June 03, 2003:  Western Tourists and Indian Culture of "Cannibalism"?  
 
TBO News, Tampa Tribune and Pak Tribune  carried a story about India's Aghori "cannibalism" on Jun 02. This story is presented in such a way that innocent reader would believe that the missing western tourists in India are possibly victims of the "Indian Cannibalism" which, according to this report, is a part of Indian culture. Thus, the westerns tourists in India may be kidnapped, sacrificed and eaten by Aghoris.

This story is about an insane American - Born Gary Stevenson, a Houston native, that took the name Kapal Nath, described his practice of "Cannibalism" while in India, to the writer Mike Yon.

Shocking Quotes from the Report:
"All these Americans and Europeans who went there (India) seeking enlightenment or running from the draft have gone off the deep end and never come back" Yon said "India's market is spirituality"....."where it is in India, anything goes.".....Cannibalism, Yon said, was taken as a part of Indian culture……(Nath says) "I like to take a fresh body, you know, maybe even an Israeli, cook 'em barbecue"….."The amazing thing is they are doing it there in the open,'' Yon said. "A policeman was burning the body of his neighbor and cracked open the skull to release the soul. The policeman gave Nath some of the brains to eat.'' Yon's information was fairly detailed, intriguing police……"He talked explicitly about stalking hikers there,''……"He talked about barbecuing people, like emu Texas style, with a big bucket of barbecue sauce,''….."He said human meat has the same taste as pork.'' …."He said he liked to eat the brain and heart,'' Yon said....
UnQuote

The story may be true. The point is, Is this a part of the Indian Culture? Author of this report replied to IndiaCause, that he did not intend to "make it sound like a part of mainstream India culture".

In our view, this report ends up in projecting Indian culture as belonging to the stone-age cannibals. (especially for those American readers that do not know much about India or Indians). 

For those willing to write to TBO News, Tampa Tribune - the contact id and sample letter is provided here: (Please read the entire report below before sending your letter)

kread@tbo.com, jriley@tbo.com, cgerlach@tbo.com, gcoryell@tampatrib.com, GThelen@tampatrib.com, dreed@tampatrib.com

"Dear President,

I am disappointed with the story "Voyage Into Madness" (by George Coryell). I wish the report had also talked about the positive side of the Indian culture for the innocent readers that do not know much about India or her culture. Though, this story is about an insane American who is claimed to have severe mental illness, unfortunately the title and the major contents of the story provide different perspective to the subject. 

Thanks
Your Name"
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TBO News: Voyage Into Madness
http://news.tbo.com/news/MGAXM6OXFGD.html

Tampa Tribune: Voyage Into Madness
http://tampatrib.com/nationworldnews/MGAXM6OXFGD.html

Voyage Into Hindu Madness of Cannibalism
By George Coryell
http://www.paktribune.com/news/index.php?id=27303 (Removed by PakTribune)

TAMPA -
Washed-out posters of missing Western tourists were everywhere in India, Mike Yon noticed during a trip last year.

The 39-year-old Winter Haven native and former Green Beret was gathering ideas for a book as he traveled through Asia. He found ripe material one day in front of a funeral pyre.

Yon watched an Indian holy man meditate before a burning corpse. It was his introduction to the Aghora sect of the Hindu religion.

Some members, he learned, practiced cannibalism to gain magical powers. Yon was hooked when he heard Aghoris speak of a member from Houston. Born Gary Stevenson, the man went by the Aghori name Kapal Nath.

India, Yon was not the first to notice, is a destination for seekers. But this was something else.

``Like the skeletal remains of the Vietnam War, all these Americans and Europeans who went there seeking enlightenment or running from the draft have gone off the deep end and never come back,'' Yon said. ``India's market is spirituality.''

On Sept. 5, 2002, while Yon stood on the shores of the Ganges River, upriver from Rishikesh, an Israeli tourist, Ori Yelinek, fell off an inner tube and drowned.

An Israeli team sent to recover the body finally pulled a Caucasian from the river, though it was not Yelinek. As the recovery team and Yon watched, an Aghori walked to the bloated body on the shore, placed a coin on the man's exposed liver, pulled off a piece of the corpse and ate it.
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