Posts Tagged ‘donations’

Donors and Would-be Donors Beware (Sathya Sai Central Trust Example)

Posted by Barry Pittard on August 30, 2009

As the years pass, more evidence emerges of the very non-divine manner in which Sathya Sai Baba and his financial wing collect vast funds – particularly from wealthy donors. As with scams the world over, there are methods of ‘spotting’ – in this case, by ashram staff of visitors most likely to donate large sums. The admixture of ‘miracles’ – such as Sai Baba’s ‘materializing’ of expensive rings or pendants etc., for the wealthy – is central to setting up of these traps. This operation involves the participation of the registration office, as well as Sathya Sai Baba’s close servitors, many of them wealthy or those who have given away their wealth to him.

Criminals and police forces often refer to this type of spotting as finding the ‘mark’ or victim to be set up.

Donors and Would-be Donors Beware

There are two classes of individual, and in some cases institutions, who have every reason to be looking at these issues. First, those who have already been donors to Sathya Sai Baba’s exchequer, among whom there are those who have serious misgivings about how they were misused. Second, those who are contemplating donation to the Sathya Sai Central trust.

In the first group, there are those who have been far too busy with their business enterprises or professions to have time for deeper reflection on their experiences. It needs to be remembered that deeply emotional, religious or spiritual commitments are far from straightforward and rational. Donors have given, in some cases in many millions, thinking they have found an impeccable cause. However, some are at the stage where they are handing over their prime responsibilities to others in their enterprises, retiring, etc. The photos below are just a very few examples of that for which of the Sathya Sai opulence, they have already handed over! (For more revealing photos, see bottom of this article).

In August 16, 2003. the Rediff news agency reported:
“The largest recipient of foreign contribution was Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust — Rs 88.18 crore (Rs 881.8 million)”

The Torment of Awakening From The Dream Splendid

Coming out of the dream splendid can be an emotionally tormenting period, whether one is rich or not. Again, irrespective of status, the wide tendency for individuals is to clam up, and let as few as possible know that one has made some bad choices.

To those wishing to reflect intellectually on their own experiences of donorship, or for those who may be contemplating giving money to Sathya Sai Baba’s organization, I point to the article (4700 approx words) of Robert Priddy, retired academic and former longtime leader of the Norwegian Sathya Sai Organization:

‘Donating to Sathya Sai Baba and His Bottomless Trust Or Other Institutions. How donations are encouraged and devotees are manipulated – with negative experiences reported’

QUOTE

“In my participant-observer sociological study of the International Sathya Sai Organisation, recorded mainly in 2000, I concluded that one of the main functions it actually fulfils, although in theory it should not, is to channel money from the widest possible catchment area of devotees in rich countries. This was implied by the collected data and analyses of its various practices which I interpreted on the basis of my wide-ranging experience – and increasing distaste – of how matters were handled at Organization meetings I attended in various countries. In stark contrast to Sathya Sai Baba pretends, his organisation contributes, indirectly and increasingly more and more directly, to the funnelling of donations in huge amounts into his account and under his control. Why does Sai Baba ‘allow’ this discrepancy between his word and action? The simple answer would be because money is a necessary ingredient of improving education, health and living conditions for the poor. To support this, Sai Baba points to the institutions like colleges, hospitals and village projects he has provided (as if it were not all from his devotees). So why then does he constantly boast that he has no connection whatever with money – saying as but one example, “Where money is present, there I am absent”? Obviously, it is a very clever device to hide the real situation and seem to put him apart from other money collecting ‘men of god’. Money gurus awaken much skepticism, especially among Westerners nowadays, it being known very widely that so many have been defrauded”.

Subheadings in this article:

Sizing up likely donors, and diamond gifts to soften them up?

What is Sathya Sai Baba’s actual relationship to money?

True Believer Devotees as Easy-Touches for Money

Soliciting Devotees for Major Funds

Ashram apartment ‘donors’ – deceptively called ‘owners’

Donors Recruited under False Pretenses

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Further Reading

Can We Trust The Central Trust?By Serguei Badaev. (Ex-President of Sai Org. Moscow Centre and ex-deputy National Coordinator and National SSEHV Coordinator, Russia)

“It is not the Sathya Sai Organisation which is the owner of all the property and estates we can see in Prashanthi Nilayam and Brindavan (Sai Baba’s ashrams in Puttaparthi and in Whitefield correspondingly). There is another organisation which prefers to stay in a shadow. It is Sathya Sai Central Trust (the SSCT), which can be regarded as the highest authority in the Sai Baba movement except Sai Baba himself”

…………………………………………………………………………………………….

The money behind Sai Baba By Hari Sampath. 08-04-2001. (Member of Sathya Sai Baba’s Security and Intelligence Wing between 1992 and 1995)

‘Secret Swami’ Cult Recruits At Prime Public Venues. By Barry Pittard

QUOTE

“The easiest way to look for the source of Sai Baba’s ‘immunity’ from investigation and what exactly all this scam is about is to just take a look at the staggering amounts of money involved, and approximately estimate how much money does Sai Baba actually have?”

……………………………………………………………………..

Barry Pittard at ‘Call For Media and Government Investigation of Sathya Sai Baba’

‘Secret Swami’ Cult Recruits At Prime Public Venues

Sathya Sai Organization: World Communities Need To Treat This Sect Cautiously

India’s ‘Emperor’ Sai Baba. By His Lavish Spending Ye Shall Know Him

Sai Baba, Kubla Khan, Citizen Kane, Bill Gates et alia

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General

Excerpt From Public Petition

(Note: The above articles contextualizes. Or you may prefer to proceed straight to the Petition):

Public Petition For Official Investigations of Sathya Sai Baba and His Worldwide Organization

There is a Spanish version available:

PETICIÓN PÚBLICA PARA INVESTIGACIONES OFICIALES DE SATHYA SAI BABA Y SU ORGANIZACIÓN A NIVEL MUNDIAL)

Posted in Miracles, Morality, New Age, Opinion, Philanthropy, Religion, Social and Politics, South Asia, Spirituality, Uncategorized, World Religions | Tagged: 'The mark', Crime, Cult Recruiting, donations, Donors, Donorship, Financial Scams, Hari Sampath, Intelligence, Philanthropists, Sathya Sai Central Trust, Scamming, Scams, Security, The Victim, Victims | 2 Comments »

Sathya Sai Baba’s Followers Face Alienation In Their Wider Communities

Posted by Barry Pittard on April 4, 2009

Among those who defame and libel former devotees who have stood forth (indeed who have done so at considerable personal sacrifice) is the deputy chairman of the Sathya Sai Baba Organization, Dr G. Venkataraman. See:

Sathya Sai Baba’s ‘Minister of Propaganda’ – Dr G. Venkataraman

Indian Nuclear Scientist Now Sai Baba’s Global Radio Chief

Sathya Sai Baba’s Deputy Head, Dr G. Venkataraman, Speaks of “Mr Idi Amin”

The Declaring of Non Persons and Annihilation of Personal History

There were earlier leaders – very nice men! Such as Harry Mansbridge, Ron Laing, Lucas Ralli – all of them significantly disillusioned. One who was tenacious in following up reported cases of anomaly and betrayal was the Australian head, Terry Gallagher, who eventually resigned on a matter of highest principle. Lucas Ralli was told in great detail about the Sai Baba abuse-suicide case of Keith Ord but was in deep psychological denial. See the tragic Keith Ord story, Times of London: Monday August 27, 2001. Three die after putting faith in guru. By Dominic Kennedy -: “The Times has learnt that three Britons have apparently taken their lives after placing hope in India’s most popular holy man”.

More recently, an important former UK Sathya Sai Organization leader, Aime Levy, has had awakenings but has not wished to make these public.

However, there are many in the Sathya Sai Organization who suppress a palpable fact: namely, that many of those who have left it, having investigated the allegations – particularly in their own Sai centers – were held in high esteem for decades. This is one of the facts that people like Goldstein, Venkatarman, Moreno (see below) and other cultists are bent upon obscuring.

These continuing Sai Baba center members have allowed themselves, year after year, to be party to defamation of many former devotees by the core leaders, and by Internet defamers – chiefly Gerald Moreno with whom some of them league closely (e.g., the slightly less-than-official Saibabaofindia.com group) – which has been echoed all the way down the leadership hierarchy. See: Gerald “Joe” Moreno on Wikipedia, and refutation of his allegations against Robert Priddy.

Moreno began his activity in earnest against practically any individual who criticized his idol, Sathya Sai Baba. By reference to the Internet Wayback Machine, a likely candidate for focused commencement of this activity is: 31 Mar 2009, at 19:28. Highly qualified, independent lawyers in three countries have stated emphatically that Moreno’s many defamations, and acting on them by intruding into community settings, jobs and professions in a number of countries and attacking individuals and families, are highly actionable. But who can afford the time, energy and money? He plays on this restrictive factor and the fact is that the Internet is a sort of Wild West for the unscrupulous and sociopathic. Furthermore, some former devotees have not been in favour of legal recourse if it were encompassable – for what they deem to be spiritual reasons: e.g., ‘take not thy brother to court’ …

Dereliction of Duty of Care: Some Key Sai Baba Leaders

Top leaders from around the world who have:

Ignored the afflicted individuals and families and
Hidden vital facts from many rank-and-file devotees include:

Michael Goldstein, John (Jack) Hislop, Indulal Shah, William Harvey, Bob Bozzani, Hal Honig, Jagadeesan, Ashok Bhagani, Thorbjørn Meyer, Steen Piculell, Leonardo Gutter, T.Sri Ramanathan, Pal Dhall, Bernard Gruber, Pietro Marena, Jörgen Möllgård, Richard Friedrich, John Behner.

(Note the incredible top-heaviness of males in the Sathya Sai hierarchy!).

Sathya Sai Baba Sect Alienates Wider Communities

As the siftings and sortings of both documentary and psychological history portray themselves, it will be to their lasting shame that so many Sai devotees have stifled their consciences and commonsense.

As the Sathya Sai Organization has only too potently seen, ever wider political, civic, religious, academic institutions now shy away from them when the sect attempts to gain outreach in communities around the world. In regard to the Hindu community, see the note to me from one of the most notable Hindus in his country: Sathya Sai Baba: ‘Considerable Concern’ In Wider Hindu Community

There has been a huge effort by former devotees to bring to international attention the facts relating to:

serial sexual abuse of young males
police killings in Sai Baba bedroom (V.P.B. Nair. B.Premanand. R.Priddy: Sai Baba Bedroom Killings)
financial scandals concerning vast donations from many countries
scams involving the sale of apartments at Puttaparthi
cover up by successive Indian governments
repeated failureof Sai Baba’s prophecies and promises disease cure
huge misappropriation of funds from donors worldwide, deployed to incredible pomp and extravagance
Sai Baba’s very serious errors in regard to scientific and historical facts (covered very well by the Australian scholar Brian Steel: my commentary and links to these groundbreaking pieces are found in – Revealing Materials On Sai Baba Of India and Huge Sai Baba Gaffes)