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New exposé raises questions about 10-year-old spiritual orator Abhinav Arora
Doubts have been cast on the story of Abhinav Arora, the 10-year-old Delhi boy who has made a name for himself as a spiritual orator.
Doubts have been cast on the story of Abhinav Arora, the 10-year-old Delhi boy who has made a name for himself as a spiritual orator. Abhinav Arora claims to have embarked on his spiritual journey at the age of three, a path he attributes to a natural calling towards Hindu deities, particularly Shri Ram and Shri Krishna.
Often honoured with the title of Bal Sant (Child Saint), Abhinav has cultivated an image of himself as someone who is not interested in the materialistic world and instead spends his time in prayer. Abhinav Arora has nearly a million followers on Instagram, where he describes himself as India's youngest spiritual orator.
Now, a YouTube channel called Only Desi has raised doubts about his spiritual narrative, suggesting that Abhinav’s public persona is not so much the result of his natural inclination towards religiosity but a product of careful coaching by his parents, especially his father Tarun Raj Arora.
Abhinav Arora: A spiritual orator or a mouthpiece?
Abhinav Arora has been platformed by some of the biggest news channels of the country. In several different interviews, he has answered questions about his religious inclination, his day-to-day routine, his school etc.
Abhinav’s father, Tarun Raj Arora, frequently mentions that his son’s spiritual practices are self-driven, implying that Abhinav’s journey into oratory and devotion was more instinctual than coached.
However, Ankit, the YouTuber behind the Only Desi channel, created a pastiche of video snippets where 10-year-old Abhinav is seen giving the same answer to the questions. His words, his phrasing, even his intonation remains the same across different interviews, which Ankit says is proof that the young boy has been coached on what to say by his father.
In fact, the YouTuber also shared videos where the young boy appears stumped and caught off-guard when asked questions he has not been told how to answer.
The family’s past
Ankit also dug out older videos where Abhinav is seen talking ‘normally,’ rather than the formal Hindi he uses nowadays.
The videos date back to the time when Abhinav’s father started an ice cream business and used his son for promotional content. They seem to negate his claims that Abhinav started on the path of spirituality at the young age of three.
In these older videos, Abhinav can be seen using a smartphone and wearing T-shirts. In more recent years, he has not been photographed dressed in anything except traditional Indian kurtas. He has also claimed that he does not use a phone despite maintaining an active social media presence.
YouTuber Ankit also questioned why Abhinav, for all his spirituality and non-materialistic teachings, is collaborating with brands for social media content. He added that lawsuits have been brought against Abhinav's father, Tarun Raj Arora, in connection with his ice cream business Falooda Express.
