The Fifth Floor: India's 'godwoman'

第五层:印度的“女神女”

The Documentary Podcast

社会与文化

2025-04-05

26 分钟
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单集简介 ...

Delhi correspondent Divya Arya recently met a woman who claims to perform miracles. She’s called Radhe Maa and her devotees see her as a God. She’s not the only person in India who claims to have god-like powers, but she is unusual as mostly these people are men. Divya got rare access to the lavish home in which the 'godwoman' lives, to better understand this world of unquestioning faith. Presented by Faranak Amidi Produced by Caroline Ferguson and Alice Gioia (Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
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  • Welcome to the documentary from the BBC World Service.

  • This is the fifth floor at the heart of global storytelling with BBC journalists from all around the world.

  • I'm your host, Farhan Akhami Di.

  • God's men are not uncommon in India.

  • They often wield a lot of power and influence and can have large numbers of devotees.

  • But Rathe Ma is unusual, because she's a woman.

  • She claims to do actual miracles.

  • Her devotees see her as a god-woman and are happy to travel just to be in her presence.

  • Our reporter in Delhi, Divya Arya,

  • got extremely rare access to Rathe Ma and her followers to get a real insight to what it means to be a god-woman.

  • What they actually are are very, very influential and powerful people.

  • They command huge followings.

  • Many of them amass a lot of wealth, though they don't necessarily display it.