Remember this guy? Of course you do! It's His Holiness Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the guy who turned the Beatles on to transcendental meditation. Presumably the photo at right was taken before John changed his mind and denounced him as a charlatan.
More recent pictures of the reclusive guru (why are all gurus reclusive - does it have anything to do with tax aversion?) also at right; by now he's estimated to be in his mid-to-late eighties.
What's the maharishi been up to, since his glory days with the fab 4? Well, you know, the usual guru stuff, pandering to the latest celebrity hangers-on (yes, we mean you, David Lynch). According to an AP report of February 15, 2006:
And where does the guru hang out these days?
Here's the AP January 20, 1998
Salient points:
Guru visits St Ludwig in 1984, is seduced by its rustic charms.
Guru buys monastery for $900,000 in 1984.
In subsequent years, several new buildings are erected, all facing east. Guru announces ambitious plan to raze monastery and build lavish $50 million complex of buildings, ornamental gardens and lakes.
Locals object and have monastery declared a national monument, effectively thwarting Guru's big plan.