page_title: Prem Rawat
section_title: 1983 – present
hierarchical_section_title: Prem Rawat / History / 1983 – present
caption_attribution_description: Prem Rawat speaking at the University of Salamanca's first "Conference on Peace". (June 30, 2003)
context_page_description: Prem Pal Singh Rawat, born 10 December 1957, is an Indian American also known as Maharajji, and formerly as Guru Maharaj Ji and Balyogeshwar. Rawat's teachings include a meditation practice he calls "Knowledge", and peace education based on the discovery of personal resources such as inner strength, choice, appreciation and hope.
  Prem Pal Singh Rawat is the youngest son of Hans Ram Singh Rawat, an Indian guru and the founder of the Divya Sandesh Parishad. After his father's death, eight-year-old Prem Rawat became the new "Satguru". At age 13 Prem Rawat traveled to the West, soon taking up residence in the United States. Many young adults took interest in the claim that Prem Rawat could impart direct knowledge of God to his followers, and some have said to have experienced it. Many news media were perplexed by his youth and claims of divine status, and he was criticized for a lack of intellectual content in his public discourses, and for leading an opulent lifestyle. At the same time, internally the movement made a point of focusing on non-intellectual domains of spiritual practice.
context_section_description: Throughout this period, Rawat has toured extensively. In one two-year period he spoke at over 100 programs in 37 international cities, including New York, London, Paris, Kuala Lumpur, Rome, Delhi, Sydney, Tokyo, Caracas and Los Angeles.
  In 1990 there were said to be 1.2 million followers worldwide, with 50,000 in the United States. 1999 saw the commencement of regular satellite broadcasts to North America and other countries.
  In 2001, Prem Rawat founded The Prem Rawat Foundation (TPRF), a Public Charitable Organization for the production and distribution of materials promoting his message, and also for funding worldwide humanitarian efforts. TPRF has provided food, water and medical help to war-torn and impoverished areas.
  Between January 2004 and June 2005, Prem Rawat delivered 117 addresses in Asia, Europe, and North America focusing on a universal message of peace and self-fulfillment. His message is currently distributed in eighty-eight countries in print and on video, and his program "Words of Peace" is broadcast on TV channels such as Canal Infinito in South America, Channel 31 in Australia, and Dish Network in the USA.
  Elan Vital states that the only effective way of reaching out to the over 80 countries where his message is now promoted is by leased private jet, which Rawat self-pilots, flying around a quarter million miles a year. In 2007 during a two-month tour of India, Sri Lanka and Nepal, Rawat spoke at 36 events, addressing over 800,000 people, and by live satellite broadcasts reached an additional 2.25 million.
  A biography of Rawat, Peace is Possible, by Andrea Cagan, was published in 2006 with a foreword by Emilio Colombo, a former President of the European Parliament and former Prime Minister of Italy. In 2007 Rawat started the Peace Education Program for inmates which, as of 2012, operates in 25 prisons across 10 countries. Michael Gilbert, UTSA associate professor of criminal justice, stated that "The constructive changes in behavior among participants have been noticed in our local Dominguez prison".
  In 2009, Prem Rawat was made "Ambassador of Peace" for the Basilicata region of Italy. In 2010, he spoke at the "Words of Peace for Europe" conference in Brussels, at the invitation of European Parliament Vice-President Gianni Pittella. In 2011, he again spoke in Brussels at the conference, "Peace and Prosperity. Founding Values of the European Union."
  In September 2012, in Malaysia, Rawat was awarded the Asia Pacific Brands Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award, "for his contributions in championing and promoting global peace."
  On 2 February 2014, Prem Rawat addressed a crowd of more than 200,000 young people at the 9th Youth Peace Fest in Delhi.
caption: 30 June 2003. Prem Rawat addressing the first "Conference on Peace" at the University of Salamanca, Spain
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