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Dear Supporter of the Maharishi Vedic Pandit program, We want to let you know of some unfortunate press reports that have recently come out regarding the Pandit project in Maharishi Vedic City. Over the weekend, a defamatory and wildly inaccurate article about the Vedic Pandit program appeared in a weekly Chicago Indian newspaper and was republished in part by other Indian media in the US and abroad. The article attempts to cast blame on the Global Country of World Peace for the plight which some adult Pandits now find themselves in. These are Pandits who have left the Pandit campus and program and apparently are seeking employment, unlawfully, in the US. Some of the Pandits have returned, realizing this was a foolish thing to do, and their airfare has been covered to return to India. Others have not yet come to this realization and are likely being manipulated by unscrupulous employers who take advantage of their innocence. We are working with the press to correct this matter and already are getting a positive response from responsible journalists which may result in some positive publicity for the Global Peace Initiative. We have been dealing with a challenge in recent months where a few of the Pandits who have completed their 2-year stays or who say they need to go home to India for some reason are taken to the airport in Chicago. They then leave the airport without boarding the plane, in violation of the terms of their agreement with the Movement and apparently with the intention of violating the terms of their US visa. As you know, we always provide airfare to the Pandits when they come to the US and return to India, and our staff from the Pandit campus and volunteers from the community take the Pandits to Chicago and help them until they go through airport security. On a few rare occasions, Pandits have checked in for their flights and have gone through security and passport control — and then tried to leave the airport. In recent months, two such Pandits were stopped by authorities, but were released. This encouraged some other Pandits to try to leave in Chicago or even to slip off the campus. The law is that neither Global Country of World Peace that sponsors the Pandits in the US nor airport authorities can force these adult Pandits to board a flight. The Vedic Pandits seem to be doing this because they have heard stories that they can make what sounds to them like vast sums of money ($1,800 a month is often mentioned) working in low-level jobs at restaurants and other businesses. They seem to be dazzled by the idea of making a few thousand dollars, but they do not understand what it costs to live in the US or the legal implications of being in violation of the immigration law that result from their leaving the program. Most of the Pandits have been on Maharishi Vedic Pandit campuses in India in residence since ages 12 or 14, where they are honored and respected and all their needs are provided for. We want you to know that we are doing everything we can to address this problem—from possible legal and investigative action with the press and those who have been manipulating the Pandits, to reporting relevant information we have to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), to educating the Pandits about the serious consequences they can face. As always we all appreciate so much having the Maharishi Vedic Pandits here and the Pandits’ comfort and happiness is our #1 priority. It has been almost 7 ½ years since Maharishi sent the first group of his Vedic Pandits to help create invincibility for America. Since then 2,600 Pandits have come, and the vast majority—95%—have enjoyed their stay here and many have signed up to extend or return after their initial term is up. The problem we are facing is with only a small 5% of the Pandits. We are hopeful this fad will promptly fade as the reality of the situation dawns. If you have any questions or recommendations or any information about Vedic Pandits who have left the program, please call Sandy Crowe at (641) 209-3885 or send her an e-mail at scr...@globalpeaceinitiative.org <mailto:scr...@globalpeaceinitiative.org> . Thank you again for all your support over the years for this very successful program that will continue to bless America with invincibility. Jai Guru Dev, Raja John Hagelin
