Raaz Pichhle Janam Ka (NDTV Imagine)

Raaz Pichhle Janam Ka
Genre	Reality
Country of origin	India
Language(s)	Hindi
Production
Running time	58 minutes per episode
Broadcast
Original channel	NDTV Imagine
Picture format	576i (SDTV),
Original run	December 7, 2009 – January 15, 2010 (Season 1) [1]
External links
Website

Raaz Pichhle Janam Ka (Hindi: राज़ पिछले जनम का, "Past Life Secrets") is an Indian reality television series based on the technique of past life regression. The NDTV Imagine show is hosted by actor Ravi Kishan, while the past life regression sessions are conducted by Mumbai-based psychologist Dr Trupti Jayin.^[2][3][4]. The first season started on December 7, 2009, was planned for a 20-episode run from Monday to Friday, 9.30 pm, by Ideas Box Entertainment, got an extension of 20 episodes, and ended on January 15, 2010, while Second season started on October 23, 2010, with actor, Chunky Pandey as guest.^[1]

Participants include a mixture of invited celebrities and ordinary people selected through a phone-in process. Celebrity participants have included Shekhar Suman, Monica Bedi, Celina Jaitley, Payal Rohatgi and Manvendra Singh Gohil.

Concept

The show opens with the guest explaining a particular problem, usually a fear he or she is facing and wishes to find a solution or insight into. Thereafter they are taken through an extended past life regression session, edited for television.

The procedure as explained by show's therapist, Dr. Tripti Jain, the patient are first taken into in a state of progressive relaxation, followed by an alpha-theta meditation through the visualisation of light and then supposedly 'taken back' into the past to know the reason for things that trouble them in this birth. Some of the events are dramatized as the participant narrates certain incidents, and in the end talks about the experience.^[2][5]

About past-life regression

It uses conscious meditative technique to recover memories of our past lives. It helps address fears, phobias and even physical ailments in our present day lives by finding their roots in our previous lives....

Recalled information

Many of the participants have supposedly recalled information from the past. The best example is that of Swati Singh (Episode-1 participant) who correctly recalled information about the 1966 Air India flight 101 crash incident (24 January 1966), in which she claimed that she was an Indian sailor named Singh, and in this flight the eminent Indian physicist Dr. Homi J. Bhabha had also died.^[6]

Views of medical-community

A number of clinical psychiatrists have said that such ‘memories’ of a past life may only be the projected imagination of an individual. However, some others believe that the concept needs further research. “I do not practice it but I do not agree that past-life regression should be dismissed altogether. I believe that this concept needs to be thoroughly researched,” says Dr Divay Mangla, a psychiatrist practising in Yamuna Nagar, India.^[7]

Controversies

Some people and organizations have raised doubts over the credibility and reality of the show.^[8] Much of the past-life regression process is also not shown on television, so it can't be confirmed whether the process is real or not. No explanation has been given by NDTV Imagine in this regard.

Statutory notice

Bharat Jan Vigyan Jathan, an independent Indian organisation, has got issued a statutory notice by the Punjab and Haryana High Court to NDTV Imagine TV Channel (a copy of which was also issued to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry of India^[9][10]) for allegedly spreading superstition through Raaz Pichhle Janam Ka. It also asked the channel for a public debate in the presence of experts and scientists and prove its credence scientifically.^[11][12]

The case is currently pending in the courts, and no mandate has yet been given.

Season 1

Episodes

The first series of Raaz Pichhle Janam Ka began on 7 December 2009 and ended on 15 January 2010. Episodes were aired on NDTV Imagine nightly from Monday to Friday at 9:30pm. It was originally planned to have 20 episodes but this was extended to 40. The season finale revisited the participants post their experience on the show and explored the impact the show had made on their lives. ^[13]

The makers of the show, The Ideas Box Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. are said to be planning the second season of the show which is again planned to have 20 episodes.^[14]

Celebrity Participants

• Shekhar Suman, met his dead son
• Celina Jaitley, saw herself as a German soldier fighting and dying in action in World War 2 in her first past life regression and as a happily married woman from the US in her second past life regression.
• Monica Bedi, saw herself as a Portuguese woman, a self sacrificing mother of three kids who watches helplessly as her ex-husband dies in a car accident^[15][16].
• Manvendra Singh Gohil (Prince of Rajpipla and gay rights activist), saw himself as a poor farmer, and in a tragic accident while crossing a river, he lost his son. Manvendra’s wife gets extremely disturbed at the loss of their son and this strongly affects their married life.
• Sambhavana Seth, saw herself as a Muslim woman, whose uncle had killed her after molesting her.
• Ravi Kishan (host of the show), saw himself as a ‘Naga Sadhu’ in Manali, Himachal Pradesh during the 1890’s and tried to obtain moksha but failed; as certain circumstances that led him to commit not one, but three murders in his past life thereby altering his life forever.^[17]
• Eva Grover (Famous TV Star and ex-wife of actor Haider who happens to be Aamir Khan's step brother).

Raaz Pichhle Janam Ka (Season 2)

Raaz Pichhle Janam Ka (Season 2) started on October 23, 2010, with same host Ravi Kishen and clinical psychologist-analyst Dr. Trupti Jayin, in an initial run of 20-episode of once a week broadcast on Saturdays at 9.00 pm. The shooting started around August 1, 2010 at a studio in Trombay.^[1], and first guest was actor Chunky Pandey, other guests would include Mahima Chaudhary and Shakti Kapoor. ^[18]

See also

• Reincarnation
• Moksha
• Past life regression

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} "Raaz Pichhle Janam Ka is back". Hindustan Times. July 25, 2010. http://www.hindustantimes.com/Raaz-Pichhle-Janam-Ka-is-back/Article1-577382.aspx. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "Want to know your past?". The Times of India. 4 December 2009. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tv-/Wat-to-know-your-past/articleshow/5296197.cms. 
3. ^ "Raaz Pichley Janam Ka to peep into celebs' past". India Today. November 25, 2009. http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/72285/Cinema/Raaz+Pichley+Janam+Ka+to+peep+into+celebs%C3%A2%E2%82%AC%E2%84%A2+past.html. 
4. ^ "Want to know about past life?". Hindustan Times. November 21, 2009. http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/smallscreen/Want-to-know-about-past-life/Article1-478786.aspx. 
5. ^ "1966 Air India crash victim reborn". The Times of India. 6 December 2010. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tv-/1966-Air-India-crash-victim-reborn-/articleshow/5307313.cms. 
6. ^ http://www.samaylive.com/news/1966-air-india-crash-victim-born-as-swati-singh/669995.html
7. ^ http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/raaz-pichhle...-creates-stir-but-psychiatrists-stay-away-it-has-no-scientific-basis/569118/
8. ^ http://informationmadness.com/cms/entertainment/television/1975-reasons-to-believe-that-raaz-pichle-janam-ka-is-fake.html
9. ^ http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k9/dec/dec251.php
10. ^ http://www.ptinews.com/news/436491_HC-notice-to-I-B-Ministry-over-TV-serial
11. ^ http://www.newkerala.com/news/fullnews-13178.html
12. ^ http://www.mynews.in/News/%E2%80%98Raaz_Picchle_Janam_Ka%E2%80%99_issued_notice_for_spreading_%27superstition%27_N33037.html
13. ^ http://www.facebook.com/RaazPichhleJanamKa
14. ^ http://www.tellychakkar.com/news/raaz-picchle-janam-ka-begin-shooting-its-second-season-soon
15. ^ "Meet Monica’s ex-husband!". The Times of India. 14 December 2009. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tv-/Meet-Monicas-ex-husband/articleshow/5333147.cms. 
16. ^ Shows NDTV Imagine website.
17. ^ http://entertainment.oneindia.in/television/top-stories/news/2010/ravi-kishan-raaz-040110.html
18. ^ "Raaz Pichle Janam Ka returns with more glamour". Indian Express. Sep 29 2010. http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Raaz-Pichle-Janam-Ka-returns-with-more-glamour/690016. 

External links

• Raaz Pichhle Janam Ka, Official site
• Raaz Pichhle Janam Ka Blog

Video link

• Raaz Pichhle Janam Ka Videos