Amma's former personal attendant of 20 years Gail (Gayatri) Tredwell published her autobiography of her life with Amma entitled "Holy Hell: A Memoir of Faith, Devotion and Pure Madness" in October 2013.
This book has sent shockwaves around the Amma community as Tredwell reveals what REALLY went on behind closed doors. She reveals:
- Told to lie about "miracles" which Amma is supposed to have performed.
- Told to lie about Amma's bodily functions and cover up the fact that she was a normal woman who menstruated. This was one of the core myths connected to her "purity".
- Witnessed Amma conducting ceremonies in temples and giving darshan during her menses which is totally against Hindu belief systems.
- Delivered bags of gold and cash in secret to Amma's family.
- Witnessed Amma having sex with her most senior Swami Amritasvarupananda (Balu) – her biographer, speech writer and official spokesperson. This man had been her lover for years and possibly even before she became famous.
- Witnessed evidence of Amma's sexual relationships with other men in the ashram.
- Was herself sexually abused by Amma's most senior Swami Balu.
- Witnessed Amma having frequent and uncontrollable temper tantrums when she was "off stage".
- Was hit, kicked, scratched and had her hair pulled by Amma during these temper tantrums.
- Witnessed Amma inflicting violence on others.
- Accompanied Amma to the homes of the leaders of extremist Hindu fundamentalist political organisations connected to the paramilitary Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
We will be publishing excerpts from this book with page references.
Meanwhile you can purchase it yourself from Amazon.com