Exposing The Anti-Sai Activist: Barry Pittard

A Lecturer At Sathya Sai Baba’s Whitefield College?

Barry Pittard made the following claims about being a “lecturer” at Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s Whitefield College:

“By Barry Pittard, Australia, former Lecturer, Sri Sathya Sai College of the Arts, Science and Commerce, Whitefield, Karnataka.”

“I was a lecturer in SSB’s first (and very prestigious) college outside Bangalore back in 1978-79.”

“I am a former English Lecturer in Sathya Sai Baba’s vast educational establishment, where I taught at his Whitefield College in 1978-79, via Bangalore, in south India.”

About these claims, the following is to be noted:

From Sathyam, Sivam, Sundaram Volume 5 page 64-65: The first institute of higher education founded by Baba was the College of Arts and Science for Women at Anantapur in 1968; the second was the College for Men at Brindavan, Whitefield, in 1969. These were residential colleges … In 1979, a college for Men was established at Prashanti Nilayam, The Colleges at Anantapur and Prashanti Nilayam were affiliated to the Sri Venkateswara University in Andrha Pradesh and the college at Brindavan was under the Bangalore University in Karnakata … Sri Sathya Sai Colleges at Prashanti Nilayam and Whitefield had only under-graduate courses and the college at Anantapur had only one post-graduate course in Telugu language apart from under-graduate courses.

From page 68: On the recommendation of the University Grants Commission, the Government of India conferred the status of Deemed University on the College at Prashanti Nilayam. The good news was announced to a packed Poornachandra Hall on Vijaya Dasami day on the 8th of October 1981 … on 22nd of November 1981, the inauguration of the Deemed University - Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning by the Honourable Chief Justice of the Supeme Court of India, Sir Y.V. Chandrachud, in the presence of Bhagavan Baba, who blessed the University by becoming its Chancellor. V.K. Gokak was vice chancellor.

Barry Pittard allegedly taught English at the Whitefield campus in India between 1978-79 (which Pittard cannot objectively substantiate with any kind of verifiable documentation). In 1978-79, the Whitefield campus belonged to the Bangalore University in Karnakata and only offered undergraduate classes. Barry Pittard taught (allegedly) at that campus before it became associated with Sathya Sai Baba’s name and before it became a prestigious University. Barry Pittard was not required to have academic credentials to teach at that Whitefield campus (the only qualification being that he could speak English) and he was unpaid and regarded as a volunteer.

On the Shadow of the Guru website, Barry Pittard’s profile states:

Barry Pittard: “Was deeply devoted to Sai Baba - who is arguably the most powerful Indian guru in history - for 25 years. At his behest, and as an unpaid service, taught all three years intake in the Humanities degree course at the Sathya Sai College at Whitefield, via Bangalore, South India for most of 1977-1978.” (Reference)

Needless to say, from 1999 - 2010, Barry Pittard never claimed that he taught a “humanities degree course” at the Whitefield campus. This is new information. Barry Pittard repeatedly claimed that he taught English at the Whitefield campus for two years, not “three years” (as erroneously alleged on the Shadow of the Guru website). 1977 + 1978 = 2 years at the most. It is also significant to note that despite Barry Pittard’s claim of teaching a “humanities degree course”, the Whitefield campus only offered undergraduate classes at that time.

Barry Pittard continually attempts to make it appear as if he recently lectured at Sathya Sai Baba’s Whitefield College because he often leaves out the fact that he (allegedly) lectured there in 1978-1979 and often claims he taught at the “Sri Sathya Sai College of the Arts, Science and Commerce”, when in fact the institute did not bear Sathya Sai Baba’s name at that time.

During Barry Pittard’s alleged time of teaching at the Whitefield campus, he never received any complaints of alleged abuse from any student against Sathya Sai Baba.

In those days Sathya Sai Baba appointed several Westerners to teach English Literature. For example, Paul William Roberts gave a brief account of his time as a teacher at the Brindavan Campus during 74-75 in his book “Empire of the Soul” (Harper Collins India, ISBN 0773727388) in which he described his teaching duties as “hardly onerous” and that he spent most of his time “explaining plots and leaping around acting out scenes”. Barry Pittard would have encountered something similar.

Major Update: April 26th 2010

Barry Pittard is now peddling himself as a “Professor” (when formerly he used the term “lecturer”). Joan Radha Bridges released an official trailer for the Shadow of the Guru documentary on YouTube (Ref) that dishonestly and fraudulently described Barry Pittard as a “Professor”. Prior to the Shadow of the Guru website, Barry Pittard never referred to himself as a “Professor” and never divulged any alleged credentials he may possess that would entitle him the status of “Professor” (Reference).