From: INDIA

Source : Dr Abraham T. Kovoor

Subject : DR BHAGAVANTHAM AND SATHYA SAI BABA.

Circa 1972, I was invited to give a lecture at the Indian Institute of Technology at Guindy. During a conversation before the lecture one of the professors at the institute told me that the majority of youths who take to the study of science and technology do so, not because they have any scientific attitude or aptitude, but just because such a course helps them to get lucrative jobs.

And the reason why some of the eminent scientists of India have given up their science, and become devotees of godmen of that country is because they have found that they can make more money by being in collusive devotion to such hoaxers than by continuing scientific pursuits.

A few months ago the editor of a mass-circulating weekly of India wrote me a letter saying that the Editorial Board of his weekly had decided to publish a symposium on “Sathya Sai Baba - Is he an incarnation of God, or a Charlatan?” and wanted me to be the first contributor to the series.

My article was serialised in three issues. It was then followed by two articles countering my thesis by Dr S Bhagavantham M.Sc, D.Sc, Ph.D, a former scientific adviser to the Government of India.

Dr Bhagavantham started his article by saying that in his youth he was a rationalist like me, but after witnessing some of the miracles of Sai Baba, he had to give up his rationalism. He then began to describe numerous “miracles” said to have been performed by Sai Baba in various places. There was no mention in either of the two articles of anyone having conducted investigations to establish that they were all genuine miracles and not conjurer's tricks. The two articles appeared to be clear examples of how unscientific even a good scientist can become if he is a victim of religio-manic neurosis or avarice for lucre.

In all the miracle stories mentioned, there was only one that was amenable to investigation. I quote that story below. Dr Bhagavantham: - The wonderful experience, some years ago, of a world famous watch manufacturer of Japan, while he was on tour in India, was awe-inspiring. After completing the Seiko series of watches he made a model of a more superior type, and kept it in his safe for further tests. While touring India he paid a visit to Sai Baba's abode just out of curiosity. On seeing the Japanese gentleman among the devotees Sai Baba materialised a small parcel from the air and gave it to him. On opening the parcel he was astonished to see the same watch that was kept in his safe.

- When he saw, along with the watch, the silk ribbon and label with the new name of the watch and the price marked on it, all his doubts about the divine powers of Sai Baba simply melted away. He fell prostrate at Sai Baba”s feet and worshipped him, and since then has been an ardent devotee.

- On his return to Japan, he was shocked to see that the watch he had kept in his safe was not there. What his personal secretary told him was even more startling. The secretary said that a divine-looking person with bushy hair walked into the office one day, opened the safe and walked away with the watch.

Does Dr Bhagavantham, who is the holder of coveted qualifications in science, think that a thesis of this nature - to prove the miraculous powers of a man - by any scientist, will be accepted by an academic body of scientists if it is not backed by scientific investigations and fool-proof evidence?

As Dr Bhagavantham was reluctant to test the veracity of his godman's miraculous powers, I decided to do it myself. With this aim in view I wrote the following letter to him :

Colombo-6 11/9/73

Dear Dr Bhagavantham,

I read your story about a Japanese watch manufacturer getting his own watch that was kept in a safe in Japan, materialised in India from air by Sai Baba. My scientific attitude does not permit me to accept this fantastic story as true without verification. My doubt is enhanced by the reported statement by his personal secretary. The first reaction of a responsible secretary when a stranger walks into the office and opens the safe, would be to raise the alarm and to summon the police. As I feel it is unscientific even for a scientist to believe this type of story without verification, I request you to kindly let me know the name and address of this Japanese so that I may verify the truth about it. Your failure to help me to conduct this investigation by withholding this information, will lead me to suspect your sincerity and honesty, and to discard all that you have said about Sathya Sai Baba as utter falsehood, deliberately propagated with ulterior motive and vested interest.

Yours in search of Truth,

Abraham T Kovoor.

When there was no response from Dr Bhagavantham after two months, I decided to pursue the matter myself. The Japanese Embassy in Sri Lanka provided me with the name and address of the proprietor of Seiko, the watch manufacturing firm.

In my letter dated 30/10/73 to Mr Shoji Hattori, president of K Hattori & Co Ltd, the manufacturers of Seiko watches, I reproduced Dr Bhagavantham”s story about the miracle and requested him to provide me with the answers to the following questions:

1.    Did you or any partners of yours visit Sathya Sai Baba of India at any time?

2.    Did Sai Baba materialise a watch from air and present it to you or your partners?

3.    Did your personal secretary tell you or any of your partners that a stranger opened the safe and walked away with a watch?

4.    Are you or any of your partners a devotee of Sai Baba?

For the benefit of numerous innocent devotees of godmen of India I reproduce below Mr Hattori”s reply. This I do with the sincere hope that they will be sensible enough to realise the truth that these charlatans who go about in the garb of holy men, have numerous agents like Dr Bhagavantham everywhere, working in collusion to propagate the huge hoax and profit materially.

SEIKO - JAPAN (address given) 8/11/73

Dear Dr Kovoor,

Thank you for your letter of October 30th. I can appreciate your interest in conducting scientific research of paranormal claims, but I am in no way able to further your knowledge as regards the man mentioned in your letter, Mr Sai Baba. Neither I nor any members of my staff have ever made the acquaintance of this individual. I am sure that these reports are completely unfounded. I must therefore reply in the negative to all four of your questions concerning this incident.

Sincerely yours,

Sgd. Shoji Hattori,

President. K Hattori & Co Ltd.

On receipt of this letter I wrote to Dr Bhagavantham, enclosing a photostat copy of Mr Shoji Hattori”s letter, and said

- If Mr Shoji Hattori is not the person concerned in your story, please let me know about it, and provide me with the correct name and address. Absence of any reply from you for this letter also, will confirm my firm belief that you are an agent for Sathya Sai Baba, doing propaganda for him with ulterior motive and vested interest.

Yours in search of truth,

Abraham T Kovoor.

Since there has been no reply, it confirms my belief that Dr Bhagavantham is in collusion with Sai Baba.

From: CANADA

Source : Dale Beyerstein, University of British Columbia, Vancouver BC Canada

Subject: In reply to a letter sent to him from Dr Elwndur Haraldsson,University of Iceland - October 1985.

(...) I certainly agree with the point you make at the end of your book that in the absence of agreement for controlled testing of claimed paranormal powers, we must make rough and ready judgements analogous (similar in certain respects) with judgements made in court house contexts. Analogous but not identical for obvious reasons.

On these sorts of grounds the evidence seems overwhelming against taking the materialisation claims seriously.

Sai Baba is caught out in self-puffery in so many instances - allowing omniscience claims when his language abilities are only average, and so on. And not only allowing them, but making them himself. And he speaks so loosely in so many ways that his denials that he uses sleight of hand cannot be given any real weight. The overwhelming evidence - given the film analysis, the loose anecdotal nature of the claims etc all point so definitely in this direction.

Moreover the widespread claims of sexual hanky panky and the evidence of association with the gold business - although not conclusive - must be seriously entered into the overall picture.

On the question you asked : “Sam Dalal” is a name given by James Randi. Randi in a phone conversation said that Sai Baba “materialised” a Seiko watch for a Seiko watch company executive visiting India. Sam Dalal asked for the serial number from the executive as I understood it, and got it. The number was then sent back to Japan for tracing. Turns out the number was a watch which was to have been stored in a warehouse not far from the site where the “materialisation” took place.

B. Premanand (IRM) mentions Kasturi deleted the Seiko reference from his book after the investigation.(.....).