The Space-Daddy Bomber

File under: The Siddhi of PR

The Lord works in mysterious ways. Sometimes he shows up in your cockpit as your MiG is going down for good:

"In 1966 I was flying an MiG aircraft in the north-east of India. The controls failed. I had a vision of my guru Hari Baba. He appeared in the cockpit of the plane and helped me land safely. So I decided to start another life," he says.

That life is now known as Pilot Baba. He's currently working it at the Ardh Kumbh Mela in Allahabad, complete with machine gun-armed guards and displays of his prowess at the display of states of samadhi. In between performances, he receives visitors and offers his blessings as the bomber space-daddy:

Many of his followers say Pilot Baba has special healing powers.

The claim may be questionable, but in the few hours I have spent with him, there has been a constant stream of visitors who have come to seek his blessings, many of them from as far away as Japan, Europe and the US.

We salute Pilot Baba for at least putting on a show with his space-daddying. It's a lot more than you'll get from a Kracki or a Sri Sri, who offer empty platitudes with no displays of yogic talents, although they do make good examples for aspiring criminal flimflammers.