New Delhi:

Spiritual orator Jaya Kishori has addressed the controversy stirred by her recent public appearance with a custom Dior bag valued at over Rs 2 lakh. The 29-year-old preacher was seen carrying the custom Dior “Book Tote” at an airport. Ms Kishori’s photo soon went viral with followers and critics alike questioning her. 

Responding to these critiques, Ms Kishori said, “I am a normal girl, I live in a normal house, I live with my family… I tell the same thing to the youth that you should work hard, earn money, give yourself a good life, give your family a good life, and fulfil your dreams.” 

She claimed that her Dior “Book Tote”, though highly valued, is a customised item, explicitly made without any leather.

“The bag is a customised bag. There is no leather in it and customised means that you can get it made as per your wish. That is why my name is also written on it. I have never used leather, nor will I ever use it. Those who have come to my ‘Katha’ know very well that I never say that everything is ‘moh maya’, don’t earn money or renounce everything,” she said. 

After her photos went viral, her followers questioned her credibility as a spiritual preacher who espouses detachment from material wealth. One user on X posted, “Spiritual preacher Jaya Kishori deleted her video where she was carrying a Dior bag worth Rs 2,10,000. By the way, she preaches non-materialism and calls herself a devotee of Lord Krishna.”

Responding to the barrage of posts criticising her, Ms Kishori said,  “I have not renounced anything, so how can I tell you to do so? I am clear from day one that I am not a saint, sadhu or sadhvi.”

Ms Kishori has a massive following on social media. The spiritual singer and preacher enjoys over 12.3 million followers on Instagram alone.