Sai Slurs, Part Three

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.

My Response: Sathya Sai Baba is accredited with many unprecedented acts of philanthropy throughout India. Barry Pittard said that one must give credit where it is due, be it good or bad. However, Barry Pittard turns right around and refuses to attribute anything good to SSB! SSB has always had a consistent message that education and hospital care should be provided free of cost. SSB has used donations, given to his organization, to actualize the precepts he has always preached. This is unprecedented by any single person in India's history!

Although I fully agree that one must take full responsibility for the bad, as well as the good, there must be proof and evidence of wrongdoing. Where is the proof and evidence? Conspiracy theories, assumptions, speculations, accusations and anonymous stories are not "proof and evidence".

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).

My Response: Although that quote was attributed to Indulal Shah, the fact remains that the police killings were investigated by the CBI and police men were put in jail. The police tampered with, and destroyed, the evidence. The CBI found no less than 13 serious discrepancies with the FIR (First Information Report) by the police. None of these facts could have been brought to light had they not been investigated. Therefore, despite Indulal Shah's hope to keep it purely "internal", it wasn't.

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!

My Response: Here, Barry Pittard admits he was one of these people who put the pressure on UNESCO and the Flinders University until they withdrew from the ISSE Conference. Click Here for the real reason why UNESCO and the Flinders University withdrew. At this site: home.hetnet.nl/~ex_baba/ engels/articles/barryunesco.html, released on February 1st, 2005, Anti-SSB Activists are now attacking UNESCO representatives because it appears that UNESCO is having a change of heart! I have provided my side of the facts, backed up with admissions in letters from Anti-SSB Activists, to UNESCO. I have also forwarded ExBaba.com links where Anti-SSB Activists divulge contact information for UNESCO representatives, in an attempt to have their Anti-SSB Bandit employ group thuggery tactics by spamming them with email complaints! Consequently, Anti-SSB Activists are going to have do more than whine, snivel and hissy-fit their way into UNESCO again.

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').

My Response: Yes, so "rigorously detailed", UNESCO is now having second thoughts regarding their claims against SSB! Indulal Shah said the quote ascribed to him. However, Indulal Shah only made this reference, about a " UNESCO Conference", once. Since he did not repeat this claim more than once, it very well could have been a slip of the tongue. And we know Barry Pittard has had more than his fair share of slips of the tongue, whether he wants to admit it or not! One will also notice that Barry Pittard does not divulge any supporting documentation that UNESCO checked with the French Government or with the French Police. Why is it that all of these astounding claims are totally undocumented, and if they are documented, why have they not been released to the general public?

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.

My Response: Here is Barry Pittard practicing the "kindess" that he advises Anti-SSB Activists to practice!