religious preacher often viral on social media for his interactions with devotees, has apologised after his latest remark — implying women who are unmarried at 25 or older are usually promiscuous — led to an outrage.
In a video message on social media on Saturday, Aniruddhacharya said sorry but underlined that he was referring to “some women, not all”. He said key words was edited out before the video went viral, “so as to create a false narrative”.
What Aniruddhacharya said about ‘unmarried women who are 25’
In the video reportedly from an event in Vrindavan on an unspecified date, he is seen prescribing marriage at a young age. He said women who have hit the age of 25, and are yet unmarried, are not fit to marry as they've had multiple relationships by then.
In the original Hindi, his language was more colloquial: “Ladki laate hain 25 saal ki. Ab 25 saal ki ladki chaar jagah munh maar chuki hoti hai. (Men are bringing wives who are 25. By then these girls have been around with many men.)"
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“Sab nahin, par bahut (Not all, but a lot of them),” he does add in that video, but goes further with loose remarks: “Jab jawan hoke aayegi toh swabhavik hai ki uski jawani kahin fisal jayegi. (When she'll be a fully grown adult, her youth will make her slip up somewhere.)”
Who is Aniruddhacharya?
Born in 1989 as Aniruddh Ram Tiwari to a Hindu priest in Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur, Aniruddhacharya, is described often as a religious orator. His discourses include references to many Hindu scriptures. He is often seen giving life lessons and witty advice to outlandish questions.
It's this repartee with his audience and devotees that leads to viral videos — and also landed him a brief stint on the reality show ‘Bigg Boss’. He later apologised for his 'Bigg Boss' adventure.
Also read | ‘This servant seeks forgiveness’: Aniruddhacharya after getting trolled
Married and a father of two, Aniruddhacharya is the founder of Gauri Gopal Ashram in Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh's Mathura district, where he cares for cows and other animals. Elder care and other charities are part of his public work.
