SWAMI MISUSES MONEY ONCE AGAIN

 

Date: 08-10-02

Document date: 08-09-02

From: Jose Santiago

Email: lowprofile789@hotmail.com

This article is an explanative addition to 'Letter from Jose Santiago'.

We are  used to know the wrong and wasteful use of the money of the Central Trust of Baba. Some devotees may blame to the managers of this trust, because this is once again "Divine leelas or games". But in my opinion, one cannot play with the health and comfort of the devotees. Here's the ultimate waste:

Swami built outside the ashram of Puttaparthy, near the stadium, a spectacular Museum of the Religions, opened in January 2001. When I was still a devotee, I visited it. It is built in  Chinese architecture style. It has four floors and it is at least twice as much bigger than the old museum. It has a little cinema theater, lots of tv sets, electronical signs everywhere, computers, etc. This new museum was much more expensive than the old one. I am not saying that the museum gives a bad message, because it shows the history of the different religions. But...

... But Swami and his team, have not realized one fact that really demands an invest that could be 100 times more useful. In  the ashram of Whitefield, the accommodation for the devotees, is a disaster. For example, the rooms have no beds. You have to buy it outside the ashram for 100 or more rupees, that is actually a second hand mattress most of the times.

The rooms have no private bathrooms. When I went to shave myself every morning, all the men had to see their faces in a broken mirror, or to buy a small one. Some of the rooms are damp, you can easily catch a cold there or a rheumatism if you stay for a long time.

Sometimes you have to share the room with five other people. When I arrived to one of these rooms, all the guys had caught a cold. So you won't have either a piece of privacy. Obviously those rooms have to be cheap, but if you want to go outside the ashram, you have to pay a minimum of 200 rupees each day. People who are short of money have just no other choice than to stay in that ashram.

For the VIP's and for some devotees who bring their families, there are rooms in the ashram which are better and that have private bathrooms. But still the number of this kind of rooms is very low. The only good thing I find in that ashram, is the very well organized shopping store, small though.

So if any devotee should read this, I would like to say to him; it's in your own hands to choose between justifying or excusing everything that SSB does, or to seriously consider plain facts.

Jose Santiago from Venezuela.