Directly recorded notes from conversations with Mr. V. Ramnath (IAS) at Christmas 1996
Reported information on Sai Baba's Mr. Kaw, former Indian Secretary of Civil Aviation
Transcript of scan below text - of the views of Mr. V. Ramnath (that is, not mine) as noted down directly afterwards:
Mr. Kaw of Delhi, whose son is the bhajan leader in Moscow, was 'called' by Sai in the 1960s when he was standing by a road somewhere in Arunachala Pradesh (or elsewhere in north). Baba just stopped and came up to him, made vibuthi for his baby son and kumkum. This was the first Mr. Kaw heard of Sai Baba!
Comment: There is nothing remarkable in that. Sai Baba recruited countless people in this kind of way on his travels. Eventually most of those who later came to him, no doubt remembered the incident when reading about him or seeing a photo of him in his unmistakable orange robe with black Afro frizz. Those who got positions of note (often seen even by the caste and condition of a young person) would eventually come in for special treatment, for they had much to give in return.
Now he gets the 'red carpet' treatment. He writes to Baba whenever he wants to visit P.N. and Baba himself sends word to the accommodation office to get a room ready for him.
Comment: Typical how Sai Baba gives priviliged to the already-privileged who have position he can exploit to the benefit of his supposed 'Mission'.
In the interviews Baba fusses over Mr. Kaw. he even made this very rotund gent. sit on His lap for 20 mins., pinching his cheek etc. all the time. Mr. Kaw protested: "How should I sit on your lap, I who am so heavy?" Baba said "I am much stronger than you are. So come on!"
Comment: One must realise that Mr. Maharaj Krishen Kaw, in his government capacity as Secretary of Civil Aviation, was able to build and donate an airport capable of taking jumbo jets to Sathya Sai Central Trust! This merits more than a bit of attention, one might imagine?
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This treatment - the constant interviews - and the actual fondling of an elderly man - makes on think that Baba treats as children many of those who get much attention. Perhaps they can't manage to keep on the path without this. Perhaps they have "earned" this grace in a previous life, but still have great weaknesses to overcome in this one, that Baba has to give them all his encouragement and inspiration. There are certainly many others who visit Baba who lead very exemplary lives and yet who do not benefit in this way - or who do so only for a period of some years - before they have to manage without the repeated interviews. However, those who long for interviews are apparently seldom sated - on the contrary, they crave for more and more, and not seldom even overstep the bounds of civility and decency to try to ensure that their prominence and constant "front-line visibility" wherever Baba is.
Comment: No doubt Mr. Kaw is very protective of his ashram privileges, as Ramnath also told me how he would complain to Sai Baba if anything was not entirely in order, and this would soon be righted by the subservient staff who Baba would summon. However, Mr. M. K. Kaw made a true fool of himself by believing all Sai Baba's advance calcuations of the lakhs of rupees the Authority would earn in the first year alone - it got not one rupee for several years, and then ran close to the red line until it was put up fotr sale last year (no buyers yet!) Mr. Kaw overstepped all legal boundaries in his actions - and was brought to book by his superior Minister in the Government. One can read more of his denoument here
V.K. Narasimhan was very sceptical about the Sathya Sai Airport and revealed key facts about it (see here and here)
Mr Maharaj Krishen Kaw's praise of Sai Baba can be read here
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