Zooming to Heaven
On the banks of the River
Cauvery in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, an 80-year-old white-haired Englishman, dressed in the orange robes of a sannyasi, presides over a unique ashram. His name is
Bede Griffiths. A Benedictine monk and former friend of C. S. Lewis , he is now the friend of drug addicts, drop-outs and all those in search of the divine. He is revered by some local people as a holy teacher and by others as a god. He has also been accused of dangerous religious and cultural compromise. Bernard Jackson visited him to find out whether it is really possible for anyone to be both a Christian guru and a Hindu saint.
Producer FRANCES GUMLEY