Sai Slurs, Part Three

Sai Slurs / Part One / Part Two / Part Three / Part Four / Part Five / Part Six / Part Seven / Part Eight /

Part Nine

 

 

Posted: Monday October 6, 2003

 

Author: Barry Pittard

 

Email: bpittard@beachaccess.com.au

 

Note:   This series responds to common Sai Slurs that issue from Sai devotees in what I - ironically of course - think of as their Sai Love Mail. 

 

Whatever Baba may do in private, he has done an immense amount of good in the wider society.

 

Let all people be praised for whatever good they do, but accountable for the bad. Actually, though, it is his devotees who come up with and implement so many of the ideas that are forever attributed to Sathya Sai Baba.

 

But are he and his accomplices above the law? Clearly, the World Convener of his organisation, Indulal Shah, thinks so. Questioned by the press concerning the June 6, 1993 police killings - where the evidence overwhelmingly shows that Sai Baba stood by, having all the time and the absolute authority to act, but did nothing to stop the slayings - Indulal Shah is reported as saying, “the matter is purely internal and we do not wish to have any law enforcement agency investigating into it.” (The Hindu, June 10, 1993).

 

As one of a group involved in getting UNESCO (Paris) to investigate various allegations against Sathya Sai Baba, I know that UNESCO, in a timely way, notified his apex leadership of its Media Advisory and cancellation, along with the University of Flinders, Adelaide, Australia, of its participation in the September 2001 education conference at Puttaparthi. Yet the organisers did nothing to inform the conference of this momentous fact. Moreover, UNESCO also had to threaten the Times of India with an official complaint to the Press Trust of India, because that newspaper first published the UNESCO Media Advisory in a highly censored version. A very senior Times of India staff member told me privately that Sathya Sai Baba and his people hold such sway in India that it is very difficult to come out against him. I may mention in passing that P.N. Bhagawati, former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India, a key figure on the Sathya Sai Central Trust (India) is also on the Board of Directors of The Times of India. In a joint public letter, it is he along with the Prime Minister of India, A.B. Vajpayee, and another former Chief Justice of India, Ranganath Mishra, who has said that our contentions represent "wild, reckless and concocted allegations made by certain vested interests and people against Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba." See: http://www.saiguru.net/english/news/020927openletter.htm. More Sai Slurs upon former devotee dissenters by whited sepulchres who are in fact shameless men!

 

Our submissions involved several months of intense activity, until UNESCO and the Vice-Chancellor of Flinders University heeded our many and rigorously detailed submissions, including sworn affidavits. UNESCO also checked with the French Government and the French National Police (the Sureté). Yet, at the Seventh World Conference, November 2000, Indulal Shah said in his inaugural address, "let me share with you that US magazine Week has chosen to give respect to the UNESCO conference held in Prashanthi Nilayam highlighting the message of Bhagawan on 'Values for All.'" (See official 'Materials of the 7th World Conference of the Sai Organization'). 

 

Clearly, Puttaparthi is a medieval fiefdom, ruled over by its despotic feudal Lord Sai Baba, and his shameless barons such as Indulal Shah, impervious to the forces of the law.