Wing Commander Kapil Singh (15 July 1938 – 20 August 2024), known as Pilot Baba, was an Indian spiritual guru and pilot with the Indian Air Force.[1][2]
Pilot Baba | |
|---|---|
| Born | Kapil Singh 15 July 1938 Sasaram, Shahabad district, Bihar Province, British India |
| Died | 20 August 2024 (aged 86) Mumbai, Maharashtra, India |
| Occupation | |
| Website | |
| pilotbaba | |
Early life and career
editKapil Singh was commissioned in the Indian Air Force (IAF) as a fighter pilot in 1957. He participated in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 and the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, rising to the rank of Wing Commander.[2]
Spiritual career
editDuring the Sino-Indian War in 1962, Singh reported an apparition of Gorakhnath that guided his plane to a safe landing after he lost all contact with his base. Ten years later, he become a guru under the moniker "Pilot Baba" following his retirement from the IAF.[3] Pilot Baba was known for his claim to enter lengthy samadhi, or death-like bodily states, often under the ground.[4][5] [6] He also claimed that he could control and manipulate the elements. His samadhi demonstrations led to fame and donations. In 1980, he reportedly attempted a similar stunt with one of his devotees, collecting hundred of thousands of rupees from devotees to sponsor him. However, after being buried ten days underground, the devotee was unearthed and found to be dead, and Pilot Baba disappeared with the donations. After his return, Pilot Baba was found to have faked some of his escapades: in both a 1992 demonstration where he stayed underwater for five days and a 1996 burial for the same amount of time, it was reported that he actually employed secret compartments that allowed him to avoid danger.[6] He was also exposed for money laundering on a TV program, offering a sting investigation a 30% commission to route the equivalent of 1.2 million pounds of black money through the ashrams accounts.[3]
Ashrams
editPilot Baba set up ashrams in India and Japan.[3]
Ashrams in India include:
Death
editPilot Baba died in Mumbai, Maharashtra on 20 August 2024, at the age of 86.[7]
Publications
editBooks written by Pilot Baba include:[citation needed]
- Kailash Mansarovar
- Pearls of Wisdom
- Discover Secrets of The Himalaya
- Antaryatra' The Inner Journey (2 volumes)
- Pilgrimage from You to Yourself
- Himalayan kah raha hai (2 volumes)
References
edit- ^ Geeta Pandey (18 January 2007). "The ex-pilot reborn as a guru". BBC News, Allahabad. Archived from the original on 5 October 2018. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
- ^ a b "IAF Wing Commander To Spiritual Guru, How Kapil Singh Became Pilot Baba". News18. 26 August 2023. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
- ^ a b c Shearer, Alistair (15 February 2020). The Story of Yoga: From Ancient India to the Modern West. Oxford University Press. pp. 222–223. ISBN 978-1-78738-372-2.
- Shearer, Alistair (10 February 2020). "Fakirs and fakers: How Ashutosh Maharaj and Pilot Baba featured in fraudulent 'yogic' feats". Scroll.in. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
- ^ Amitava Sanyal; "Pilot Baba on his mastery of death Archived 30 April 2018 at the Wayback Machine", Hindustan Times, 14 January 2007 (retrieved 29 April 2018)
- ^ Kunal Verma; "Pilot Baba: From air force wing commander to sanyas Archived 30 April 2018 at the Wayback Machine", India Today, 15 February 1984. (retrieved 29 April 2018)
- ^ a b "Going Underground with Pilot Baba". Archived from the original on 3 May 2018. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
- ^ Uttarakhand: Spiritual guru 'Pilot Baba' who played key role in wars against Pakistan, passes away