Premanand and Gerald Moreno

REFUTATION OF UNFOUNDED ALLEGATIONS AGAINST AN ANONYMOUS LETTER - part one
by Basava Premanand

Reply to Mr. Gerald Moreno's claims in his article published on his website
http://www.saisathyasai.com/baba/Ex-Baba.com/under

The article - under the pages called 'B. Premanand Deception' is titled: The Basava Premanand Anonymous Letter : vested Interests and Striking Similarities.
July 2001 :Anonymous Letter: Basava Premanand's Questionable Involvment Updated : May 5th, 2005

Gerald Moreno's comments appear in bold black face and mine in regular case navy blue type.

Mr.Gerald Moreno starts his speculation with an introduction to Prof.Abraham T.Kovoor an Indian Rationalist with "consequently, I will uphold Dr.Kovoor's logic regarding this anonymous letter written against Sathya Sai Baba".
Though GM alleges to have upheld Dr.Kovoor's "logic" regarding the article "Betrayal", he has criticised Prof.A.T.Kovoor's logic in some of his (GM's) speculations. As this does not concern the article "Betrayal" published by me I will be replying to GM's criticism against him separately in another article

GM : Despite Basava Premanand agreeing with, and praising, Dr. Kovoor's logic, Basava Premanand turns right around and accepts, and disseminates, an anonymous story of sexual impropriety, alleged against Sathya Sai Baba.

His conclusion that the article in question is an anonymous story is utterly false. It is not an anonymous story but a true fact.

GM: I think that it is about time that Basava Premanand start living up to the same standards he lauds Dr. Kovoor for, but fails to practice himself.

I have not asked for GM's advice that I should start living up the same standards I laud Dr.Kovoor, but fails to practice myself. No one has alleged that I fail to practice the same standard of Dr.Kovoor. I do not accept his speculations that I failed to practice it myself. GM does not explain specifically where I have failed, but only makes speculations and assumptions.

GM: Consequently, I will uphold Dr. Kovoor's logic regarding this anonymous letter written against Sathya Sai Baba.

My reply to GM's article "Basava Premanand's questionable involvement" is that he has not proceeded according to Prof. Kovoor's method and has utterly failed in his attempt to prove anything.

GM : First, here are some facts about this letter: 1) Basava Premanand allegedly received the anonymous letter in early December 1998;

He is day dreaming. It is true that I received the article "Betrayal", but it was not in December 1998: If GM has no proof, why does he guess?

GM : 2) Basava Premanand claimed he sent a registered letter on December 9th 1998 to the (unnamed) Vice Chancellor of the Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning asking to investigate the claims made in the letter.

It is not a claim but a fact that I addressed a letter on December 9th 1998 to the Vice Chancellor of SSIHL. The proof that I have sent it is published in the Indian Skeptic Vol 12 No.4 dated 15.8.1999. on page 19. I have published the photo copy of the postal acknowledgement No.82/10-12 received by the Vice Chancellor of SSIHL on 14.12.98. The seal of the SSIHL is also on the acknowledgement. In official correspondences we do not address letters with the personal names of the officer concerned. The copy of the letter dated 9.12.1998 is also published on page 19-20 I have never asked the VC to investigate claims made in the letter.

As almost every issue contains something about Sathya Sai Baba I post every month a copy of Indian skeptic to SSIHL so that if I have made any mistake I may be corrected. No one there has pointed out any falsehood in my articles on Sathya Sai Baba since 1988.
That I requested him to investigate the claims made in "Betrayal"? If he has read my letter to VC, he would not have come to such wild conclusions.

This is what I wrote in the letter:-
"we have been getting several letters from your students about the sexual abuse of the students. I am sending herewith one letter so that after going through the same you can inform me whether what is stated in the article is true or not, If it is not true I would be thankful to you if you can allow me to visit your university at Puttaparthi, Whitefield and Anantapur and so also the other schools to interview the students and teachers whose names are mentioned in the article to evaluate the truth in the article. I hope you will have no hesitation in replying to this letter."

The very fact that the VC did not care to allow me to interview the persons named in the article is because the article was true. It would have been easy for him to find if the students and persons mentioned in the article were studying or working there and allow me to interview them and thus prove that Sathya Sai Baba was innocent and above criticism. This would have surely enhanced the reputation and integrity of Sathya Sai Baba greatly. On one side GM states that he upholds Dr.Kovoor's logic regarding this anonymous letter but in reality he is topsy-turvily not questioning the Sathya Sai Baba organisation but speculating instead on my so called 'questionable involvement'. This chapter could have been closed then itself if the VC had been courageous enough to trace the students and allow me to question them. I can only say that GM's Deception series are to whitewash the dirt accumulated around Sathya Sai Baba.

GM : Basava Premanand alleged that several letters were sent to him from Sathya Sai Baba students, alleging sexual abuse.

It is true and not an allegation. If GM has read pages 133 and 134 in vol.I in My Book 'Murders in Sai Baba's Bed Room', he would have seen a photocopy of the original letter no.2907/79/HJ/DH - dated 14th march 1981 - by a well known lawyer, who held a responsible post in Sathya Sai Baba Org. in Malaysia. In one of his later letters he wanted me to contact the students from Malaysia studying in Sathya Sai Baba educational institutions.

GM : 3) Basava Premanand decided to publish the anonymous letter on the Indian Skeptic website in August 1999.

The article was published in Indian Skeptic in the issue vol.12 No.14 dated 15.8.1999. I have no website and my overseas friends have started to post many of my articles on their websites. If GM can let me know the website details where this article was published, I can trace it. Now why did he not carry the full article with my comments, copy of the registered letter to the VC etc., when he has given details of 6 websites where he claims my articles are published? Is it because of the fear that some of the students or their parents - if they browse his website - might come to know the names of the students and the teachers and confirm the matter in the article as true? My letter addressed to VC along with my article "The Sai Baba and his students" and "Abuse of Children by Sai Baba" are published in the book "Murders in Sai Baba's Bed Room" on pages 410 to 413 Vol.I

GM : When I first read this letter, I was stuck at the amazing similarity it had to Basava Premanand's own writing style.

GM has not quoted any of my articles, which come to thousands. If he will point out specifically which are the articles and what comparison he has made of my articles and the article "Betraya"', I can explain. He also did not care to contact a language expert and get his opinion whether there is any similarity in my articles and "Betrayal". Then GM could have saved his time, instead of publishing his wild guesses without any proof.

GM : I also had serious doubts about this letter because the anonymous writer referred to Sathya Sai Baba as "Babaji".

I have never used so far the word "Babaji" for Sathya Sai Baba nor do I add "Ji" as a prefix when I write letters and this would itself show that the "Betrayal" is not my writing style even in the articles and letters published along with "Betrayal"

GM : This is highly unusual as the added "ji" denotes great respect and reverence in India. Although many are well acquainted with the name of "Gandhi", most are not aware that many Indians refer to Gandhi as "Gandhiji", indicating great reverence and respect.

"Ji" is usually used all over India to elderly persons while speaking or writing to him. This is not unusual. Besides, GM is wrong again about 'great respect and reverence' because adding 'Ji' to a name can simply be a friendly gesture to anyone one likes. It shows GM knows only Sai devotees or other people-worshippers?

He has not pointed out anywhere in Sathya Sai Baba literature any one addressing Sathya Sai Baba as Babaji. Does he mean to assume that those who do not use Ji along with Sathya Sai Baba are not ardent devotees? GM is not consistent and so is completely confused also about all this, it seems.

GM : The anonymous letter, allegedly received by Basava Premanand, was not written by a devotee, but by someone who clearly disliked Sathya Sai Baba and saw Sathya Sai Baba as a cheat, liar and fraud.

His assumptions go topsy-turvy when he first stated that "Ji" is added to one's name indicates great reverence and respect, then stating the article was not written by a devotee. But by one who dislikes Sathya Sai Baba. I could not find the words "cheat, liar and fraud" in the article "Betrayal" and may be that was also why he did not publish the full article in his Deception series, so that his readers may not check it.

GM : Since the anonymous writer referred to Sathya Sai Baba as "babaji", this clearly suggests a cover up in his/her writing style.

If one reads the article "Betrayal" it is easy to find that the writer was with Sathya Sai Baba for a long time and what he had narrated was truth. When GM has not checked any of his letters or articles other than "Betrayal", I wonder how he came to the conclusion that "this clearly suggests a cover up in his/her writing style"? GM shows he is is full of suspicion and paranoia, which affects all his writings on the internet

GM : By substituting "Babaji" with "Sai Baba", one will notice the striking writing style, very similar to Basava Premanand's. Unless he points out the article, sentence by sentence and points out in which sentence or word in "Betrayal" where the striking writing style could be noticed, he is just deliberately confusing his readers to believe his unfounded claims.

GM : Here is the anonymous letter and my comments about it will follow: Please Be Advised: Graphic Language:

But what he has published is only 14 lines with 20 words in each line while the article contains more than 400 lines with about 18 words in each line! What was the purpose of him publishing only 14 lines as the anonymous letter? Was it because it was not possible for him to refute the main part - that is, the text quoted by him is just the first two paragraphs of the article! He also has dishonestly not given the details of the website! He has not verified from me whether it is a anonymous letter and his assumptions are only to defame me.

GM : Oddly enough, even though this anonymous letter was sent to Basava Premanand, it is not addressed to him!

Did GM check with me whether there was a covering letter? No. "Betrayal" is an article and articles are usually sent to the addressee with a covering letter.

GM : The anonymous writer said, "This could have been published in a book or a magazine, but then you would not have got it to read so easily, because it would have been classified as 'anti material'." As if it could be classified as anything else!

The above statement is not there in either para GM quoted from the article and his readers cannot compare the line he has quoted with the original text.
The article was distributed amongst many students in Puttaparthi, Whitefield etc., because if it is published in some books or magazines they would not have read it, the Sathya Sai Baba authorities would classify it as anti - material and hide it. GM has himself confirmed this by stating "as if it could be classified as anything!"
As I understand that the copies of Indian Skeptic sent to SSIHL is not put on the library table. My letter starts with the following paragraph: "we hope you are keeping the copies of Indian Skeptic which we post to the Librarian of your university on the reading table. As knowledge cannot be gained unless the students look at the subject from different angles they cannot came to the truth."

GM : Also, since this person sent this anonymous letter only to Basava Premanand, it remains unclear how people would have had "easier" access to it than if it was submitted to a book or magazine.

Here also GM has gone wrong in his speculations. The article was not meant for the public but for the information of students joining the Sathya Sai Baba educational institutions. It was sent to me alone because of the hope I would do something to stop this sexual abuse of the students. The writer had read about my work from the newspapers about my writ petition for a CBI enquiry on the murders in Sai Baba's bedroom. Sathya Sai Baba could not have stopped the students or their parents reading "Betrayal".

GM : Suspiciously enough, no one else received this letter besides Premanand. The letter is also written in third person.

He is talking as if he has investigated this. The VC did not care to question the students, might be he knew the fact mentioned in the article was true, nor did he invite me to interview the persons mentioned in the article. If GM had given the full text of the article in his Deception series the students would have known the truth. It is written in third person because if the writer's identity was discovered he would have been long since dead.

Along with the article "Betrayal" I have published another article "Sai Baba and his Students" along with a news clipping from Vaartha of 29.6.1998 that a Ramu aged 14, the student of Eswaramma High School run by Sathya Sai Baba, disappeared since a week. The photograph of the student also is published along with the article. Evidence for the dangers which those who expose Sathya Sai Baba will be presented in our law courts

His friend gave him two photo film rolls for safe keeping. The watchman and warded of Sathya Sai Baba found Ramu with films and handed him over to police. What happened to the 2 film rolls is not known. After the interrogation, while the police alleged that they have let him off. there is no witness who saw him coming out of the police station. The father has given his phone no.08555-87826 so that if someone traces him, he would be informed. The police also did not register the complaint on the missing boy. Was the youth disposed off in the electric crematorium? What happened to the 2 film rolls? Did these films contain any incriminating evidence against Sathya Sai Baba? What happened to his friend who gave the films for safe keeping?

GM : The anonymous person who wrote this letter is telling a story in which he/she was not involved. The anonymous writer never, at any time, claimed to be Sai Student and never, at any time claimed he was sexually abused!

I did not publish the confession of the student fearing that the instances narrated in it could identify the student and the family from the records of the educational institution. I did not want it to be published in Indian Skeptic or any news papers. Under the circumstances I only published the article "Betrayal" by his father which was earlier distributed to the Sathya Sai Baba students secretly by him.

GM : This is important to remember because Premanand claims that this letter was sent to him by a Sai Student who claimed he was sexually abused. How does Premanand know this as a fact, when nowhere, in the letter, that claim is made?

It is because I published the letter of the father instead of the letter of the son as the son's statement because if it were published it would give away his identity to Sathya Sai Baba and his people, which will be dangerous to his life - like the student in the same article published by Vaartha who disappeared.

For GM's information, I have received innumerous false letters about the sexual abuse of the students but Sathya Sai Baba did not know that I publish such letters only after verification. The recent letters received by the exposé group were from one Murali Krishna and after enquiry the letters he had sent in many names were all found to be by him but from different e-mail addresses. Even GM has affirmed that he signed the JuST petition in several different bogus names with bogus e-mail addresses. So it is very clear that he and other Sathya Sai Baba members are adepts in faking things and so he assumes that others are also like him and without proper checking he calls them questionable. His assumption or speculation have no value at all, even though he is an expert in faking. That "anyone, anyone!" could fake such information is another typically absurd exaggeration by GM. He is chronically unwilling to accept straight explanations, even those submitted to police, legal and government authorities, can be true.

GM : Towards the very end of the letter, the Christian concept of the "Judgment Day" is tossed in. This could have been a not-so-clever ploy to conceal the person's true beliefs or it was written by a Fundamentalist Christian who clearly has an Anti-Sai agenda. Either scenario is very troubling.

All religions talk about the judgement day. This is not the monopoly of Christianity alone. GM has it in his reference No.6 to my article "Christ is tempted". Such criticism by me would prove that I have no affinity with any religion including the present Buddhism which is considered to be an atheist religion.
GM has not published the article "Betrayal" fully for this simple reason that his deceit would be exposed.
The very sentence in the last page of the article "so read it and pass it on to a friend in whom you have absolute confidence and who will not betray you", would clearly prove that "Betrayal" article was circulated among the students.
The last sentence states as follows:
"Do believe in god, he will protect you and think and observe." This is a general statement by all religions and 'think and observe' is a quotation from method of science charter.
For GM's information, I do not believe in god as I am yet to experience him. I also have no objection if people want to believe in god as it is a philosophy of life. Most religions define god as omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent. What I request those people is to believe in such a god directly. God does not need agents to prove his powers. What the religions and agents of gods do is to exploit believers in the name of god.

GM : Nevertheless, there are some striking similarities between this anonymous letter and articles authored by Basava Premanand that needs to be brought to the attention of the general public.

I shall go through the striking similarities which GM thinks he sees before I refute them. I am happy if he has introduced me to any wider public in his article, for with my reply they will surely know what is his aim in publishing his deceptive 'Deception' articles.

GM : The anonymous writer says, under the 'Miracles' section, "As soon as Babaji comes out keep observing his left hand, it will be closed. In the hand are about 5-6 small balls of vibhuti which are made with the help of water or a mild gum and dried. This is done by Babaji personally upstairs.

I have not explained the above in the article quoted by GM at http://exbaba.com/articles/premanandmiracles.html
In this article titled 'An Indian Skeptics explanation of Miracles', what I have mentioned is "what the godmen do is, that they mix perfume in the ash or purchase perfumed ash and make a dow by adding starch solution (kanji water is the best) and then make small balls and dry them. These balls are hidden between the thumb and the pointing finger and after circling the hand palms down and while raising the hand to produce the vibhuti, bring the ball to the finger tips, powder the same and give it to the devotee. Though the method used by Sathya Sai Baba has to be explained same way though both the articles have no similarity in writing style. I do not find any striking similarities in the explanation given in the article "Betrayal" or my article GM has referenced.

GM : As soon as Babaji comes out of the interview room, immediately he takes a letter and holds it in the left hand which is now kept upwards, hence the balls do not fall. Now while talking he deftly shifts one ball to the right hand, faces the palm down and rotates the palm, the vibhuti ball is always kept between the 1st and the 2nd fingers; while giving the vibhuti he simply crushes the ball and gives it to the waiting Birthday Boy. Some students have actually found these vibhuti balls which fell down accidentally from Babaji's hands. Sometimes if lucky you can actually see the vibhuti ball being transferred to the right hand for creation.".

None of this information is there in my article!

GM : At http://exbaba.com/articles/premanandmiracles.html Basava Premanand said, "He accepts the letters with a kind of pincer motion of his left hand. On a certain moment he orders the letters, using both hands, he transfers a ball to is right hand, pulverizes the thing and sprinkles the ash.

Why does Gerald Moreno lie so blatantly? Or is he just far too blinkered and fundamentalist? This material is from Prof.Piet Vroon's article titled "Santa Claus in India". Does GM believe that I am Prof. Piet Vroon or Because Prof.Vroon has used the word and so this article is also faked by me? How foolish!

GM : The godman's devotees argue as to how vibhuti which is in powder form can be hidden in the palms when the palm is kept down and moved in circles. They think that when the hands are kept palms down, the ash being powder would fall down and come to a wrong conclusion that the godman has really created vibhuti. What the godmen do is, that they mix perfume in the ash or purchase perfumed ash and make a dow by adding starch solution (Kanji water is the best) and then make small balls and dry them. These balls are hidden between the thumb and the pointing finger and after circling the hand palms down and while raising the hand to produce vibhuti, bring the vibhuti ball to the finger tips, powder the same and give it to the devotee."

Until I find a better word for ball I will have to use ball. For balls made out of vibhuti, I should call vibhuti balls which is the most appropriate word.
I find that if GM does not know the meaning of a word he does not consult a dictionary. I am giving below the meaning of 'ball', which is defined in the Readers Digest Universal Dictionary
a) A spherical or almost spherical body
b) Anything approximately spherical
And I cannot understand why I should not call them vibhuti balls, small balls, balls of vibhuti. I did not find any other appropriate words different from vibhuti ball. I generally hide a dozen of 1" to 2" diameter vibhuti balls in my palms and body to distribute vibhuti to thousands of my audience. Ball and vibhuti are words which cannot be monopolised by any one.

But both are describing an identically repeated act and the same kind of small ball! I cannot understand why GM's observation power is failing him so badly. I can only laugh at his foolishness.

GM : Both talk about how the vibuthi is made into balls, where Sathya Sai Baba hides the vibuthi balls, how they are transferred from the left hand to the right and how he crushes it and "gives it to the" recipient.

As there is only one method, both have to talk about the same method but the articles do not show any striking similarities in the writing style. GM could have even affirmed that all articles by different persons give the same explanation though the writng style is different and so Gerald Moreno assumes that these articles are also faked by me! I was led to expect a scholarly investigative article from him, but it turned out to be a flop.

CONTINUE TO PART TWO - CLICK HERE
CONTINUE TO PART THREE - CLICK HERE

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