The Brahma Kumaris are a spiritual movement that originated in Hyderabad, Sindh, during the 1930s. The Brahma Kumaris (, "Daughters of Brahma") movement was founded by Lekhraj Kripalani. The organisation is known for the prominent role that women play in the movement. It teaches a type of meditation that emphasizes identity as souls rather than bodies. They think that all souls are good by nature and that God is the source of all goodness. The organisation teaches to transcend labels associated with the body, such as race, nationality, religion, and gender, and it aspires to establish a global culture based on what it calls "soul-consciousness". In 2008, the movement claimed to have more than 825,000 regular students, with over 8500 centres in 100 countries. Early history The Brahma Kumaris, originally called Om Mandali, started in Hyderabad, Sindh in north-west India (present-day Pakistan) It received this name because members would chant "Om" together, before having discourse on spiritual matters in the traditional satsang style. The original discourses were closely connected to the Bhagavad Gita. The founder, Lekhraj Khubchand Kirpilani (who became known in the group as "Om Baba") was a wealthy jeweler. He reported what he said were a series of visions and other transcendental experiences that commenced around 1935 and became the basis for the discourses. He said he believed there was a greater power working through him and that many of those who attended these gatherings were themselves having spiritual experiences. The majority of those who came were women and children from the Bhaibund caste - a caste of wealthy merchants and business people whose husbands and fathers were often overseas on business. After about three years of meetings it became clear that Om Mandali was giving very special importance to the role of women, and was not adhering to the caste system. The group had named a 22-year-old woman, Radhe Pokardas Rajwani (then known as "Om Radhe") as its president, and her management committee was made up of eight other women. People from any caste were allowed to attend meetings. The group also advocated that young women had the right to elect not to marry and that married women had the right to choose a celibate life. In tradition-bound patriarchal India, these personal life decisions were the exclusive right of men. A committee headed by a number of important male members of the Bhaibund community began to form