Nicolás Maduro: post-Chávez bluster disguises pragmatism of

[Sir X]

Nicolás Maduro: post-Chávez bluster disguises pragmatism of a deal-maker

Chosen successor to Chávez has the same ideology as the late Venezuelan president but he is also a negotiator, say observers

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• Jonathan Watts, Latin America correspondent
• guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 6 March 2013 11.52 EST

Nicolás Maduro at the presidental Palace of Miraflores, in Caracas, Venezuela, on 5 March. Photograph: Mauricio Valenzuela/Xinhua/Corbis

The interim president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, may have a reputation as an approachable pragmatist but he has begun the post-Chávez era in the pugnacious style of his former boss – expelling US diplomats, accusing "historical enemies" of poisoning the president and labelling the domestic opposition as fascists who want to divide the country.
The question now is whether that rhetoric sets the tone of the next administration or is simply the opening salvo in an election campaign to decide the long-term successor to the leader who dominated the nation's politics for 14 years.
As the candidate for the ruling United Socialist party, Maduro, a former foreign minister, bus driver and trade union activist, will be the clear favourite but faces tough competition from an opposition that united last year around Henrique Capriles. But Maduro has the ultimate endorsement.
In his last public address before emergency cancer treatment, in December, Hugo Chávez spelled out clearly that the 50-year-old Maduro was his chosen successor.
"My firm opinion, as clear as the full moon – irrevocable, absolute, total – is …that you elect Nicolás Maduro as president," Chávez said in a dramatic televised statement. "I ask this of you from my heart. He is one of the young leaders with the greatest ability to continue, if I cannot."
With an upsurge of sympathy likely to be generated by the huge state funeral that is planned for Friday and endorsements from the many Latin American leaders who will come to pay their respects, Maduro has a good chance of securing a full six-year term. Although a long-term Chávez loyalist, Maduro was until recently known for having a very different persona; he was admired for his quiet demeanour and sensible pragmatism.
"He is a quiet and serious man. A very good orator and clear thinker," said Agustin D'Attellis, an Argentinian government adviser who has attended several meetings with Maduro. "But he is no Chávez."Perhaps hoping for a change, the US reached out to Maduro soon after he became vice-president – and effectively began running the country in Chávez's absence – and received a relatively concilliatory response.
However, Maduro's tone was very different on Tuesday. As well as expelling a US airforce attache accused of trying to foment a military plot, he accused imperial enemies – a term usually associated with the US – of poisoning Chávez. "We have no doubt that commander Chávez was attacked with this illness," Maduro said, echoing a charge first made by the former president himself. "The old enemies of our fatherland looked for a way to harm his health."
He said he would launch an investigation, but the US has denied the poisoning and plotting accusations.
Maduro's background suggests he will be a tough adversary. Born in 1952 and raised in Buenos Aires, he was a rock music enthusiast in his teens – with Led Zeppelin among his favourites – and reportedly considered a career in a band. Instead, he worked for the Caracas metropolitan transport system and became a union activist, who later went for training in Cuba. He retains close links with Cuba and is a friend of the Castros, which suggests he would not cut the subsidised oil supplies that Venezuela now provides to the island, as well as to several other left-leaning nations.
His second wife, Cilia Flores, a lawyer, is a former speaker of the national assembly. She led the legal team that helped free Chávez after the failed 1992 coup against the Pérez government.
The background of this couple suggests they are negotiators rather than confrontationalists, despite the bluff and bluster of Tuesday's press conference, which analysts said was aimed at a domestic audience.
Michael Shifter, head of the Inter-American Dialogue thinktank in Washington DC, said: "Maduro's ideas are not different, but his style is. He is union leader not a lieutenant colonel in the military.
"We can expect him to be rhetorically hardline, but he does have a pragmatic streak that we will see behind the scenes. He's someone that the US, and maybe even the opposition, can deal with.
"There will have to have two tracks: While he is hardline in public, he will have to make deals too to make up for the fact that he is not Chávez."
But nobody is expecting a change in ideology. After winning a seat in the national assembly, he helped revise the constitution and served in several key posts.
As foreign minister from 2006, Maduro was instrumental in forging ties with several of the US's pariah states – Libya, Syria and Iran. He was also credited with persuading Chávez that he should work with the Columbian president, Juan Manuel Santos, to end the long conflict with Farc armed revolutionaries.
Since becoming vice president opponents have mocked Maduro for doing a "bad imitation" of his boss. He has responded with the barbs of a class warrior, calling Capriles "the decadent prince of a parasitic bourgeoise".
As well as rampant inflation, murderously high crime rates and creaking infrastructure, the challenges for Maduro will including maintaining the unity of a ruling coalition, pulled together by the charisma of Chávez.
The absence of Diosdado Cabello, the speaker of the house who has close ties to the military, from Tuesday's televised press conferences, added fuel to rumours of a rift between the two men. But they have repeatedly dismissed such speculation and said they will work closely together to further the revolution begun by Chávez.

[Sir X]

Nicolás Maduro
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This name uses Spanish naming customs; the first or paternal family name is Maduro and the second or maternal family name is Moros.
Nicolás Maduro


President of Venezuela
Interim
Incumbent
Assumed office
5 March 2013
Preceded by Hugo Chávez
Vice President of Venezuela
Incumbent
Assumed office
13 October 2012
President Hugo Chávez
Vacant
Preceded by Elías Jaua
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office
9 August 2006 – 15 January 2013
President Hugo Chávez
Preceded by Alí Rodríguez Araque
Succeeded by Elías Jaua
Personal details
Born Nicolás Maduro Moros
23 November 1962 (age 50)
Caracas, Venezuela
Political party Fifth Republic Movement
(Before 2007)
United Socialist Party
(2007–present)
Spouse(s) Cilia Flores
Religion Catholic and Sathya Sai Baba movement[1] [2]
Nicolás Maduro Moros (born 23 November 1962) is a Venezuelan politician who has been interim President of Venezuela since March 2013. He has been Vice President of Venezuela[3] since October 2012; as Vice President, he became interim President following the death of Hugo Chávez.
He was Minister of Foreign Affairs from August 2006 to January 2013. He is described as a "congenial former bus driver who became a union leader, congressman, foreign minister", and the "most capable administrator and politician of Chávez's inner circle".[4]
Contents [hide]
1 Early life and education
2 Career
2.1 National Assembly and cabinet
2.2 Vice President of Venezuela
2.3 Chavez's successor
2.4 Interim President of Venezuela: 2013–present
2.5 Foreign policy
3 Personal life
4 References
5 External links
[edit]Early life and education

Born in Caracas, Nicolás Maduro attended high school in the Liceo Ávalos, a public high school west of Caracas during the 1980s (El Valle neighborhood).[citation needed]
[edit]Career

Maduro began his political career while working as a bus driver by becoming an unofficial trade-unionist, representing the workers of the Caracas Metro system in the 1970s and 1980s when unions were not allowed. He is considered one of the founders of the Fifth Republic Movement (MVR), but his two biggest political accomplishments were his role in securing Chavez's release from prison in 1994 after his unsuccessful coup in 1992—his wife, Cilia Flores, actually led Chavez's defense—and his service as one of the regional political coordinators during the 1998 presidential election.[5]
[edit]National Assembly and cabinet
Maduro was elected on the MVR ticket to the Venezuelan Chamber of Deputies in 1998, to the National Constituent Assembly in 1999, and to the National Assembly in 2000 and 2005, representing the Capital District. The legislature elected him Speaker of the Assembly, a role he held from 2005 until 9 August 2006, when he was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs.
On 15 December 2011, El Universal reported that Hugo Chavez wanted to make Maduro the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) candidate for governor of the state of Carabobo, which was held by the opposition Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD).[citation needed]
[edit]Vice President of Venezuela
On 10 October 2012, three days after the 2012 presidential election, President Chavez appointed Maduro as Vice President.[6] He took office on 13 October 2012, while retaining his post as Minister of Foreign Affairs.[7]
[edit]Chavez's successor
On 8 December 2012, in an address to the nation, President Hugo Chavez announced that his cancer had returned and that he would be returning to Cuba for emergency surgery and further medical treatment. Chavez said that should his condition worsen and a new presidential election need to be called to replace him, Venezuelans should vote for Maduro to succeed him. This was the first time that Chavez, who died on 5 March 2013, had named a potential successor to his movement, as well as the first time he had publicly acknowledged the possibility of his demise.[8][9]
Chavez's endorsement of Maduro sidelined Diosdado Cabello, a military man and powerful Socialist Party official, with ties to the armed forces who had been considered a top candidate as Chavez's successor. He "immediately pledged loyalty" to both Chavez and Maduro.[10][5]
[edit]Interim President of Venezuela: 2013–present
Upon the death of Chavez on March 5, 2013, reportedly due to complications from cancer, Maduro became interim president. Under the Constitution of Venezuela, a presidential election must be held within 30 days of Chavez' death, since Chavez died within the first four years of his term.[11][12][13] Maduro will be the PSUV's candidate in that election.[14]
[edit]Foreign policy

The neutrality of this article is disputed. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. Please do not remove this message until the dispute is resolved. (December 2012)
Nicolas Maduro is behind a number of Venezuela's foreign policy stances, including the country's support for Libya under Muammar Gaddafi, as well as being responsible for "some of the most pragmatic and conciliatory decisions", including compromises such as the turnaround in relations with Colombia".[15]

In early 2012, Maduro declared during a public speech that the opposition politicians were "faggots". This caused an uproar. Maduro then apologized to the homosexual community, stating that he had said it in the heat of a discussion about what the opposition did.[16]
[edit]Personal life

Maduro is married to Cilia Flores, a prominent lawyer within the Fifth Republic Movement (MVR) who replaced Maduro as Speaker of Assembly in August 2006 when he was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs; she was the first woman to serve as president of the National Assembly (2006–2011). [5][17][18]
Maduro is a devotee of late Indian spiritual teacher Sathya Sai Baba and a large, framed photograph of Sathya Sai Baba was hung on a wall in Maduro’s office.[19][20] He used to travel to India with Cilia Flores to hear the advice of Sathya Sai Baba.[21]

[Sir X]

Get ready for the west character assasination "ead nuh good " im follow indian holy man ,suh im is a weed ead , or aloof.

Sathya Sai Baba
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Śri Sathya Sai Baba

Sathya Sai Baba standing on a float in a parade in 1946.
Born Sathyanarayana Raju
23 November 1926
Puttaparthi, Madras Presidency, British India
Died April 24, 2011 (aged 84)
Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh, India
Quotation Love All, Serve All
Help Ever, Hurt Never[1][2][3]
Śri Sathya Sai Baba (born as Sathyanarayana Raju (23 November 1926 – 24 April 2011[4]) was an Indian guru, spiritual figure, musician, mystic, composer, choreographer, poet, author, orator, philanthropist and educator.[5] He claimed to be the reincarnation of Sai Baba of Shirdi who was considered by his followers to be an avatar, spiritual saint and miracle worker, who died in 1918.[6][7][8][9][10][11]
The materializations of vibhuti (holy ash) and other small objects such as rings, necklaces, and watches by Sathya Sai Baba along with reports of miraculous healings, bilocation, and alleged omnipotence and omniscience were a source of both fame and controversy; devotees considered them signs of divinity, while sceptics viewed them as simple conjuring tricks.
Photos of Sathya Sai Baba are displayed in millions of homes and on car dashboards. Lockets bearing his photo are worn by many as a symbol of good fortune and are often kept in wallets for spiritual protection.[12] Sai Baba had ashrams in 126 countries and also ran a network of hospitals, clinics and schools that were often free.[13]
Contents [hide]
1 Life
1.1 Early life and proclamation
1.2 Later activities and establishments
1.3 Old age, illness and death
1.4 After his death
2 Beliefs and practices of devotees
3 Ashrams and mandirs
4 Institutions, organisations and projects
4.1 Sathya Sai Organisation
5 Criticism and controversy
6 Responses to criticism
7 Noteworthy Followers
8 References
9 Further reading
10 External links
[edit]Life

[edit]Early life and proclamation
Almost everything known about Sathya Sai Baba's early life stems from the hagiography that grew around him, the presentation of narratives that hold special meaning to his devotees and are considered by them evidence of his divine nature.[6][14][15] According to his followers, then, Sathyanarayana Raju was born to Easwaramma and Peddavenkama Raju Ratnakaram in the village of Puttaparthi, in what was the Madras Presidency of British India.[6][16][17] His birth, which his mother Eswaramma asserted was by miraculous conception, was also said to be heralded by miracles.[5][6][18] His siblings included elder brother Ratnam Sesham Raju (1921–1984), sister Venkamma (1923–1993), a second sister Parvathamma (1928–1998), and younger brother Janakiramiah (1930–2003).[19] As a child, he was described as "unusually intelligent" and charitable, though not an exceptionally academically inclined student, as his interests were more of a spiritual nature.[6][15] He was uncommonly talented in devotional music, dance and drama.[15][20] He was said to be capable of materialising objects such as food and sweets out of thin air.[21][22]


Sathya Sai Baba at the age of 14, soon after proclaiming himself as the avatar of Shirdi Sai Baba
On 8 March 1940, while living with his elder brother Sesham Raju in Uravakonda, a small town near Puttaparthi, Sathya was apparently stung by a scorpion.[21][22] He lost consciousness for several hours and[20] in the next few days there was a noticeable change in Sathya's behaviour.[22] There were "symptoms of laughing and weeping, eloquence and silence."[22][23] "He began to sing Sanskrit verses, a language of which he had no prior knowledge."[5] Doctors believed his behaviour to be hysteria.[5][22] His parents brought Sathya back home to Puttaparthi.[24] Concerned, they took him to many priests, "doctors" and exorcists. One of the exorcists at Kadiri went to the extent of torturing him to cure him. However Sathya kept calm throughout, which further worried his parents.[22][23]
On 23 May 1940, Sathya called household members and reportedly materialised prasad and flowers for his family members.[25] His father became furious at seeing this, thinking his son was bewitched. He took a stick and threatened to beat him if Sathya did not reveal who he really was. To this Sathya announced calmly and firmly "I am Sai Baba", a reference to Sai Baba of Shirdi.[5][20] He proclaimed himself to be a reincarnation of Sai Baba of Shirdi—a saint who became famous in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Maharashtra and had died eight years before Sathya was born.[5][24][26]
[edit]Later activities and establishments
In 1944, a mandir (temple) for Sathya Sai Baba's devotees was built near the village of Puttaparthi. It is now referred to as the "old mandir".[27][28] The construction of Prashanthi Nilayam, the current ashram, began in 1948 and was completed in 1950.[6][28] In 1957 Sathya Sai Baba went on a North Indian temple tour.[17] In 1954, Sathya Sai Baba established a small free general hospital in the village of Puttaparthi.[29]
In 1963, Sathya Sai Baba suffered a stroke and four severe heart attacks, which left him paralyzed on one side.[30] These events culminated in an event where he apparently healed himself in front of the thousands of people gathered in Prasanthi Nilayam who were then praying for his recovery. On recovering, Sai Baba gave a discourse announcing that he would be reborn as Prema Sai Baba in the neighbouring state of Karnataka.[6] He stated, "I am Siva-Sakthi, born in the gotra (lineage) of Bharadwaja, according to a boon won by that sage from Siva and Sakthi. Siva was born in the gotra of that sage as Sai Baba of Shirdi; Siva and Sakthi have incarnated as Myself in his gotra now; Sakthi alone will incarnate as the third Sai (Prema Sai Baba) in the same gotra in Mandya district of Karnataka State."[6][31] He stated he would be born again eight years after his death at the age of 96 (96 years based on lunar calender or 85 years based on roman calender).[32]


Sathya Sai Baba, circa 1970s
On 29 June 1968, Sathya Sai Baba made his first and only trip overseas, to Kenya and Uganda.[30][33] During a discourse in Nairobi, Sathya Sai Baba spoke of his personal mission and stated:
"I have come to light the lamp of Love in your hearts, to see that it shines day by day with added lustre. I have not come on behalf of any exclusive religion. I have not come on a mission of publicity for a sect or creed or cause, nor have I come to collect followers for a doctrine. I have no plan to attract disciples or devotees into my fold or any fold. I have come to tell you of this unitary faith, this spiritual principle, this path of Love, this virtue of Love, this duty of Love, this obligation of Love."[34]
In 1968, he established Dharmakshetra or Sathyam Mandir in Mumbai.[35]
In 1973, he established Shivam Mandir in Hyderabad.[35] On 19 January 1981, in Chennai, he inaugurated the Sundaram Mandir.[35]
In a 1993 incident, four intruders armed with knives entered his bedroom, either as an assassination attempt or as part of a power struggle between his followers. Sai Baba was unharmed. During the scuffle and the police response, the intruders and two of Sai Baba's attendants were killed. The official investigation left unanswered questions.[36][37][38]
In March 1995, Sathya Sai Baba started a project to provide drinking water to 1.2 million people in the drought-prone Rayalaseema region in the Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh.[39]
In April 1999 he inaugurated the Ananda Nilayam Mandir in Madurai, Tamil Nadu.
In 2001 he established another free super-speciality hospital in Bangalore to benefit the poor.[29]
[edit]Old age, illness and death
In 2003, Sathya Sai Baba suffered a fractured hip when a student standing on an iron stool slipped and the boy and stool both fell on him. After that he gave darshana from a car or his porte chair.[40][41]
Wikinews has related news: Renowned Indian guru Śrī Satya Sai Baba dies aged 84
After 2004, Sathya Sai Baba used a wheelchair and his failing health forced him to make fewer public appearances.
On 28 March 2011, Sai Baba was admitted to the Sri Sathya Sai Super Speciality Hospital at Prashantigram at Puttaparthi, following respiration-related problems.[42][43] After nearly a month of hospitalisation, during which his condition progressively deteriorated, Sai Baba died on Sunday, 24 April at 7:40 IST, aged 84.[44]
On 29 March 2011, Sathya Sai Baba was listed on the Watkins 100 Spiritual Power list. [45]
Sai Baba had predicted that he would die at age 96 (96 years based on lunar calender or 85 years based on roman calender)and would remain healthy until then.[46] After he died, some devotees suggested that he might have been referring to that many lunar years, rather than solar years,[47] and using the Indian way of accounting for age, which counts the year to come as part of the person's life.[48] Other devotees have spoken of his anticipated resurrection, reincarnation or awakening.[49][50]
His body lay in state for two days and was buried with full state honours on 27 April 2011.[51] An estimated 500,000 people attended the burial, among them the Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and Union Ministers S. M. Krishna and Ambika Soni, as well as other political leaders and prominent figures.[52][53][54][55]
Political leaders who offered their condolences included the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.[51][56][57] Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa[58] and the Dalai Lama.[59] Famous cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, whose birthday was that day, cancelled his birthday celebrations.[60][61] The Hindu newspaper reported that "Sri Sathya Sai Baba's propagation of spiritualism and preaching of Hindu philosophy never came in the way of his commitment to secular beliefs."[62] The Government of Karnataka declared 25 and 26 April as days of mourning and Andhra Pradesh declared 25, 26 and 27 April as days of mourning.[51]
[edit]After his death
On 17 June 2011, officials from the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust (founded as a charitable Trust in India, and legally separate from religious activities),[63] opened his private residence in the presence of government, bank and tax department officials, including retired Supreme Court Judge A P Mishra and retired judge of Karnataka High Court Vaidyanatha, an assessor approved by the Income Tax Department, and former Chief Justice of India P N Bhagavati.[64] In the private residence, which had been sealed since his death, they inventoried 98 kg of gold ornaments, approximate value Rs 21 crore (US$4.7m), 307 kg of silver ornaments, approximate value Rs 1.6 crore (US$0.36m), and Rs 11.6 crore (US$2.6m) in cash. The cash was deposited into the Sai Trust's account at the State Bank of India with payment of government taxes (thus transferring them from religious gifts to Trust assets.) The gold and other items were inventoried, assessed, and placed in secure storage. In July, district authorities found an additional Rs 77 lakh (US$0.17m) in valuables in another 4 rooms.[65] The total value is believed to exceed 7.8 million US dollars.[66]
Also found at Yajurmandir were many articles routinely given away as gifts in various ceremonies to devotees and those who performed selfless service, including thousands of pure silk sarees, dhotis, shirts, 500 pairs of shoes, dozens of bottles of perfume and hairspray, watches, a large number of silver and gold “mangala sutrams”, and precious stones such as diamonds. There were also 750 saffron and white robes of the type Sai Baba wore.[67] In July 2011, a similar opening of his Bangalore-area ashram found 6 kg of gold coins and jewellery, 245 kg of silver articles and Rs 80 lakh in cash. These goods were believed to have been donated over the years by Sathya Sai Baba's devotees from all over the world.[68][69]
On 2 September 2012, Satyajit Sailan, a close aide of Sri Sathya Sai Baba, released to the media a declaration made by Sai Baba, and registered on 23 March 1967, in Bombay (now Mumbai) saying his relatives had no authority over the Sathya Sai Trust assets. The exact text of the declaration was:
I, Sri Sathya Sai of Parshanthi Nilayam P.O. Indian Inhabitant hereby declare as follows:-
1) I was born in the village of Puthaparthi District Anantpur and am at present 44 years old. I joined the school and gave up studies and dedicated myself spread Sanatan Dharma. I am unmarried and I left my parents house at the age of Twelve and have taken up religious order with saffron dress and I have no worldly/or family attachments. I declare that when I left parents' place permanently and adopted Holy order with no intention to revert back. I relinquished all my right title and interest in the family property moveable and/or immovable whatsoever and wherever they may be and that I do not own and possess any personal property, wealth or estate.
Whatever is given to me by my devotees is under my management, supervision and control as a Trustee to be used for public charitable purposes. This declaration I am making so that nobody can claim under or through me in the family properties, if any.[70]
Satyajit also attached the attestation of Indulal Sha, who is the sole surviving witness to the original document. Satyajit said he has been in possession of the document since 1998, as per the directions of Sai Baba. Officials from the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust stated to the media that they would respect this will.[71][72]
[edit]Beliefs and practices of devotees

Main article: Sathya Sai Baba movement
Sathya Sai Baba said that his followers do not need to give up their original religion,[73] saying
My objective is the establishment of sanatana dharma, which believes in one God as propitiated by the founders of all religions. So none has to give up his religion or deity.[74]
He also taught the importance of unity, stating:
There is only one religion, the religion of Love;
There is only one language, the language of the Heart; There is only one caste, the caste of Humanity; There is only one law, the law of Karma;
There is only one God, He is Omnipresent.[74]
The essence of his teachings to devotees were:[75]
Believe in God - for there is only ONE GOD for all mankind, though He may be called by many names.
Follow sincerely their respective religions and live their daily lives in consonance with the teachings of good behaviour and morality.
Respect all other religions - for no religion advocates the negative and lower qualities of man.
Perform selfless service to the poor, the sick, and the needy without thought of reward or fame.
Cultivate in their lives the values of truth, divine love, right conduct, peace, and nonviolence and promote these values among all.
Be patriotic and respect the laws of the country in which they live.
Internationally, Sathya Sai Baba devotees gather daily, or weekly on Sundays or Thursdays or both, to sing group devotional songs,[76] prayer,[77] spiritual meditation, service to the community (Seva),[78] and to participate in "Education in Human Values" (SSEHV)[77] known as "Bal Vikas" (Blossoming of the Child), that can also be described as Sai Sunday School.
A primary aspect of Baba's teachings was the spiritual benefit of darshan for his students. At that time, Sai Baba would interact with people, accept letters, materialise and distribute vibhuti (sacred ash) or call groups or individuals for interviews. Devotees considered it a great privilege to have an interview and sometimes a single person, group or family was invited for a private interview for answers to spiritual questions and general guidance.[20]
[edit]Ashrams and mandirs



Puttaparthi, A.P.
Main article: Prasanthi Nilayam


Chaitanya Jyoti Museum devoted to the life and teachings of Sathya Sai Baba
Puttaparthi, where Sathya Sai Baba was born and lived, was originally a small, remote South Indian village in Andhra Pradesh. Now there is an extensive university complex, a speciality hospital, and two museums: the Sanathana Samskruti or Eternal Heritage Museum, sometimes called the Museum of All Religions, and the Chaitanya Jyoti, devoted exclusively to the life and teachings of Sathya Sai Baba; the latter has won several international awards for its architectural design.[79] There is also a planetarium, a railway station, a hill-view stadium, an administrative building, an airport, an indoor sports stadium and more.[80] High-ranking Indian politicians such as the former President Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Andhra Pradesh former Chief Minister Konijeti Rosaiah and Karnataka Chief Minister B. S. Yeddyurappa have been official guests at the ashram in Puttaparthi.[81][82] On Sathya Sai Baba's 80th birthday celebration, it was reported that well over a million people attended, including 13,000 delegates from India and 180 other countries.[83]


Hill in Prashanthi Nilayam with statues of Hanuman, Krishna, Shirdi Sai Baba, Shiva, Buddha, Christ, Zarathustra.
Sathya Sai Baba resided much of the time in his main ashram called Prashanthi Nilayam (Abode of Highest Peace) at Puttaparthi. In the hot summer he used to leave for his other ashram, called Brindavan, in Kadugodi, Whitefield, a town on the outskirts of Bangalore. Occasionally he visited his Sai Shruti ashram in Kodaikanal.[84]
Sathya Sai Baba established three primary mandirs (spiritual centres) in India. The first mandir, founded in Mumbai in 1968, is referred to as either "Dharmakshetra" or "Sathyam". The second centre, established in Hyderabad in 1973, is referred to as "Shivam". The third centre, inaugurated on 19 January 1981 in Chennai, is referred to as "Sundaram".[35]
[edit]Institutions, organisations and projects



Sri Sathya Sai University, Puttaparthi, A.P., India
Sathya Sai Baba supported a variety of free educational institutions, hospitals, and other charitable works in over 166 countries.[85]
Sri Sathya Sai University, of which Baba was the Chancellor, has three campuses, one at Puttaparthi for men,[86] one at Whitefield, Bangalore for men[87] and one at Anantapur for women.[88]
His charity supports an institute for Indian classical music called the Sri Sathya Sai Mirpuri College of Music.
Baba's educational institutions aim to impart character education along with excellence in academics with emphasis on human values and ethics.[89]
Sathya Sai Baba chaired the Muddenahalli-Sathya Sai Loka Seva School and Sri Sathya Sai Loka Seva Trust Educational Institutions in Muddenahalli-Kanivenarayanapura regions. In addition, a Sathya Sai Baba University and Medical School as well as a world-class hospital and research institute are being constructed on over 200 acres (0.81 km2) to serve the destitute population. Baba said that the campus will be modelled after Puttaparthi and will infuse spirituality with academics.[90][91]


Sri Sathya Sai Super Specialty Hospital, Whitefield (suburb of Bangalore), Karnataka, India
The Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences in Puttaparthi is a 220-bed facility which provides free surgical and medical care and which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narasimha Rao on 22 November 1991.[29] The Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences in Bangalore is a 333-bed hospital meant to benefit the poor.[92] The hospital was inaugurated on 19 January 2001 by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.[93][94] The hospital has provided free medical care to over 250,000 patients.[95]
The Sri Sathya Sai General Hospital was opened in Whitefield, Bangalore, in 1977 and provides complex surgery, food and medicines free of cost. The hospital has treated over 2 million patients.[96]
The Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust runs several general hospitals, two specialty hospitals, eye hospitals and mobile dispensaries and conducts medical camps in rural and slum areas in India.[85] The Trust has also funded several major drinking water projects. One project completed in 1996 supplies water to 1.2 million people in about 750 villages in the drought-prone Anantapur district in Andhra Pradesh.[39][97] The second drinking water project, completed in 2004, supplies water to Chennai through a rebuilt waterway named "Sathya Sai Ganga Canal".[98][99] Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi praised the Chennai water project and Sai Baba's involvement.[100][101] Other completed water projects include the Medak District Project benefitting 450,000 people in 179 villages and the Mahbubnagar District Project benefitting 350,000 people in 141 villages.[39] In January 2007, the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust said it would start a drinking water project in Latur, Maharashtra.[102] In 2008, 2 million people in the state of Odisha were affected by floods. As a relief measure, Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organization, has built 699 houses as a part of their first phase in 16 villages by March 2009.[103]
Sathya Sai Baba's Educare programme seeks to found schools throughout the world with the goal of educating children in the five human values. According to the Sai Educare site, schools have been founded in 33 countries, including Australia, Mexico, the United Kingdom and Peru.[104][105] The Times of Zambia states, "The positive influence of Sathya Sai is unprecedented in the annals of education in Zambia. Sai Baba's education ideals as embodied in his human values-based approach in education are an eye-opener to educationists in Zambia."[106]
In Canada, the Fraser Institute, an independent Canadian research and educational organisation, ranked the Sathya Sai School of Canada as one of the top 37 elementary schools in Ontario.[107] The Sathya Sai School scored a perfect 10 out of 10 in the Institute's overall rating for academic performance.[107][108][109]
On 23 November 1999, the Department of Posts, Government of India, released a postage stamp and a postal cover in recognition of the service rendered by Sathya Sai Baba in addressing the problem of providing safe drinking water to the rural masses.[110]
On 23 November 2001, the digital radio network Radio Sai Global Harmony was launched through the World Space Organization, United States. Dr Michael Oleinikof Nobel (distant relative to Alfred Nobel and one of the patrons for the radio network) said that the radio network would spread Sathya Sai Baba's message of global harmony and peace.[111]
In January 2007, an event was held in Chennai Nehru stadium organised by the Chennai Citizens' Conclave to thank Sathya Sai Baba for the 200 crore water project which brought water from the River Krishna in Andhra Pradesh to Chennai city. Four chief ministers attended the function.[112][113]


Sri Sathya Sai Super Speciality Hospital, Puttaparthi, A.P., India
[edit]Sathya Sai Organisation
The Sathya Sai Organisation reports that there are an estimated 1,200 Sathya Sai Baba Centres in 114 countries.[114][115] However, the number of active Sathya Sai Baba followers is hard to determine.[6] Estimates vary from 6 million[116] up to nearly 100 million.[117] In India itself, Sai Baba drew followers predominantly from the upper-middle-class, the urban sections of society who have the "most wealth, education and exposure to Western ideas."[14] In 2002, he claimed to have followers in 178 countries.[118][119]
Sathya Sai Baba founded a large number of schools and colleges, hospitals, and other charitable institutions in India and abroad, the total value of which is usually estimated at Rs. 40,000 crore (US$ 9 billion).[120][121][122] However, estimates as high as 1.4 trillion rupees (about US$ 31.5bn) have also been made.[123] After his death, questions about the manner in which the finances of the organisation were going to be managed led to speculations of impropriety, with some reports suggesting that suitcases containing cash and/or gold had been removed from his personal lodgings.[122][124][125]
[edit]Criticism and controversy

Accusations levelled against Sathya Sai Baba by his critics over the years have included sleight of hand, sexual abuse, money laundering, fraud in the performance of service projects, and murder.[126][127]
In April 1976, Hosur Narasimhaiah, a physicist, rationalist and then vice chancellor of Bangalore University, founded and chaired a committee "to rationally and scientifically investigate miracles and other verifiable superstitions". Narasimhaiah wrote Sathya Sai Baba three letters that were widely publicized, in which he publicly challenged him to perform his miracles under controlled conditions, which went ignored.[128] Sathya Sai Baba said that he ignored Narasimhaiah's challenge because he felt his approach was improper, adding that "Science must confine its inquiry only to things belonging to the human senses, while spiritualism transcends the senses. If you want to understand the nature of spiritual power you can do so only through the path of spirituality and not science. What science has been able to unravel is merely a fraction of the cosmic phenomena ..."[129] Narasimhaiah's committee was dissolved in August 1977. According to Erlendur Haraldsson, the formal challenge from the committee came to a dead end because of the negative attitude of the committee and perhaps because of all the fanfare surrounding it. Narasimhaiah held the fact that Sathya Sai Baba ignored his letters to be one of several indications that his miracles were fraudulent.[130] As a result of this episode, a public debate raged for several months in Indian newspapers.[131]
Indian rationalist Basava Premanand, who campaigned against Sai Baba for over 40 years from 1968, unsuccessfully attempted to sue Sathya Sai Baba in 1986 for violations of the Gold Control Act, citing Sathya Sai Baba's purported materialisations of gold objects. When the case was dismissed, Premanand unsuccessfully appealed on the grounds that claimed spiritual power is not a defence recognised in law.[132]
A 1995 TV documentary Guru Busters, produced by filmmaker Robert Eagle for the UK's Channel 4, accused Sathya Sai Baba of faking his materialisations.[133] The clip from the film was mentioned in the Deccan Chronicle, on 23 November 1992, in a front page headline "DD Tape Unveils Baba Magic".[134] However, Haraldsson stated that, on investigating the DD video, researchers did not find evidence of fake materialisation as claimed by the Deccan Chronicle. According to Haraldsson, the video was taken to a company that investigates corporate fraud. In spite of improving the graininess of the low quality video with enhanced filters and running it through advanced image-processing systems, Haraldsson stated the DD video did not provide firm evidence of sleight of hand.[135]
In 1998, British journalist Mick Brown stated in his book The Spiritual Tourist that in his opinion Sathya Sai Baba's claim of "resurrecting" the American devotee Walter Cowan in 1971 was probably untrue.[136] His opinion was based on letters from the attending doctors presented in the magazine Indian Skeptic, published by Premanand.[136][137] Brown also related, in the same book, his experiences with manifestations of vibuthi from Sathya Sai Baba's pictures in houses in London, which he felt were not fraudulent or the result of trickery.[138] Brown wrote with regards to Sathya Sai Baba's claims of omniscience, that "sceptics have produced documentation clearly showing discrepancies between Baba's reading of historical events and biblical prophecies, and the established accounts."[136]
The Vancouver Sun in 2001 mistakenly reported that Sathya Sai Baba told his adherents not to browse the Internet[139] after Sathya Sai Baba said, "These teachings (the Vedas) are highly sacred. Today people are ready to believe all that they see on television and internet but do not repose their faith in the Vedic declarations. Internet is like a waste paper basket. Follow the 'innernet,' not the internet."[140]
In January 2002, a documentary produced by Denmark's national television and radio broadcast company, Danmarks Radio (DR), named Seduced By Sai Baba, presented interviews with Alaya Rahm and his sexual abuse allegations. [126] The documentary analysed videos of alleged public manifestations of Sathya Sai Baba, and suggested that they could be explained as sleight of hand.[141] As a result, in 2002 the Parliament of the United Kingdom discussed the possible danger to male children of British families intending to visit the ashram of Sathya Sai Baba in case of individual audiences with the guru.[142]
In 2004, the BBC produced a documentary titled The Secret Swami, as part of its series "The World Uncovered".[143] One central theme of the BBC documentary was again Alaya Rahm's sexual abuse allegations against Sathya Sai Baba.[144] This documentary interviewed him together with Mark Roche, who had spent 25 years of his life since 1969 in the movement and alleged abuse by Sai Baba.[144] The show also featured allegations from Sai Baba critic Basava Premanand. Premanand stated in the documentary that, in his opinion, Sai Baba faked his materialisations. Here, he claimed that Sathya Sai Baba was "not just a fraud, but a dangerous sexual abuser". According to his interview, he had stories which spanned 30 years, and he stated that his stories were similar, a common practice being the rubbing of genitals with oil by the spiritual leader. Among his claims were that one ex-devotee claimed Sai Baba "put the oil on his hands, told me to drop my pants and rubbed my genitals with the oil". Premanand theorised that many Indian boys were abused but were never heard from because they too afraid to speak out, alleging Sai Baba was well-connected with the elite and powerful of India.[126]
In his book Redemptive Encounters: Three Modern Styles in the Hindu Tradition, Lawrence A. Babb wrote of Sathya Sai Baba, "Whoever he is, he is certainly more than the mere parlour magician many of his critics claim that he is."[6]
[edit]Responses to criticism

Sathya Sai Baba and his followers rejected any allegations of misconduct, which were never proven to be true.[13] Devotee Bill Aitken was quoted by The Week as saying that Sathya Sai Baba's reputation had not been harmed by the negative stories published about him. He said that the more detractors railed against Sathya Sai Baba, the more new devotees went to see him.[145]
In the article Divine Downfall, published in the Daily Telegraph, Anil Kumar, the ex-principal of the Sathya Sai Educational Institute, said that he believed that the controversy was part of Baba's divine plan and that all great religious teachers had to face criticism during their lives. Anil Kumar also said that allegations had been levelled at Sathya Sai Baba since childhood, but with every criticism he had become more and more triumphant.[146]
Sathya Sai Baba publicly responded to the allegations on 25 December 2000:
Some people out of their mean-mindedness are trying to tarnish the image of Sai Baba. I am not after name and fame. So, I do not lose anything by their false allegations. My glory will go on increasing day by day. It will never diminish even a bit if they were to publicise their false allegations in the whole world in bold letters. Some devotees seem to be perturbed over these false statements. They are not true devotees at all. Having known the mighty power of Sai, why should they be afraid of the 'cawing of crows'? One should not get carried away by all that is written on walls, said in political meetings or the vulgar tales carried by the print media.[147]
The Times Of India on 26 December 2000 quoted Sathya Sai Baba as saying:
Jesus Christ underwent many hardships, and was put to the cross because of jealousy. Many around him could not bear the good work he did and the large number of followers he gathered. One of his disciples, Judas, betrayed him. In those days there was one Judas, but today there are thousands. Just as that Judas was tempted to betray Jesus, the Judases of today, too, are bought out to lie. Jealousy was the motive behind the allegations levelled at him.[148]
In an official letter made public in December 2001, Atal Bihari Vajpayee (then Prime Minister of India and a devotee of Sathya Sai Baba[119]), P.N. Bhagawati (Former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India), Ranganath Misra (Chair Person, National Human Rights Commissioner of India and Former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India), Najma Heptulla (President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union; UNDP Distinguished Human Development Ambassador) and Shivraj Patil (Member of Parliament, India; Formerly of the Lok Sabha & Union Minister) all signed the following statement:
We are deeply pained and anguished by the wild, reckless and concocted allegations made by certain vested interests and people against Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. We would normally expect that responsible media would ascertain the true facts before printing such calumny – especially when the person is revered globally as an embodiment of love and selfless service to humanity. Since this professional ethic has not been observed by a section of the media, we have elected to go public with this signed statement.[149]
[edit]Noteworthy Followers

Isaac Tigrett
Sachin Tendulkar
Nicolás Maduro
Hariharan
Dana Gillespie
Goldie Hawn
Sarah Ferguson
Anup Jalota
[edit]References