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Satya Sai Baba, one of India's best known spiritual leaders,
has triggered a fresh controversy in Britain after association with The
Duke of Edinburgh's Award charity involving young people.
The Duke of Edinburgh's Award is a London-headquartered
charity whose patron is Prince Philip.
It gives three kinds of awards (bronze, silver and gold) to
anyone aged between 14-25 for achievements in four categories: community
service, skills, physical recreation and expeditions. Each year it is
estimated that over 2,25,000 youngsters vie for the honour in Britain
alone.
This year, when the charity celebrates its 50th year, it has
chosen to send about 200 young volunteers to India to work with the Sri Satya Sai Organisation.
However, the feat, pulled off by Sai
Youth UK, a division of the parent body, has created a furore. Several
people, including some of the Satya Sai Baba's former Western disciples, questioned the
decision in view of the mixed reputation the godman
enjoys. Sai's devotees deny the allegations.
The Guardian was the first to
raise its voice saying the award scheme had chosen as its accredited
partner a spiritual group "whose 'living god' founder has been accused
of sexually abusing young boys".
Satya Sai Baba hit bad press in Britain two years ago when a
BBC programme, The Secret Swami, interviewed young Western disciples who
alleged that the godman had sexually coerced
them.
The Guardian quoted Tom
Sackville, a former Home Office minister and chairman of Fair, a cult-watching
and victim support group, as saying: "It is appallingly naive for the
award scheme to involve young people and the royal family with an
organisation whose leader is accused of paedophilia. Parents who plan to
send their children on this pilgrimage... should be aware of the danger
their children are being exposed to."
The daily also said Michael Gave, a conservative MP, planned
to write to the charity to say it should monitor the organisations they
chose as partners more strictly.
"As a society we need a more determined effort to
identify and expose those religious cults and extremists that pose a direct
threat to people, so that they do not enjoy patronage that should be
directed elsewhere," he was quoted as saying.
In the 1990s, when Prince Charles visited India, he had
expressed a desire to visit the Sai Baba but was
quietly dissuaded by the British Embassy in New Delhi.
Since The Guardian's article, it
was reported that there was mounting pressure on the charity to distance
itself from the Sai group.
However, charity spokesperson Shona
Taylor did not answer repeated queries as to whether the volunteers had
left for India and how they could be contacted.
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