Shekhar Kallianpur: A Hindu's New Life
PIT BEFORE PALACE
Pastor Shekhar Kallianpur was born into a staunch Hindi Saraswat Brahmin (the highest of the four major caste of traditional Indian society) family. His father, a Hindu high priest, was a renowned astrologer and his grandfather was a numerologist.
Like many of his family members, growing up Shekhar believed that salvation could only be attained through the rebirth of one’s soul in a new body. Yet he longed for a deeper understanding of this belief.
“Just the thought of coming back as a fruit or an animal, after all the weary religious activities, got me thinking whether there was any truth in all this. And if there was, I wanted to know it,” shares Shekhar.
In his teenage years, Shekhar struggled with living a life of hypocrisy, and he began to look for love in all the wrong places.
“I became open to all religions; I went to mosques, churches, and temples. I would walk bare foot in the streets to follow gods, men, and people who said they were gods. I did whatever possible to find someone to set me free from sin,” he says.
Not long after experiencing the different religions and having no luck, Shekhar’s search for help soon came to an end.
One day a friend gave him a Bible and things began to change for the better. Around 3 a.m. one morning, Shekhar picked up the Bible and began to read it. He started at , “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him would not perish but have everlasting life.”
“God was loving and merciful. He loves all of us,” says Shekhar. “That night I gave my heart to Jesus. I knew for sure Jesus died for my sins as a Hindu. Because of Him, my heart has changed. I’m a better husband, father, and a better man of God.”
NEW BEGINNINGS
Since accepting Jesus Christ in 1979 at 17 years old, Pastor Shekhar is surely a new creature in Christ Jesus. He is married to Lavina and they have two children, Anushka and Anugrah. Shekhar is a senior pastor at New Life Fellowship Mumbai and the national convenor of Pastor Benny Hinn Crusades in India. He has hosted many television programs including CBN’s English language Solutions programs that air on national and international television networks.
PERSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS IN INDIA
Through his ministries, Shekhar is touching many lives and changing the world for the glory of Jesus of Christ. He has a passion for India and a desire to see the persecution of Christians in Indian come to an end.
Shekhar believes that Christians are persecuted in India because the “poor” [in India] are accepting Jesus Christ into their hearts, and the “rich” are losing their slaves, and their authority. He also believes the persecution of Christians in India is due to a lack of wisdom in many Christians.
“God did not come to create religion, but to love the world and preach the Gospel. Christians lack wisdom when trying to convert. We need to respect each others differences and show the love of God. The power of love is so powerful,” says Shekhar.
