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Swami Nityananda Sex Scandal News Round Up
2010-05-24 22:08:00
The following is a quite brief but useful selection of India n press articles. They suffice to give a sense of the unfolding of the Nityananda sex scandal saga. It is a great pity that Sathya Sai Baba and his core servitors are not being held to public accountability. He is vastly more powerful and influential than Nityananda. It does India no credit, nationally or internationally, that she occasionally nets in a few minnows and not the tiger sharks. The enormous public reaction to the Nityananda case furnishes a picture that makes two issues extremely clear. The first is that blind faith in gurus down the milennia has been made a matter of wide public debate. The other is that new generations are beginning to throw off the shackles of the past. The question that remains is whether Indian shall ever become the great democracy that she could be. These factors are well brought out, if rather wordily, by the South Indian lawyer. See my note, and the video links, at:
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Lawyer K.V.Dhananjay on Swami Nityananda Furore In India
2010-05-24 06:52:00
For those who appreciate a calm, rational discussion of issues relating to the Swami Nityananda sex case in India , the following interview of the South Indian lawyer K.V. Dhananjay is worth watching. India's vastly overloaded and deeply-flawed justice system is made most apparent. Difficulties in bringing any formal justice to Sathya Sai Baba and his core servitors can be inferred from this discussion It is these grave difficulties which Sathya Sai Baba's de facto apologists, ever ready in violation of their guru's teachings against harsh words and other forms of attack, completely - and with great shallowness - would try to deny.
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Nityananda, Sathya Sai Baba et al? Do Hindus Really Approve Sexual Immorali
2010-05-21 02:05:00
The court appearances of Swami Nityananda of India on charges of improper sexual behaviour towards a number of young women have made him the butt of outrage throughout India. Innumerable news articles, blogs, chatrooms, attest to the overwhelming abhorence of a very broad Hindu public for the types of sexual practices being referred to in the Nityananda court proceedings. In recent years, a top-ranking Hindu leader sent me an email (which can be verfied for bona fide media and scholars who may wish to check that what networked former Sathya Sa Baba devotees and other critics claim is true). See: Sathya Sai Baba: ?Considerable Concern? In Wider Hindu Community. This outstanding leader, recognized by a wide cross-section of Hindu organizations in his country, wrote: ?There is considerable concern among the Hindu Community, especially among the educated. It is very hard to get any action from the temples as they do not wish to cause difficulties with the Sathya Sai Baba groups. Peo...
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Sathya Sai Organization Spurns Leave-takers Whom It Formerly Honored For De
2010-05-20 02:37:00
One of two documents addressed which prominent ex-office bearers in the Sathya Sai Organization have addressed to Sathya Sai Baba's top officials is: "Towards Public Accountability and Due Investigation: A Formal Open Appeal To 'The Prashanti Council'" The so-called 'Prashanthi Council' is the ruling body over all Sathya Sai Baba instrumentalities. There was not even the courtesy of acknowledgement. It mattered nothing that signatories had given decades of the utmost dedicated service in his name. Or that they reflected the feelings of a great many who have, prompted by the keenest ethical principle, left Sathya Sai Baba and his organization. At the head of the international Sathya Sai Organization is Dr Michael Goldstein, of Corvena, California, USA. Here he is, caught by a BBC hidden camera (See: The BBC's 'The Secret Swami' - A Revision ):
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Priest Abuse. Long-denied Justice Catching Up In Australia
2010-05-17 22:13:00
The gradual, but terribly long-delayed victory of those activists who have spoken out about sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church is happening. Unfortunately, organizations which also have long histories of perpetuating cover up frequently evade scrutiny. The Sathya Sai Organization, with its immense wealth and international outreach, is but one of many. I commend this material from our national broadcaster, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. I have excerpted this article of last night, which is accompanied by video footage. No percipient reader in the world can now doubt that the Vatican is enaged in massive efforts at damage control. It cannot now of course deny its incredibly appalling record. The notion of 'coming clean' - which in certain respects the Roman Catholic Church is beginning to do - becomes the more strange when one considers that the dirt an the hiding of the dirt have been endemic for so long. In this light, the notion that we now live in 2010 becom...
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Indian Scientist Dr G. Venkataraman Accused of Plagiarism
2010-05-15 00:05:00
Robert Priddy, former long-time head of the Norwegian Sathya Sai Organization and retired academic in philosophy and social sciences at the University of Oslo, has accused one of Sathya Sai Baba's top aides of serious plagiarism. The official is Dr G. Venkataraman, Sathya Sai Baba' deputy chairman of the international Sathya Sai Organization and head of its progagandist w0rld radio network, Sai Global Harmony.
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Robert Priddy On Jaani Drucker, As Sathya Sai Baba Cultist In Denial
2010-05-12 04:06:00
Robert Priddy has just blogged the article: Jaani Drucker ? wild claims not supported by her actions , Posted by robertpriddy on May 11, 2010. He refers to my series quoting and commenting on correspondence between Jaani Drucker and myself: Reply To Claimer of Spiritual Enlightenment (Yaani Drucker Correspondence) Part 1 Exchanges of views on how rape and sexual abuse affect the real person or whether they merely affect the body, as is held by rape victim Jaani Drucker. Reply To Claimer of Enlightenment (Yaani Drucker Correspondance) Part 2 Jaani Drucker continually responds to neither to the spirit or the letter of her claim that " happy to discuss and debate issues" rather flatly rejecting all points on the ground that she knows the ultimate truth. Reply To Claimer of Enlightenment (Jaani Drucker Correspondance) Part 3 Jaani Drucker evades Pittard's contention that those who have had such traumatic experiences need to reach out to an experienced, qualified profession, and th...
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The Quiet Weeding Out Of Sathya Sai Baba?s Embarrassing Statements
2010-05-06 02:03:00
The official Sathya Sai 'weeders' have removed the presence on the internet of major Sathya Sai Baba claims. These are of the sort bound to attract prompt dismissal in the minds of many enquirers. An extremely wide cross-section of any public, except those of his own fold, would regard his claims as stemming from megalomania. And it is those enquirers - and the money and skill-sets that successful recruitment can bring - that Sathya Sai Baba's organization desperately needs as donors if it is to continue to pay its astronomical bills. What to speak of subsidizing his promise to rule the world before he leaves it, circa 2022! It should be noted that the huge claims have not, in and of themselves, been withdrawn. But they are being kept as in-house as possible. Secular fronts like his 'Education in Human Values' and 'Educare' have been developed, which aim to penetrate schools, universities and and other mainstream institutions. But the tall claims are an absolute article of ...
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More Testimony To Male Sexual Abuse By Sathya Sai Baba
2010-04-30 23:07:00
Below, Sebastian Engelbarts of The Netherlands relates his account of abuse experiences at the hands of Sathya Sai Baba. I need hardly point out that many testimonies have been shared with us with the request that they be kept confidential, and Robert Priddy and I (in our role of coordinators) have respected this. Others have stated that would only wish to make public their experiences in the context of investigation by, for example, a respected organization such as the BBC, Times of London, UNESCO, etc and/or by a court of law in a demoncratic country. I wish to add, as often, that for those who wish to avail themselves of legal or counseling services, we are happy to assist in obtaining those in the context of international best practice, with all the proper guarantees of accountability. In genuine circumstances of need, professionals in these areas can look to fee modification or waiver.
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Sathya Sai Baba?s Tips To Keep Ageing Away
2010-04-29 01:26:00
Examination of recent photos on an official website show the way in which select students surround him at closer quarters than hitherto and with great vigilance, their faces and body language clearly anxious lest he topple over. Here, too, one observes the immobile face: On stage before February 2004?s Mahasivaratri crowd, the BBC cameras (in footage that would later become part of 'The Secret Swami', which has been seen in over 120 countries around the world) show Sai Baba looking increasingly sick. He produces the lingam, and the materialization trick demonstrated by Professor Narendra Nayak is easy for the viewer to spot, the lingam being concealed in Sai Baba?s handkerchief. In the ensueing documentary, the BBC journalist Tanya Datta comments: ?To the alarm of the crowd suddenly Sai Baba collapsed. His huge coterie of staff swung into action. There was panic. An organisation used to tight control seemed to have lost its grip. Sai Baba was hastily wheeled off stage.? Later...
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Nityananda Scandal. Police Seize Indicting Material. Why No Raids On Sathya
2010-04-25 23:34:00
Why are India n authorities and the Indian media so selective in exposing errant religious figures in that country. Anyone who knows a wide cross-section of Indians is well aware of the great shame they feel for the corrupt institutions in their country? Non-resident Indians (NRI's) are freely able to read exposing investigations in major western media such as the BBC, Times of London, Daily Telegraph, Guardian, and newspapers in Europe, Canada, Australia, etc., but are prohibited from doing so in their own country. In short, why is Nityananda being investigated and not Sathya Sai Baba too. In short, someone far more powerful and influential than Nityananda, and who commands almost unimaginable wealth?
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Typical Testimony of Sathya Sai Baba?s Sex Abuse of Young Males
2010-04-10 23:01:00
Since circa 2000, and up to very recent times, former devotee and other networked critics of Sathya Sai Baba have had to read – and also hear directly such disturbing testimonies as the following. The primary witnesses and their families come from many countries round the world. One of the many components of our support ...
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Is Heat Too Much For Swami Nityananda, Under Fire By Sex Abuse Allegations?
2010-04-02 13:30:00
To explode vast naivety based on blind, unquestioning faith, it may take a great many major exposures of powerful institutions, and the charismatic leaders often associated with them. Tainted godman quits all posts of ashram D.P Satish, CNN-IBN Posted on Mar 30, 2010 at 08:25 Bangalore: Tainted godman Swami Nityananda has decided to step down from all posts of his ashram to lead a life of spiritual seclusion. This, after a controversial CD surfaced three weeks ago, showing him in a compromising position with a Tamil film actress.
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SaBoy Scouts of America ? Sex Abuse Revelations. Who Next?
2010-03-30 23:31:00
Now the Boy Scouts o America is under scrutiny for its practices in dealing - and not dealing - with the sexual abuse issue. In recent articles at 'Call For Media and Government Investigation of Sathya Sai Baba', I have been pointing to cases in other areas which have, in many cases, taken years of persistent activism by those who have exposed appalling levels of cover up by powerful institutions. Typically found throughout all these institutions are the themes of psychological denial by the generality of followers and deliberate denial by those authorities who know the facts and go to great lengths to hide them. The amount of denigration, name-calling, distortion of what is being said, shunning, libel and defamation of those who have stood forth to reveal the facts, are also typical. They fly completely in the face of the professed ethical and spiritual teachings of those instituitions, which in many cases are unexceptionable.
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Sexual Abuse Priests. What?! The Pope Never Knew?
2010-03-28 01:37:00
Some international commentators opine that there is a net of terrible revelation closing in on Pope Benedict XVI. One revelation after another indicates that he has for many years known about the endemic sexual abuses, both of children and adults, happening within the Roman Catholic Church. And that he has, all along, failed with any probity to act. To the contrary, he has called, along, for secrecy. (I shall shortly turn to the mounting allegations of massive cover up of sexual abuse by the Boy Scout's of America) If any should think that the Vatican has not been for centuries, and is to this day, a heavy hitter in the murky world of realpolitik, they have not paused to read even the standard historical accounts.
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Why Nithyananda Sex Scandal Investigations and Not A Sathya Sai Baba Probe
2010-03-26 02:50:00
The Nithyananda sex scandal unfolds in India . One might well wonder - although a great many Indians who know the corruption that pervades the power elites in India will not be puzzled - why there have been decades of news blanketing in that country of of reports that threaten the power and prestige of Sathya Sai Baba.
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Roman Catholics? Deep Concern At Pope?s Apology. But He Is Way Ahead Of Ind
2010-03-23 04:57:00
It is enormously instructive to watch the unfolding saga of papal apology for clergy sexual abuse. Large numbers of both Roman Catholics and others round the world have expressed deep dissatisfaction with the Pope's apology. They say that it goes nowhere far enough, and does not address acute issues of crime and punishment.
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BBC Transcript ?The Secret Swami? (Sathya Sai Baba?s Frauds Exposed)
2010-03-21 02:09:00
Former devotee and other writers critical of Sathya Sai Baba are experiencing a marked upsurge in interest. Among this, there are scholarly interests new to us, and the distinction in this quarter ranges from post-graduate to professorial. One of the difficulties scholars, journalists and other investigators have with the Sathya Sai Organization is that it is highly secretive. The BBC documentary was well-named: The Secret Swami. Many who have not the remotest connection with those former devotees who have in the past testified are finding their own experiences chronicled at this blogsite and other sites of former devotees and other critics of Sathya Sai Baba and his cult. Raising an international or national class action litigation would have its own sets of difficulties, but as increased activity occurs, any who are interested in seeing the worldwide exposure of one of history's most powerful religious betrayals is welcome to contact Robert Priddy (a retired philosopher and so...
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Standing Up To Cultic Monoliths. (Sathya Sai Baba Organization Example)
2010-03-16 23:33:00
Confronted by the smallest questioning of Sathya Sai Baba, his defenders commonly refer to instances such as the miracles he is supposed to have performed. Or indeed those phenomena which have happened beyond his physical presence but been related to him in some way. Yet there is much proof that he routinely fakes these performances. Many of his devotees know that he has bungled various "miracles"; however, they take refuge in such notions as that he is only testing their faith. They will not examine the large corpus of evidence that exposes him, as the BBC did with its cameras in 2004. See: BBC Cameras Catch Sai Baba Cheating With Gold Sivalingam. (Film Clip) The BBC's 'The Secret Swami' - A Revision BBC Footage Exposes Fake Sathya Sai Baba Miracle Sai Baba No Shiva. Gold From His Gut Is Regurgitator's Trick
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Reply To Yaani (?Have Truth, Will Travel?) Drucker?s Request To Remove Blog
2010-03-14 21:49:00
Dear Yaani, I have carefully thought through your request that I take down what I have written on yourself and your husband Professor Drucker. These posts were made with genuineness, time, effort and care. You have since sent a number of documents that you say show you to be a good person. You referred to your "purity of heart". Yaani, I will not entertain any implication that many former devotees who have raised the issues of which I have written are not good people, too. It is you who are "not listening". You are not listening to them - whom you once respected as your fine 'Sai brothers and sisters'. They feel let down by you both, especially Al. Perhaps at some time, you will be ready to answer my questions properly, instead of via emotionalism (which is very different to emotion). Should you and/or Al be ready to make out a response, I shall be glad to give your answers ample space at http://barrypittard.wordpress.com (Call For Media and Government Investigation of Sathya S...
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Nityananda Sex Scandal Erupts in India. Sathya Sai Baba Lessons?
2010-03-12 00:27:00
More than once, I have alluded to that India which is profoundly wonderful, and which has been traduced by her often immeasurably corrupt elites. Sometimes - often according to presence or lack of the 'right' political patronage and the amounts of money and other enticements at stake - the crimes of gurus are exposed but often the cover up is great. However, there is a real backlash against corrupt gurus in recent days. A hugely publicized sex scandal involving Swami Nityananda is part of the outrage.
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Reply To Claimer of Spiritual Enlightenment (Yaani Drucker Correspondence)
2010-03-02 10:12:00
This piece continues from:  Reply To Claimer of Spiritual Enlightenment (Yaani Drucker Correspondence) Part 5 - my response to Yaani Drucker, who wrote to me in the first instance. Many Sathya Sai devotees worldwide have hero-worshipped her and her husband Professor Al Drucker (formerly with NASA). To some devotees, it has not mattered that Sai Baba has treated them both very harshly ...
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Reply To Claimer of Spiritual Enlightenment (Yaani Drucker Correspondence)
2010-02-28 03:48:00
Continuing from: Reply To Claimer of Enlightenment (Jaani Drucker Correspondance) Part 4 .... , my response to Yaani Drucker, who claims on her website to be enlightened, and to "Have truth, will travel". She wrote to me that: "I am happy to discuss and debate issues. I have responded to every issue you raised". However, readers who appreciate norms of language, logic and sticking to points raised will see clearly that Ms Drucker veers (not at all, I think, meaning to be dishonest) away from issues put to her. She also reveals a strong tendency to assume that her view of strange events in the presence of Sathya Sai Baba must be the correct. In fact, the state of scientific knowledge DOES allow us to make eminently reasonable alternative interpretations of what Ms Drucker takes to be inviolable truths (perhaps I should have capitalized the last word). She writes: .......
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Reply To Claimer of Spiritual Enlightenment (Yaani Drucker Correspondence)
2010-02-25 23:26:00
Continuing from: Reply To Claimer of Enlightenment (Jaani Drucker Correspondance) Part 2 .... , my response to Yaani Drucker, who claims on her website to be enlightened, and to "Have truth, will travel". She wrote to me: "And when we know who we are, we will know a little better who Sai Baba is. So the task at hand is to know yourself, rather than spending your time trying to pin a crime on Sai Baba. However if you wish to pursue that course, Sai Baba does say Inimical Bhakti is the fastest path to truth, so I am sure it is serving the highest good". Note: I had pointed out to Ms Drucker that it is important for survivors of severe trauma to seek qualified professional counseling, and also (bearing in mind that she is a public figure) she has the responsibility correctly to model this kind of service to those who read her writings.
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Reply To Claimer of Spiritual Enlightenment (Yaani Drucker Correspondence)
2010-02-23 22:30:00
Continuing from: Reply To Claimer of Enlightenment (Jaani Drucker Correspondance) Part 2 .... , my response to Yaani Drucker, who claims on her website to be enlightened, and to "Have truth, will travel". She has explained that her "rape experience happened in 1985, in a house next to the Stanton Sai Center, on the same property as the Sai center in S. California". I have suggested to her that those who have had such traumatic experiences need to reach out to an experienced, qualified profession, and that it is a dangerous undertaking to recommend a course of action which relies on faith or notions of enlightenment alone. She replied: "Is it necessary for a rape victim to receive professional counseling? This assumes that psychology/ psychotherapy has answers that ABSOLUTE TRUTH does not".
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Reply To Claimer of Enlightenment (Yaani Drucker Correspondence) Part 2
2010-02-22 02:40:00
Continuing from: Reply To Claimer of Enlightenment (Jaani Drucker Correspondance) Part 1 .... , my response to Jaani Drucker, who claims both in correspondence and on her website to be enlightened, and to "Have truth, will travel". In an email to me, she says, "Baba demonstrates that He clearly manipulates the laws of physical reality, because He can". In another email, she says: "Sai Baba has demonstrated powers of omniscience, omnipotence and omnipresence. I am convinced of His divinity and that everything He does is in the service of the uplift of all. He knows the past, present and future of each of us, and He knows how to transform the world into a world of peace, love and joy for all". She put the question to me: "Is it necessary for a rape victim to receive professional counseling? This assumes that psychology/ psychotherapy has answers that ABSOLUTE TRUTH does not". ------------------------- Note: Ms Drucker writes that "I am happy to discuss and debate issues. I...
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Reply To Claimer of Spiritual Enlightenment (Yaani Drucker Correspondence)
2010-02-20 12:32:00
Below, I respond to Yaani Drucker - who initially wrote to me. For many years, she and her husband Professor Al Drucker (formerly with NASA) have been hero-worshipped by many Sathya Sai devotees worldwide. Ms Drucker has made some facts very clear, although readers may decide whether I am correct in saying that she veers (I think not with deliberate dishonesty) away from key points that I have made.
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Dangerous to Rationalize Rape. A major Sathya Sai Baba Follower?s Example
2010-02-16 01:14:00
We know that Jaani Drucker and her husband Professor Al Drucker have long known, and indeed been the guests of, persons who carefully investigated accounts of Sathya Sai Baba ' sexual abuses of boys and young men, and other serious abuses. The fact is that many boys and young men (and others who have grown older) do not share, Ms Drucker's notion that: "what happens to the body is indeed not real, and has no effect whatsoever on who we are as immortal beings inhabiting a body for a moment". I wrote back to her, with no reply, so I posted the above article. Having now seen the latter, she emailed just yesterday to say: "I did not see your e-mail to me, so it must have gotten into my spam folder". Her reply is scarcely a reply at all. Although her website states that she "has truth, will travel" and that she is happy to discuss and debate issues, she avoids responding to the issues I raised. Why will she not properly discuss or debate?

Barry Pittard Replies To Sathya Sai Center Rape Survivor?s Note To Him
2010-02-08 10:48:00
A number of highly qualified mental health professionals have looked at Jaani Drucker's account of her rape in a New York Sai center in February 1985. Although Ms Drucker has written of her experiences in an area where most recoil from discussing their shocking experiences, there is clear professional opinion that the account she gives contains strong assumptions that can be properly questioned, and which do not constitute the advice that is almost universally given to those dealing with abuse. Rationalization according to belief systems frequently leads to the driving of symptons deeply and perilously underground.
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U.S. State Department Named Sathya Sai Baba To BBC?s ?The Secret Swami?
2010-01-31 01:55:00
(The late) Glen Meloy and U.S. Citizens from an array of professions, and others including myself, made very carefully documented disclosures about allegations confronting Sathya Sai Baba. After former devotees, both in the U.S. and internationally, had spent a great deal of time and effort, the U.S. Department of State issued a Travel Warning to U.S. citizens traveling in Sai Baba's State, Andhra Pradesh, in South India . This was reflected in the 'Travel warning page and Consular information sheet, November 23, 2000'. (Note on Glen Meloy, loved and honored by many Sai devotees during his 26 years of service and devotion to Sai Baba, and by hundreds of former devotees whom he magnificently supported in the aftermath of Sathya Sai Baba's profound betrayal of faith, see: Glen Meloy (?Standing up for truth and goodness?) ? In Memoriam )
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