I do not want to suggest that Dr Chopra is a charlatan, let alone accuse (though I cannot be so sure about others who fall under the New Age-Complementary banner), but in our age of fascination with celebrity, wealth, and luxury, and in our consumer society of countless facile choices, I do not think it is wild to say that the self-delusional, like the poor, are still with us.

Dr Chopra and some of his fellow travelers have fallen headlong into a ready-made market that justifies wealth without responsibility, health without conscience, and a spirituality that condones our excesses and assures us we are basically fine as we are. What they prescribe is a little meditation, a workshop or two and some complementary products from the shop - all with the patronage of those who can afford to indulge such illusions, and some who have a vested interest in keeping such illusions alive.

Hence the cynical whispers. Hence the past life scepticism. Hence the devil whispering in my ear.

I, for one, still believe fairness and equality in society are things we must work and strive for. In my way, I do believe in karma - that is, cause and effect. The society we get is the society we are prepared to believe in and the society we are prepared to take responsibility for.