Letter dated
27-11-1987
From:
B. Premanand,
Convener,
Indian CSICOP,
10, Chettipalayam Road,
Podanur 641
023. (Tamilnadu) INDIA.
To:
Dr. Erlendur
Haraldsson,
University of
Iceland, Faculty of Social Science,
101, Reykjavik,
ICELAND.
27-11-1987
Dear Friend,
I thank you for
your letter of 7th inst. As required by you, I have sent by seperate Book Post
Air Mail the following books:
1. Lure of
Miracles
2. The story of
Godmen Gold & Diamond Smuggling
3. Satya Sai
Baba and Gold Control Act in two parts.
I was wanting
to read your research paper on Mr.SSB since 1976, when a portion of the thesis
was published in BLITZ Weekly to suit the propagation of Mr.SSB, Though I wrote
to the Editor of the Weekly for your address, he asked me to contact Mr.SSB's
Ashram, and as usual they kept silent over my letter. About your thesis I have
discussed in page 58 of my book "Lure of Miracles" with what little information
I had got from the article.
From your
observation, you will know that Mr.SSB produced objects by the movement of his
hand. Without the movement of the hands and the body it is not possible to make
the audience believe that their hands are empty though the objects to be
produced are in their hands or on their body and without the movement of the
hands, it is not possible to take them from the concealed place in the hand or
the body and produce them as if they are produced from nothing. Our senses
cannot watch or see the things from different angles which are concealed because
of the particular movement of the hands hides that is concealed. But video films
if taken from all the six sides will give out the clue of such productions. That
is why the godmen donot permit filming them in close quarters or permit
instrumented observations with movie cameras.
If you try to
answer the following questions which I have based on your findings, you will
come to the true conclusion whether the appearances and disappearances of
objects in the presence of Mr. Satya Sai Baba are psi phenomena or sleight of
hand tricks.
1. who are the
number of persons, including Indian Research Scientists, with whom you had
lengthy interviews, who had observed or experienced psychic phenomena of various
kinds which they atributed to Mr. Satya Sai Baba?
2. Can you send
me a detailed report of those interviews?
3. When Mr.SSB
claims himself to be "sarva Daivatva Swaroopa" the incarnation of all the gods -
and when he claims that his powers are not acquired like the powers of the
Psychics which diminishes when a skeptic enters or watches the phenomena, but
are inherent in him, why he should move his hands like a magician to produce
objects or to make the objects disappear?
4. Has he ever
produced any objects or made them disappear by keeping his hands stretched with
empty palms up and without moving the hands, or keeping the object on the palm
and without moving or closing the palm made the object disappear?
5. Have you
investigated into the psychokinetic powers (such as materializations,
teleportations, and healing, various forms of extrasensory perception and out of
body projections collectively perceived? Can you give the names of the persons
with whom you discussed on these and were these their personal experiences?
6. Is there a
single case of healing duly instrumented with the case history of the patient
from the beginning and the cure, and whether there has been a follow-up after
they were cured till their death? The only case history which was followed up
after the person was said to have been cured of cancer is discussed in the book
"BABA" by Schulman, but the person died of cancer.
7. Why did
Mr.SSB reject your bid for formal experiments, with the comment that he would
only use his paranormal powers for religious purposes such as helping his
devotees when they are in dire need or for invoking faith in hitherto agnostic
persons, but never for purely demonstrative purposes? If his purpose was to
invoke faith in hitherto agnostic persons, then why did not he agree for the
formal experiments?
8. Have you a
photograph of the arm chair which Mr.SSB uses while in the interview room?
9. Have you
filmed his movements before he produced anything?
10. Did you
notice hand kerchiefs or towels with him or brought to him to wipe his hands
clean whenever he produced vibhuthi or an object?
11. If it was
not for demonstrative purposes why did he produce the rudraksha and vibhuti for
you?
12. Why did
Mr.SSB want to give a present to EH?
13. Why did he
want to cover the rudraksha with gold Shields on both sides and a gold cross
with a small ruby fixed on it?
14. If it was
for the purpose of invoking faith in hitherto agnostic persons why did not the
gold shield etc., appear on the rudraksha when it was in the hands of E.H.?
15. Why did
Mr.SSB have to enclose the rudraksha between both his hands to get it covered
with gold shield etc.?
16. Why did he
not produce the gold shield etc., keeping the rudraksha in open palm and without
moving the palm or closing the palms?
17. Why did
Mr.SSB get impatient when you tried to persuade him to participate in some
controlled experiments when one of the purposes of his miracles, is to invoke
faith in agnostic persons?
18. Instead of
making the enamelled picture on ring disappear without the knowledge of K.O. why
did not Mr.SSB ask all to look at the ring and see the enamelled picture and
then make it disappear from the ring while on the finger of K.O.?
19. Of what
material is the enamelled picture made of?
20. From what
material is the enamelled picture produced by Mr. SSB on a different ring, made
of?
21. Was it that
only the picture vanished or the oval shaped material on which the picture was
printed also vanished?
22. When Mr.SSB
could make the enamelled picture disappear while the ring was on the finger of
K.O., why did he not bring it back on the ring also, while it was on the finger
of K.O.?
23. Why did he
have to close his fingers around the ring in his palm and blow on it to produce
the enamelled picture on a ring?
24. Why did not
the enamel picture appear on the ring which K.O. handed over to Mr.SSB without
closing his fingers around the ring on his palm and why did he have to produce
another different ring with the enamelled picture instead the same ring with the
enamelled picture?
25. How did you
come to the conclusion that it was the same enamelled picture which was lost?
26. Was there
any distinguishing mark to prove that it was the same enamelled picture?
27. Why had the
ring to be different than the one handed over to Mr.SSB by K.O. unless Mr.SSB
exchanged it while closing his fingers around the ring while bringing it to
about six inches from his mouth and blowing over the hand?
28. Why did
Mr.SSB have to wave his hand and open his fist to produce a ring for Mr.Kristal?
29. Why Mr.SSB
could not produce a ring on an empty palm, without waving his hand and opening
his fist if he really could create or materialise a ring?
30. Why did
Mr.SSB have to wave his hand again for two or three seconds, turn palm down and
quickly close it to produce the bulky necklace which was about 20 to 29 inches
and contained a variety of different kinds of stones inter-spaced by small
golden pieces attached to it with a picture of SSB surrounded by a golden
rosette frame about 2" in diameter? Could he not produce it on bare palms
without waving his hand turned palm down and quickly closing it?
31. Why did
Mr.SSB have to wave his hand in a few quick, small circles his open palm turned
downward to produce vibhuthi? If he really had inherent powers to create
anything from nothing as he claims, why he did not produce atleast ash on his
empty palms held up without waving his hand in a few quick, small circles,unless
he had hidden tablets of ash in his palm?
32. When Mr.SSB
claims that his powers are inherent, and not like the powers of the psychics
which are acquired, why did he not permit you to observe under conditions which
would exclude all possible normal causes?
33. When you
were prepared to make instrumented observations with movie cameras and small
sealed or locked enclosures wherein you hoped the objects would appear, which
would have once for all silenced the skeptics and agnostics and would have
invoked faith in him, why were you told not to use these in Mr.SSB's interview
room?
34. Why did he
not permit you to film him at a close enough range for decisive analysis if his
claims were true?
35. With whom
all did you enquire before you came to the conclusion that no one could offer
you first hand observations supporting the hypothesis that Mr.SSB produced the
objects by sleight of hand?
36. Did you
contact any of the members of our committee or the Rationalist Associations in
India, before you came to this conclusion?
37. Have you
gone through all the news paper reports for the past forty years which
questioned Mr.SSB of his claims of creating anything from nothing and those who
duplicated the acts of Mr.SSB to expose him?
38. Who are the
persons whom you met and who had had even just one meeting with him reported
having observed some ostensible materialization phenomena?
39. Where all
did you search for any one who claimed personal observations indicative of SSB
having produced the objects by normal means?
40. What are
the reports of the occurrence of other psi phenomena such as ESP over distance,
giving messages in dreams, healing, out of body projections collectively
perceived and PK of heavy objects which lead you to regard SSB's phenomena as
possibly paranormal?
41. Can you
explain in detail the 21 appearances and disappearances of objects you observed
at close range, giving all the happenings before and after such phenomena, and
the circumstances in which they appeared or disappeared?
42. What are
the production of objects apparently in response to a specific situation or on
the direct demand of the visitors?
43. Who are the
witnesses who testified as to such occurrences?
44. Did you
verify them with the people who got such objects from Mr.SSB? Do you know their
addresses?
45. Do you know
that Dr. S.Bhagwantam has already left Mr.SSB coming to know of his fraud?
46. What are
the paranormal phenomena that Dr. S.Bhagwantam, Dr. D.K.Banerji, Dr.
P.K.Bhattacharya, Dr. K.Venkatesan and Dr. V.K.Gokak had observed in variety of
circumstances and told to you?
47. Do you know
that ash in tablet form will not soil the robe which can be palmed and produced
as powder by the waving of hand and by manipulation of the fingers?
48. Who are the
college teacher and her psychologist husband who witnessed ash being produced in
large quantities two palms held together filled with ash? Can you narrate what
all Mr.SSB did before producing the ash?
49. Who were
the witnesses of production of large objects - a bowl, the size of a dinner
plate, and a basket of sweets 20" in diameter. Can you detail the production and
what he did to produce them?
50. What are
the Indian sweets and goods cooked in butter Mr.SSB produced. For whom did he
produce? Did Mr.SSB's hand get soiled when he produced them? How many or how
much did he produce at one time in his palm?
51. For whom
did Mr.SSB produce Oil? What Oil? What was the quantity he produced? Did the oil
drip from his palms? Or was it in a bottle or a vessel? Can you explain the
whole scene?
52. Who was the
medical doctor who observed Amrita coming out of Mr.SSB's hand? What was the
quantity?
53. Who
recommended you the name of Douglas Henning as one of the most knowledgeable
magicians in the world?
54. Can you
send me a copy of the movie on Mr.SSB which Mr.Henning viewed while discussing
your observations of objects appearing and disappearing, for my evaluation?
55. What are
the objects which Mr.SSB produced upon demand and to whom were they presented?
Where has these been published?
56. Do you know
that Douglas Henning has now joined the band wagon of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi of
the TM fame and is propagating that by practicing TM one could levitate? Do you
know that even Mahesh Yogi has not so far shown himself levitating and what his
disciples are doing is only frog jumping?
57. Do you know
that Dr. Eruch Fanibunda, is an accomplice of Mr.SSB and I have a long
correspondence with him for clarification of some incidents published by him in
his book, and when he found that his reply would bring out the truth, he
abruptly stopped the correspondence and refused my letters sent to him by post?
58. Can you
send me all the photographs which you took when you visited Mr.SSB and also the
copy of the un-edited movie on Mr.SSB of his production of objects and
disappearance for my evluation?
59. How did Dr.
Sabnani from Hong Kong and Mrs. L.Hirdaramani from Ceylon whom you had met for
the first time during the interview came to know about the ring which was
presented to K.O.? and they had observed the ring with picture on K.O's left
hand before the picture disappeared?
60. Did you
make any enquiry about them as to for how many years they had been Mr.SSB's
followers and why they joined him?
61. Before
coming to the conclusion that the most impressive incident you personally
observed was the disappearance of the enamel picture of SSB from K.O's ring, did
Mr. K.O. go into the incidents of one day before it was lost and of the day in
which it was lost as to anyone wanting to know about the ring, or to see the
ring?
62. Why did it
take two days for Mr.SSB after the enamel picture was lost, to ask Mr. K.O.
whether he wanted the picture back?
63. Do you know
that Mr.SSB's father's younger brother was a street magician and acted as a
Tantrik (sorcerer)?
64. That Mr.SSB
was also doing the magic tricks and sorcery in his younger days?
No god man in
the history of man kind has so far produced anything by showing his hand empty
and open and without moving the hand and his body.
As your work is
pure research without any bias, for or against paranormal phenomena, I shall be
happy to receive your answers to the above questions. And if you have plans to
do further research on Mr.SSB and intent visiting India again, I shall be happy
to meet you.
With my best
wishes and waiting to hear from you,
Yours
sincerely,
B.
Premanand.
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