When it comes to phenomenally successful people, there is always a turning point that put them on a prosperity cycle. In this rare category of people, few would trace their life-changing moment to the epiphany they had when they were on the brink of suicide.
Kilari Anand Paul, popularly known as Dr K A Paul, belongs to this ilk. In a freewheeling interview with Naveena Ghanate, he shares what he calls his accursed childhood, trysts and trials with multiple faiths, lowest point in life, and how he evolved himself as a global messenger of peace while navigating politics within the country and abroad.
Born Hindu, will die Hindu
I was born in Chittivalasa town of Vishakapatnam district. My father Barnabas had extreme anxiety and tension which was incurable. When I was two and a half years old, he took me to Tirupati as I was named Srinivas, after Lord Venkateshwara Swamy and his name was Venkateshwara. But his anxiety problem could not be cured, despite his faith and visits to temples. Being a pharmacist, he used to take pills but with no luck. Once, his co-pharmacist Charles suggested that he should ‘go to Jesus’. My father needed healing.
When he had an encounter with Jesus in a healing session, he had a vision in which he saw his life, with all his bad habits, play out before him like movie. Physically he was healed from that day. Interestingly, my family has RSS background. My grandmother is from RSS; my uncle, who is Principal of Krishna College, is with RSS. I never thought of adopting Christianity as I had been ‘anti-conversion’ from early years. Rituals are man-made and I don’t follow Hindu or Christian rituals. I don’t go to church unless I am speaking at a rally; nor do I go to a temple or a mosque. I believe in God’s power, and I believe in Jesus who was not Hindu, Muslim, or even Christian. Jesus was born into Judaism. In Matthew 7, Jesus said don’t convert.
Child labour from 6-16
My parents had five children, of which two died soon after birth. Now two of us are alive. My sister Krupa, who is two years older than me, is a housewife. Her husband Yesupadam is a Minister and International Coordinator who has travelled to 108 countries to organise peace rallies. I was a naughty child, though I had to struggle as a labourer from the tender age of six years until I turned 16.
At the Chittivalsa Jute Mills, a big truck used to dump coal, iron rods and pressurised iron. I used to collect those pieces and earn money. My father used to earn some Rs 300 per day, and much of it used to go for the ministry and church. With a little bit of my own income, I used to take care of our family. Apart from working, I used to go with my father to the ministry. It was extreme poverty for us.
Accursed child
My father was born near Vizianagaram Saripalli, where like us all are Kapus. When I used to go to the village once a year during Sankranthi, everyone used to gesticulate and put me down often. When I asked my mother about what they were communicating with their hands, my mom told me that they were calling me accursed, since after I was born my father became a follower of Christianity. They linked his apostasy to my birth. I failed in 10th class examination. Thereafter, my father took me to Chittivalasa Jute Mills, where chief Roberts looked at my height and qualification and declared that I was not fit for any job since I then did not have even basic training in anything.
Suicide bid and the grand vision
After struggling as an accursed child, having failed tenth class, I could not get a job, I was a total failure in life. At that low point in life, the RSS uncle of mine taunted me: “Where is your Jesus now?… “You are a failure. Look at my children; one is a doctor and the other one is an engineer”. I am a very emotional guy. I cried and agreed that I had failed. I was then on the brink of committing suicide. I had shut my doors and for 5.5 hours I planned how to die. Faith opened a window, and I started praying to Jesus. For, if you commit suicide, you will go to hell. With my heart broken to pieces, I could not take things any longer. Then I had a vision in which I saw lakhs of people walking and falling in hell.
I was standing there and trying to push back people. I could not stop people from falling into hell. Then I heard a voice: “My son, I have called you to save them; don’t commit suicide, preach that I came, and I died on the cross of Calvary for humanity”. That’s it and I share this most important testimony with everyone as millions are committing suicide every day: farmers, students, lovers, and some of them for stupid reasons.
While preaching, I urge people not to end life as death is not a solution. I speak from my heart with tears. That’s why I have 100 crore followers. I wrote in the book in 1994 that I was taken into the Spirit when I was just about to die.
Second vision
I started talking about life and values and then I passed tenth grade, studied Intermediate and went to college in Anakapalle for the first year and the second year. After 16 years, I started my business of selling rosewood and teakwood from Visakhapatnam Narsipatnam jungles to Chennai and Vijayawada. Then I expanded to include furniture, jackfruit and maize businesses. I got the second vision atop a mountain in Bheemunipatnam. I was asked: “My son, what did I call you to do? To preach humanity and save people from suicide. And, what are you doing? Business and education?”
I later fasted and prayed, along with my father, for two days. Later, I went to the state of Odisha to preach the gospel and save humanity. My father tried to prevent me from going to Odisha, but I told him he cannot stop me. I prayed for eight hours a day.
1million dollar for selfie
I went to Odisha to preach peace and help humanity for the first time. I would have become legally one of the billionaires of America, but God had other plans. I started my humanitarian work in Hyderabad in 1981. I built the world’s largest charity city in Sangareddy. I became the highest paid speaker. Billionaires hosted me for 1 billion dollars for selfies and pictures and 5 billion dollars for speeches. The media compared me with Jimmy Carter, Billy Graham, and Martin Luther King Jr. I was busy with peace talks. I conducted 2,200 peace rallies in 155 countries officially.
Mother Teresa
I rescued 40 lakh widows and took care of them. Under my wings, 3.10 lakh orphans were educated. My goal in 2000-2001 was to build 120 charity cities, each with 10 million kids, as 1 crore kids were on streets then. I am a visionary. I had a sweet fight with Mother Teresa about this. You are so famous Mama, why do serve 20-30 people children home.
Use your influence. She went to one important meeting with Bill Clinton for prayer breakfast. I asked her to use her name and get billions of dollars and feed the poor. Why do you have to be poor. I learnt great things from her: simplicity, honesty, integrity, credibility, and humility.
Boeing 747 for peace
I own a Boeing 747 which no private individual has. How I got it is important. The CEO of a 200 million dollar company heard my speech on stopping wars in 2002 in Iraq, where 14 US Governors and 58 billionaires attended. He asked me what I wanted, and I said, ‘I want the fastest aircraft ever built in this country’.
They donated an airplane without me giving a penny, but they got tax exemption. Boeing donated 3 million dollars to convert this into VIP. If American President was going around the world in 747 creating wars, as Global Peace President, with 120 global peace ambassadors, including Parshottam Rupalaji now minister, Deve Gowda former PM, 17 Members of Parliament and present Law Minister Kiren Rijiju have travelled in this plane. Before war breaks out, there should be peace; that’s why we need to have the fastest one. Peace should go first. The plane is parked in Tijuana. The US cancelled flying licence because I had been to seven countries to stop their wars.
When I lost my brother, I lost everything
My eldest brother David Raju was killed on January 30,2010 while I was in the US and the culprits were caught. Except for one, everyone was arrested. My brother was everything to me. David Raju was a great administrator. Politicians like Chandrababu Naidu used to tell officials to go learn from David Raju. David’s peace rallies were attended by lakhs of people. Even Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray and the likes of Sushil Kumar Shinde supported him. I don’t know them personally; they are big people and my brother used to handle everything for me. I would give only 2-3 minutes’ time to anyone and not interact.
My brother used to say one of the big mistakes I made was not to interact with the media. I could not do anything for three months after his death.Then Lord showed me my brother when I was in a summit in Nigeria. He was taller, angelic.I was beating up with my pillow and crying. When I lost my brother, I lost everything. His death affected our India organisation. I don’t own a property nor do any of my immediate family members.
World’s highest paid speaker
2022 was one of the most successful years as I negotiated peace between Ukraine and Russia. In 2022, I did three-week hunger strike over Russian occupation of Ukraine. Biden has been my buddy since 1991. I spoke to Biden and Putin and the Ukraine President. In 1994, Ukraine said it will give up military ambitions, Russia wouldn’t occupy Ukraine and the US had agreed to it. Peace is everything. I am there to defend people. It sounds too good to believe about stopping a war, but it is too good to believe for anybody to have Boeing 747 and 20 lakh people in a meeting. I had 220 rallies, 54 presidents in my Nigeria rally, 36 in Sudan, 39 in South Africa,52 in US and 44 in India. Presidents come and go. You think they are big for me? They are small. People are big for me.
Ambitions
I always wanted to do politics. In 1981, I was college vice chairman in Narsipatnam, I got 94% votes. I studied Political Science for my degree. I was a political, spiritual, economic advisor to 154 countries. Media projected me as evangelist and humanitarian. In the next five years, I want to be Prime Minister of India while my immediate goal is to be Chief Minister. In 2019, I did not have much time to contest properly; I had even made mistakes. I have been quite serious about politics for three years now.
I have not preached in the last three years. No gospel preachings. No more preacher. No more evangelist or Christmas celebrations. I only bless now. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was RSS preacher-turned politician; became CM and then PM. I was the most popular evangelist in 2004, going by the accounts of world media. I want to be PM because India is a powerful economy in the wrong hands. I can double the economy in three years. I am a proud Indian. Without me, there is no salvation for the country.
I don’t read about trolls
Three political families CBN, YSJ and KCR have hired IT cells to troll and mock me. But it does not affect me. My good friend Bill Clinton once said: “Dr Paul I don’t read, I don’t care. If you read the negative things that people are doing you, you will never do good things. So, I don’t read”. There is a vacuum in politics which is coming to my side.
Kejriwal came to me. People are rejecting the current politicians. KCR did not keep his commitments and there is rejection of BRS. I criticize Modiji every day. I registered Praja Shanti Party in 2008. In 2019 I did not know what I was doing except flying kisses. I took myself seriously and I am learning. I am the only solution to this country’. I am criticizing Modi and KCR. In the past, KCR asked Rs 10 crore, but I gave Rs 15crore. I wrote books ‘Save India from Modi, 41 reasons why KA Paul should be PM’.
Choice of Dalit girl
My father selected 19 Kapu girls, though he had faced enough hell from the community. My brother and sister married Kapus. But I put three conditions for him to select my wife: she has to be a Dalit, poorest of the poor, and a spiritual woman. My wife Mary was born in extreme poverty to a postman with eight children. We paid Rs 2,000 in 1986 for them to travel from Hirakhud in Odisha to Narsipatnam. It was a church wedding. They were born into Christianity decades ago. At 23, I got married — on June14, 1986.The conditions were to show the world that we have to work above casteism. I have three children.
They are all Americans, and they have no castes. My daughters are Grace, Peace and son, John Paul. Jyothi is my daughter-in -law. Grace married a black American and Peace married a white American. Grace has three children. Peace is a professor at a university.
My wife and children are not into politics. My wife barely survived Covid. For 68 days she was in ICU IMU. My family is aware that politics in India is dangerous. MLK was killed at age 38, but he once said: “If you can’t find a reason to die, you don’t have to live.
Fav – color- white
Fav song – Yesuchavande silavalo nikoraku manakoraku
Fav food – fish curry and Punjabi dal tadka
Holiday- never took holiday
Weird habit – scratching my head in deep thinking
Sports – I love to play badminton
Happiest moment – When I comfort someone in tears when they are in deep distress
Sad moment – when people commit suicide
Political heroes – Gandhi and Ambedkar
