Sai Slurs, Part Six

Posted: Thursday October 23, 2003

Author: Barry Pittard

Email: bpittard@beachaccess.com.au

(You cause beat-ups in the sensationalist press)

This Sai Slur is on a par with the statement of Indulal Shah, recently replaced by Dr Michael Goldstein as world convener of the Sathya Sai Organisation, who circularised its leaders (September 18, 2001). Of the media which reported the allegations, he said that it has "a strong propensity for sensationalism. A whiff of scandal always helps their sales and therefore they do not even pause to verify the truth." In fact, for the last four years, we have repeatedly approached the media with the best reputation for careful research and reporting, such as The Times of London, Daily Telegraph, The Age, and broadcast media such the BBC, DR, ABC, SBS, etc.

My Response: This statement, by Indulal Shah is 100% true! Barry Pittard should stop feigning innocence and come clean about how he posts his articles in numerous forums, like a true tabloid sensationalist!

Here are just a few sites where Barry Pittard's articles are posted (this is not, by far, a thorough list of sites, but ones I found easily): freepressrelease.com, several articles at indiafamily.net, a couple of articles at melbimc.nomasters.org, ineu.org, many articles on india.indymedia.org, my-india.net, several articles on factnet.org, pressbox.co.uk, oldchakra.com, randi.org, cisci.org.au, education.press-base.com, cultinfobooks.com, 2 articles on the adelaideinstitute.org site that is anti-Semitic and a hate group, tuttosullesette.it, madison.indymedia.org, outsupport.org, prod.indymedia.org, anahata.imelaps.ee, saibabaexpose.com, xasa.com, brisbane.indymedia.org.au, us.altnews.com, shamanic-extracts.com, sydney.indymedia.org, a couple of articles on talkaboutlthnetwork.com, visitare-melbourne.tinusi.com, 209.157.64.200, click2newsites.com, bombay.indymedia.org, sawf.org, just-church-links.com, lists.indymedia.org, tuttosullesette.it, many posts and articles at snowcrest.net, serebella.com, shopsimple.co.uk, www1.prweb.com, numerous articles on saiguru.net, numerous articles and letters on exbaba.com, several articles on Robert Priddy’s site, skepdic.com, rickross.com, sindioses.org, a couple of articles on us.altnews.com.au, perthimc.asn.au, elexi.de and flameout.com! As I said, like a true tabloid sensationalist!

I have already talked about how pathetically the BBC Documentary, Secret Swami, investigated the facts. Even Robert Priddy criticized the documentary and their positive take on the SSB Water Project. I have correspondence, from the Rahm Family, that verifies that the BBC edited its content so poorly, that they made Alaya into Aliar! Click Here to view my article about the Secret Swami and my email from the Rahm Family.

The Times Of London published a poorly researched article about 3 people (Andrew Richardson, Michael Pender and Aran Edwards) who were said to be SSB devotees, who killed themselves. First of all, Andrew Richardson was not a SSB devotee. He simply visited SSB's ashram before committing suicide. His suicide letter divulged a very, very disturbed psyche. Nor did Andrew profess any devotion to SSB. No one, at any SSB Center, knew who he was. Michael Pender was HIV+ and had a history of severe depression. He was homeless for some time as well. Aran Edwards never saw SSB but was very mentally unstable, by David Bailey's own admission. However, David Bailey convinced Aran that SSB was taking care of him. Then David Bailey convinced Aran to write letters to SSB. After convincing poor Aran to write letters to SSB, David Bailey tells Aran that SSB does not read letters, including Aran's! In that distraught state, Aran killed himself. But no one faults David Bailey! Of course, don't expect Barry Pittard to divulge these facts. Barry Pittard would like people to view selective information with blinders on.

The Daily Telegraph published an article entitled Divine Downfall. After talking to Mick Brown, I found some disturbing facts about his interviews. Especially with his alleged conversation with Dr. Bhatia. Mick Brown said that he was given Dr. Bhatia's phone number, by an anonymous source, and he called the phone number and verified his identity simply by asking him if he was Dr. Bhatia! Mick Brown could not remember if the phone number resolved to New Delhi or not. Furthermore, Dr Bhatia made claims that directly contradicted, and failed to support, an earlier account that supposedly came from him! It sounds very suspicious for an anonymous person to gave a journalist a phone number (meaning that this action was planned) to a person who made startling claims against SSB, that neither confirmed or denied his prior account! Also, Mick Brown told me that all of the quotes, in the Divine Downfall article, were taken from audio recording made with the interviewees. There are contradictions between Al Rahms current story and the one told in the Divine Downfall interview. Click Here to view my article about the Divine Downfall Interview.

The reaction from organised Sathya Sai devotees afforded yet another sign that they are beginning to lose their nerve and strike out wildly for survival. Last year, Thorbjörn Meyer, Central Coordinator for Europe and Co-coordinator for Russian Speaking Countries, hired a top Danish lawyer in court actions against Danish Radio, the Danish national television broadcaster. A senior contact in the company has told me that at least ten threats of legal action were presented before and after "Seduced" was aired, and that none of these was able to stop it. "Seduced" has since been shown at least three times in Norway, and - again by successful former devotee efforts to promote the documentary to one of the world's major broadcasters - will soon be seen in other parts of the world. Promptly, the municipal authorities rescinded the sale to Sai Baba devotees of the famous castle Arresødal in Copenhagen, which was to have been used as a Sai international school. Though money is supposed to speak all languages, an injection of US $6 million did not speak Danish! Happily, Øjvind Kyrø's Director, Steen Jensen, and Danish Radio stood by Øjvind Kyrø's professional integrity in this penetrating documentary. Suddenly, Thorbjörn Meyer's case rapidly disappeared from the courtrooms of Copenhagen. Leading member of the Sathya Sai Organisation and wealthy businessman, Jørgen Trygved hired Denmark's foremost lawyer thrice tried and failed to keep the documentary from being aired. The same Jørgen Trygved was also Chairman of the 'Sai international school' fund board, so ignominiously defeated by the civil authorities of Copenhagen.

My Response: This is amusing. For years, Hari Sampath and Robert Priddy (among others) have claimed that Øjvind Kyrø had twenty affidavits from alleged, sexual abuse victims. This was claimed multiple times, even by the DR. However, Øjvind Kyrø is now saying he only has ten affidavits from alleged, sexual abuse victims. Ten affidavits mysteriously disappeared. This is how honest, Ojvind Kyro is. A man with so much integrity, he allowed a lie to be disseminated as the truth, for years! Ojvind Kyro also refuses to discuss even basic information about the alleged affidavits. All this secrecy surrounding the alleged affidavits casts doubt on their authenticity. SaiGuru.net said these affidavits were made public on the internet. Really? Where are they? Up until today, April 28th, 2005, no one has been able to supply the general public with even one affidavit. Not even one! Enough said! Regarding the Seduced Documentary, made by Øjvind Kyrø, no one cared to investigate the testimony of Jed Geyerhahn and his numerous contradictions. Click Here to view my article about Jed Geyerhahn. Click Here to view my article about Alaya Rahm (alias, Sam Young). Click Here to view my affidavits page.

The history of cover-ups shows a remarkable pattern: a cover-up, once exposed, redounds to the discredit of the initiators at a cost far greater than would have attended the prompt admission of the initial misdeeds. In passing, let us pay tribute to the dauntless conscience-driven efforts of others who have quit a teacher and called the teacher to public account. To name a few teachers often regarded as disgraced beyond recall - Balyogi Premvarni, Kriyananda, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Premananda, Muktananda, Rajneesh, Yogi Bhajan …, not to mention very many non-India related ones. We see precisely the same patterns in their remaining followers as in the typical responses of Sathya Sai devotees, both on and off the Internet. For example:

Ignoring the sheer weight of the evidence, and strong, psychological denial;

Derision and shunning of former followers;

Terrible vilification, especially, of those former followers who attempt to bring the allegations to light;

Threats of litigation;

My Response: Anti-SSB Activists should also be included in this group for their "sheer denial in providing evidence and strong psychological denial", "derision and shunning of followers", "terrible villification, especially of those who attempt to bring contradictory allegations to light" and "threats of litigation"! All these responses have been publicly displayed by Anti-SSB Activists as well! I would like to remind Barry Pittard, "a cover-up, once exposed, redounds to the discredit of the initiators at a cost far greater than would have attended the prompt admission of the initial misdeeds"!

Spurious justification of their teacher's misdeeds. E.g., claiming that he is raising the kundalini; balancing the devotee's sexual energy; ‘ironing out sexual kinks'; rapidly expunging the devotee's bad karmas; stating that, as we are not our bodies, the guru has not violated anybody; disporting in the divine role as Shiva the destroyer; and so, woefully, on.

Email: bpittard@beachaccess.com.au

My Response: Although these excuses are reprehensible when used by anybody, to obtain sexual favors, one must remember that there are several people (including Alaya Rahm) who claimed that SSB displayed supra-human powers that resulted in literal, physical changes in SSB's body. Although these claims are not made publicly, because of their amazing, miraculous nature (which would engender grave doubt against the alleged sexual abuse victims), they have been made privately. So if sexual abuse victims ascribe supra-human, physical changes to SSB (for example, SSB's penis turning into a vagina and vice versa), then I wonder why Barry Pittard argues that others cannot ascribe supra-human reasons for SSB's alleged actions, when the alleged victims have already done so?