It is hard with complete confidence to say how affairs now stand with the Advaita in India, but judging from information coming from there, the grief there is exactly the same there as it is in all the rest of the world. The so-called neo-Advaita is now spread in it, which significantly differs from the original Advaita-Vedantas. The majority of modern teachers of neo-Advaita directly or indirectly trace their origin from Ramana Maharshi and try to imitate his methods of interaction with people. The problem is only that Ramana was never a real Advaita, although most often he did speak with people in the language of the Advaita.
Ramana achieved a higher state without studying scriptures and without targeted practices of jnana-yoga – simply by the Grace of God. He had not intended to become a teacher; rather, he was forced into this, and I really like reading, as the later teachers of the new Advaita describe in every corner, that they did not want to teach anyone, but people came, and therefore they apparently had to teach. Maharshi became the object of subtle imitation, at times even not aware of those who imitated him. The majority of them wanted to repeat the miracle of a person’s awareness of his higher “I,” which, judging from the recollections, at time occurred with Maharshi’s followers in his presence. Therefore, at their meetings, they strive to direct a person’s attention to himself, to what is here and now, and everyone would like it if he would begin to laugh madly and announce that he finally understood everything. For some reason, it is laughter that the neo-Advaitists consider the chief proof of a person’s attainment of his true nature. Therefore, the most capable of them laugh often and a lot, and those whose actor’s talents are developed somewhat less simply smile to the extent of their powers. Laughter during enlightenment or insight is the usual cliché, a kind of stereotypical image, but not very accurate, albeit understandable and visible. Papaji would distribute a video with the insane laughter that overtook people whom he had seemingly lead to an awareness of “I,” but the reality of all this is not worth much.
In any event, all the new teachers look over their shoulders at Ramana, trying to act in the same vein. But the problem is that Maharshi himself in fact did not act, but swam with the current, which brought him to Advaita.