New exposé raises questions about 10-year-old spiritual orator Abhinav Arora | Popular

Doubts have been raised about the story of Abhinav Arora, the 10-year-old boy from Delhi who made a name for himself as a spiritual orator. Abhinav Arora claims that he began his spiritual journey at the age of three, a path he attributes to a natural calling to Hindu gods, specifically Shri Ram and Shri Krishna.

Often honored with the title Bal Sant (child saint), Abhinav has cultivated an image of himself as someone who is not interested in the materialistic world and instead spends his time in prayer. Abhinav Arora has almost a million followers on Instagram, where he describes himself as India’s youngest spiritual orator.

Now, a YouTube channel called Only Desi has cast doubt on his spiritual story, suggesting that Abhinav’s public persona is not so much a result of his natural inclination towards religiosity, but a product of careful coaching by his parents, especially his father Tarun Raj Arora .

Abhinav Arora: A spiritual orator or a mouthpiece?

Abhinav Arora has been platformed by some of the biggest news channels in the country. In several interviews he has answered questions about his religious affiliation, his daily routine, his school, etc.

Abhinav’s father, Tarun Raj Arora, often mentions that his son’s spiritual practices are self-directed, implying that Abhinav’s journey to eloquence and devotion was more instinctive than coached.

However, Ankit, the YouTuber behind the Only Desi channel, created a pastiche of video clips in which 10-year-old Abhinav gives the same answer to the questions. His words, his phrasing and even his intonation remain the same across interviews, which Ankit says is proof that the young boy has been coached by his father on what to say.

The YouTuber has even shared videos of the young boy appearing stunned and overwhelmed when asked questions that he was not told how to answer.

The family’s past

Ankit also unearthed older videos of Abhinav talking ‘normally’, instead of the formal Hindi he uses today.

The videos date back to the time when Abhinav’s father started an ice cream company and used his son for promotional content. They seem to debunk his claims that Abhinav started walking the path of spirituality at the age of three.

In these older videos, Abhinav is seen with a smartphone and T-shirts. In recent years he has not been photographed wearing anything other than traditional Indian kurtas. He has also claimed that he does not use a phone despite his active social media presence.

YouTuber Ankit also wondered why Abhinav, despite all his spirituality and non-materialistic teachings, collaborates with brands for social media content. He added that cases have been filed against Abhinav’s father Tarun Raj Arora in connection with his ice cream company Falooda Express.