Sai Slurs, Part One

Posted: Tuesday, September 23, 2003

Author: Barry Pittard

Email: bpittard@beachaccess.com.au

(Revenge is your motive - you followed Sai Baba for x years, and feel terribly let down - not by him, but by your limited perception of him.)

Exposé activists persist because of conscience. Many former devotees, and a few others who come from other backgrounds, have made real sacrifices - despite all the Sai Slurs. It is a wonderful fact that, except for two or three vicious ones, who many hundreds of us refuse to associate with, former devotees do not attack back in like kind. We do not slur. We present evidence, and of a seriousness that is respected by our national governments, law enforcement agencies and non-sensationalist, responsible media.

My Response: This is a bold-faced lie. Anti-SSB Activists do slur. Not only do Anti-Sai Activists slur, they also disperse propaganda on forums and other sites, not caring for the accuracy of what they write. Click Here to view very disturbing facts about Reinier Van Der Sandt (an Anti-Sai Activist), with whom Barry Pittard personally associates. Click Here to view my page that lists Pittard's slurs and exaggerations. Mr. Pittard claimed that "hundreds of sexual molestation allegations" have been made against SSB. If there are hundreds (plural, denoting two hundred or more), why is it that Anti-SSB Sites list only 15 (out of these, only 7 use real, full names)? Barry Pittard also claimed that there were "well over a hundred sworn affidavits alleging sexual molestations of young males has been lodged with FBI". Not even one other Anti-SSB Activist makes this claim. Not even one. Hari Sampath, Robert Priddy and several others make mention to "20 affidavits" and "scores" of affidavits. Yet no other person has claimed there are "over a hundred" affidavits. Where did Barry Pittard get this information from? Neither Barry Pittard, nor anyone else for that matter, has ever seen these alleged documents. That's why no one can get the facts right.

For example, Hari Sampath and Robert Priddy claimed, for years, that Ojvind Kyro (a biased jounalist, in my opinion) had 20 affidavits. Recently, Ojvind Kyro is now willing to verify that he has 10 (half of the alleged documents disappeared). Mr.Kyro is not willing to discuss even basic information about these alleged documents. More cult-like secrecy from Anti-SSB Activists. Click Here to view my affidavits page and see these unsubstantiated claims for yourself.

Perhaps Barry Pittard would care to divulge his sources for "hundreds of sexual molestation allegations" (home.hetnet.nl/~ex-baba/ engels/letters/barrynytimes.html) and there being "well over a hundred sworn affidavits" (http://us.altnews.com.au/nuke/article.php?sid=5356)? This is the "evidence" that Barry Pittard said he presented to governments, law enforcement agencies and to the media. Consequently, all of these governments, law enforcement agencies and media have been misled with unsupported information.

Some former devotees court personal risk to life and limb in this exposure work, because in any large organisation there are hotheads and 'nutters' ready to take the law into their own hands.

My Response: I have taken the same personal risk and it is undeniable that there are many Anti-SSB Activist "nutters" who are ready to take the law into their own hands. I even received an email death threat.

Likely, revenge lies to the other side. Let me note a personal experience - the case of T. Ramanathan, the Sathya Sai Organisation head in Australia. Revenge in this case, surely, for Exposé activities that have put leading Australian universities, and institutions such as the Katoomba Christian Convention Centre and other religious organisations such as mainstream Churches and Hindu organisations, on guard against his organisation. The moment the University of Adelaide heeded my submissions and cancelled the Sai National Conference 2003, T. Ramanathan, with perilous disregard for an individual's and his family's safety, published on the Australian website a very private address of mine, from which I have now moved, as I may have to continue to do unless he and his organisation (if he ever consulted it) stop their harassment. This was posted along with untrue allegations which even his own membership would have to refute, unless ready to perjure themselves.

My Response: This is amusing. Barry Pittard accuses T. Ramanathan of "harassment"! If T. Ramanathan is telling the truth (and according to Pittard's own confessions about his Anti-Sai acitivity, Ramanathan is telling the truth), it is very much the other way around! Ramanathan said (about Barry), "You are going around ringing up everybody." "You are phoning everybody." "You are hurting people." "You are harrassing and intimidating." Mr. Pittard denied Ramanathan's claim of harassment, yet Mr. Pittard has divulged his Anti-Sai activity, that confirms Ramanthan's accusations are valid. Mr. Pittard said, "This letter is going to all parliamentarians in Australia, State and Federal, and copied to major media, and to many citizens of Hindu, Islamic, Buddhist, Sikh, Parsee, Christian and other faiths and of none who have expressed interest - including many victims and families. It is also being copied to other parliaments, both upper and lower houses, in various countries - initially, India, New Zealand, Fiji, the UK and Canada… A follow up step will be to send to thousands of parliamentarians and other authorities round the world a letter containing the signatures of many outstanding persons who wish to see Sathya Sai Baba and his accomplices made accountable. Below is a letter to all Members of the Indian parliament, the Lok Sabha (Lower House) and Raj Sabha (Upper House). Along with it was also copied a letter sent initially to all parliamentarians state, territory and federal in Australia. In short order, a similar letter is being sent to various other parliaments around the world…. In the last few days, thousands of parliamentarians in various countries have been emailed, with many more in other countries to be contacted." Consequently, Mr. Pittard was calling everyone and writing thousands of letters and emails against SSB!

Mr. Pittard admits that the reasons why various places, including Christian Centres, are "on guard" against SSB, are due to "Exposé activities"! Funny enough, Barry Pittard allowed SaiGuru.net and ExBaba.com to copy these civil action notices, thereby advertising the address he wanted to be kept private (turns out the reason for this is because Mr. Pittard keeps changing his address). Recently, Reinier Van Der Sandt and Robert Priddy are demanding that I divulge my full name, phone number and address, or I am not who I say I am. Despite Reinier Van Der Sandt finding out my name, address and phone number, and publicly displaying it on his site, he now demands a photo ID! This shows how seriously disturbed some Anti-SSB Activists are. Don't expect anyone to ask Barry Pittard to divulge his own current address. He does not do so! As a matter of fact, he wants it kept secret! However, since Reinier Van Der Sandt has publicly divulged my address and phone number, I am now divulging addresses and phone numbers to Anti-Sai Activists, to level the playing field. Fair is fair.

(You are a lot of busybodies. Nothing gives you the right to do all this so-called exposing.)

If we will not come to the fore, who will? Who else other than former devotees well familiar with the Sathya Sai Organisation or the so-called 'Sai path' can his victims naturally turn to? Who else knows the boards of the 'Sai theatre' better than those who have walked them intimately? Who else knows the history and the role players? Who else may have rigorously questioned their own direct experiences of the Sathya Sai Baba phenomenon? Or who, with the same motivation, can network more effectively among many large numbers of former devotees worldwide to research, investigate and expose him and his accomplices? Hundreds of boys and young men (and other victims grown older) and their families have had their lives shattered. Thousands of highly influential devotees are going all out to manifest his agenda to save the world before he dies. This fact (often hidden because the corridors of power are hidden) needs to be countered.

Many former devotees of Sathya Sai Baba led many others to come to him. Since we for so long and so fulsomely sang his praises, why should we duck for cover when the truth needs so urgently to be told?

My Response: Once again, Barry Pittard claims that "hundreds (plural, denoting two hundred or more) of boys and young men and their familes have had their lives shattered". There is absolutely no merit to this lie. None. Why does Barry Pittard keep repeating this lie? Where did he get this information from? Where is the proof to back it up? So far, the only "truth" that needs to be told, is the truth in relation to Barry Pittards lies and exaggerations.

Who are the "thousands of highly influential devotees" who are advocating for SSB? What are their names? Where are they from? If it is a "fact", there should be objective data. Where is it? Doesn't it seem strange that Barry Pittard feels it is his duty to raise all these questions about SSB, yet fails to give answers to my questions? Unfortunately for Barry Pittard, this is not a one way street (although I am sure he would it to be).

(You don't have a leg to stand on. You'll soon be history - pouf! You're hardly more than a one-man band.)

As I see it, through my extensive international networking, the many former devotee efforts of which I have become aware - relentless efforts that keep increasing manifold - are directed to achieving one, another or all of these objectives:

* To expose the well-documented evidence of Sathya Sai Baba's large-scale, serial sexual molestation of boys and young men;

My Response: Everyone is still waiting for the "well documented" information to be released to the general public.

To protect young males so that still more will not fall into the hands of a person whose cause we worked so hard for in the constant thought that he represented everything that was fine and noble;

My Response: What productive efforts are being made to protect young males? Propaganda is not protection. It actually does more harm than good. If Anti-SSB Activists want to protect young males from SSB, they should find at least one person who has a solid case of alleged sexual abuse and buy him a ticket to India and hire a lawyer and file a court case against SSB. The fact that no one has filed a court case is sufficient to say that the evidence is lacking.

To expose a range of massive false claims and subtle ploys by Sathya Sai Baba to appear all knowing, all seeing and all loving, when in fact his lie-telling and hypocrisy are well-nigh unsurpassed (As a well-briefed former Inspector-General of the Hong Kong police has written to me, "This would have to be the case of the century." Given that Sathya Sai Baba has duped so many persons, both eminent and ordinary, from so many countries, in all professions and on such a vast scale, surely it is the case of many centuries);

My Response: Barry Pittard is off to a great start on his Factual Crusade against SSB. Mr. Pittard starts off his Factual Crusade by citing an unnamed and anonymous Hong Kong Inspector-General! This is exactly the problem with Anti-SSB Activists. All claim, no substance.

To expose evidence of his direct involvement in major crimes, including complicity in police killings in his rooms on June 6, 1993; massive lack of financial accountability and misappropriation of donations by devotees worldwide including misuse of funds on costly self-advertising projects; in perpetrating scams, such as in the system of purchase of apartments in his ashrams; human rights violations; promises of miraculous cures, which have not eventuated ...;

My Response: 11 years and counting: SSB has not been shown to have had any "direct involvement" or complicity in the 1993 police shootings incident. Umpteen years and counting: We are still waiting for the evidence that SSB had any "direct involvement" in major crimes, human rights violations or financial fraud. It is true that SSB has promised cures that did not happen. However, it is also true that there are many people who claim they were healed by SSB. Click Here to view claims to SSB's healing powers. It is also important to point out that Robert Priddy attributed a physical healing to SSB. Priddy also attributed a healing to SSB that his mother encountered! Consequently, Barry Pittard should be fair. He should discuss both sides of the story, not only his one way agenda of selective criticisms.

To expose his many factual errors and uneventuated promises and prophecies;

My Response: First of all, many of the "prophecies" attributed to SSB, were never made by him. There are people who claim that SSB "speaks or writes" through them and they are the sources for these alleged "SSB Predictions". Although there are things that SSB has predicted that have not come true, there are also many claims to SSB's fulfilled predictions. Click Here to read some examples. Regarding "factual errors", Click Here to view my page about Brian Steel and his contradictory position on SSB's discourses. This article applies to Barry Pittard as well.

To expose his and his top leadership's lies, evasions, and many cover-ups;

My Response: Umpteen years and counting: Where is the proof?

To expose and prevent violence by some of his service volunteers and his armed security and local police;

My Response: Barry Pittard fails to give us any evidence (once again) about "service volunteers, armed security and the local police" perpetuating violence. Where is the proof. We do not want anonymous stories, conspiracy theories or second-hand stories. We want the proof. Where are the filed complaints or hospital records?

To expose indirect processes, such as the extolling or cooperation with Sai Baba and his accomplices by well-known institutions and individuals far beyond his own flock, where this, sometimes unwittingly, aids and abets him and his flashy empire

My Response: What are the names to these "well known institutions"? Where is the proof that these institutions and individuals abet SSB? See the trend? All claim, no substance. The years are passing and the general public is still waiting for the evidence.