ETHNOGRAPHIC ACCOUNTS OF THE ‘SATHYA SAI BABA’ A SPIRITUAL REFORM- ORIENTED MOVEMENT IN SINGAPORE: IDENTITY FORMATION, CHARITY- GIVING & RATIONALIZATION PROCESS NAGAH DEVI D/O RAMASAMY (B.Soc.Sci.(Hons.), NUS A THESIS SUBMITTED FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SOCIAL SCIENCES DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE 2007 i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis may not have seen the light of the day, nor completed if not for the guidance, support and confidence placed on the author by some special people First and foremost, I wish to thank Associate Professor Vineeta Sinha, my supervisor who has been extremely supportive of my studies for many years and has guided me during all stages of completion of this book Her generous patience, accommodating attitude, encouragement and assistance in all ways possible especially during the last lap of this Masters course deserve my earnest gratitude and deference Her vigilant, quick and detailed comments guided me significantly in revising my book I am also grateful to the following people from the Department of Sociology, NUS- Dr Ganapathy Narayanan for his faith in my works and ability; Dr Eric Thompson and Dr Leslie Minor- Evans for their great sense of humour and comments; Associate Professor Tong Chee Kiong, Associate Professor Lian Kwen Fee and the Graduate Committee for all their assistance Besides, I owe my thanks to Dr Gyanesh Kudaisya (South Asian Studies Programme, NUS); Dr Medha Kudaisya (Department of History, NUS) and Professor Joanne Waghorne (Professor of Religion at Syracuse University, New York) for their interest in my thesis and guidance The Department administrative office staffs deserve some mention for all the aid rendered for the administrative aspects of my candidature Ms Raja especially, thank you for patiently obliging to all the application matters and paperwork I gave you towards the last lap The award of the Research Scholarship from the Research and Graduate Division, NUS and the external research grants from the commissioning agency, Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) are acknowledged with the deepest appreciation A big thank you is fitting for Mr Vivakanandan Sinniah, CEO of Ang Mo Kio- Thye Hua Kwan Hospital for sharing his knowledge and experiences, for entertaining our long discussions on religion and social services, critical insights and timely advises during the period of my research endeavours In addition, I owe my debt to Dr Lai Ah Eng, adjunct Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies for believing in me and providing me with the timely opportunity for extending my writings into the Policy Studies arena My greatest debt and respect is of course dedicated to the Sai Baba devotees of Singapore, without whose support, encouragement and enthusiasm, this book could never have materialized My enormous debt of gratitude and indebtedness goes out to all my respondents and Sai devotees of Singapore for their willingness in allowing me to conduct research on their premises and their consent for interviews Special thanks to the Sathya Sai Central Organization of Singapore and the fourteen Sathya Sai Baba Centres of Singapore In all these places- a core group of respondents have been instrumental in assisting me in the completion of my fieldwork My sincere appreciation and thanks goes out to them Friends and colleagues in the NUS Sociology Department have rendered me much support throughout this journey My goodwill and thanks goes out to amazing colleagues such as Shane, Nicholas, Sahoo, Seuty, Asma, Kamal, Grace, Saiful, Fadli, Thomas and Magdalene ii This three- year endeavour would have been an impossibility without the support and unconditional love of my tight-knit family Amma, you have been a motivating force throughout my life Your virtuous traits that have proved to be pillars of strength for all of us at home are demonstrated daily without exception Your tireless patience, love, simplicity, silent support, espousal of my higher education, understanding and your sacrifices held me through this arduous, wearisome, at times even questionable period of my life During the frequent temporary melancholy spells I find myself falling into, it has been your thoughts and your exemplary performance of motherhood that have enabled me to get up and move on, to deliver this literary product for you, for all that you have done for me I love you, amma My two elder brothers Loga and Siva, I owe my gratitude for their encouragement and belief in my educational pursuits and their sincere and forthcoming help in everyway possible especially in rendering transport help during those rushing, tiring days Loga Anna- special thanks for allowing me access to your car those late nights when I simply needed to get away from the stresses of my writings and be alone at my secret hide- outs to cogitate Siva Anna- thank you for your quiet moral support and the nightly supper delights My sister-in-law Gayathri- in whom I have found a sister and a dependable friend who provides me with encouragement, advices and a listening ear during those crucial moments when I just needed to get everything out of my system and I never had a need to look further than three doors away Your care- free, patient and neverfail- to amuse- me comical character has elated me on various occasions I have been fortunate in coming across many witty and good friends, without whom life would have been bleak and without purpose Special thanks and sincere acknowledgements are addressed to: Subra- for those crucial part- time job referrals that helped me figure a way out of my financial crisis during the last two months as well as gain immense exposure and experience in youth pedagogy through conduct of enrichment programmes Vani- my trusted crony, for the sympathetic ear and dependable comradeship in the last one year Kumeresh and Bala- for the enthusiasm shown towards my research and motivational short text messages and talks during those times when I was on the verge of giving up Ramesh- for your faith in me Sashi- for your constructive comments Sathis- for your prayers Rathi - my chum, for your constant thoughts and concerns even while we are separated by distance Deva- my fellow Piscean buddy for just believing in and encouraging me in all my pursuits without question nor doubt And finally Kumeresh- I am truly indebted to you, for taking the trouble to resuscitate my hard disk that ‘crashed’ during the final week of submission (well yes it did eventually go into permanent braindamaged mode after a while!) despite your superbly busy schedule- you saved all my precious fieldwork interview files and illustrations! Special thanks for the help with the plates too This book could never have made it on time if not for your timely assistance There are many others, whom I have not mentioned due to space constraints but your moral support has not gone unnoticed Thank you as well Not forgetting the well- wishes of my tutee Megala (thank you for those constant flow of re-mixed mp3 Indian music and home- cooked spreads during lessons!), my Siling & Evergreen primary school angels for their innocent high- pitched enthusiasm and my Fuchun CC Mentee group- all eight teenagers of whom have expressed their faith and encouragement in the successful iii completion of my book I look forward to the outings we have, where your enthusiasm and youth spirits uplift and invigorate me every single time Dear Venka, you have begun to play an instrumental role in my life Your guidance, love and faith in my ability have helped me finish this book I am truly grateful for your affection and emotional support in all my endeavours Last but not least, a special little being deserves some credits here The newest entry in my family-my niece Thrisha a.k.a Vandu also my thesis’s one and only aficionado, I like to think! It has been more than a year now, but your birth has been the herald of many blissful moments of my life The acts of changing diapers- dressing- singing of the lullaby to- play-times- our time spent alone during baby- sitting affairs (I was actually surprised at your genuine efforts to listen and make sense of my private droning)- and the frequent ritual of putting you to sleep- had brought moments of content and served as a natural healing and soothing remedy whenever I felt mentally drained after fighting with data (or the absence thereof) Your beautiful chuckles, futile out- oftune singing attempts, acts of comedy and cute maladroit dawdling steps had been my source of encouragement and laughter Your companionship during those stressful moments is cherished At least I knew I was not alone ☺! You are constantly leaving ‘wet’ special imprints and smiles in my life, not forgetting the visible marks you left after hammering my laptop with your little hands ☺ ! I dedicate this work to the two instrumental women in my life: Amma and little Thrisha I am solely responsible for the contents of this book, including any errors that may be present Nagah Devi Ramasamy iv TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS SUMMARY LIST OF TABLES LIST OF FIGURES LIST OF PLATES GLOSSARY i vii ix x xi xii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION Setting the Scene Statement of Research Questions Significance of Research Questions Review of Literature Analytical Framework and Organization of Thesis 16 2.3.1 2.3.2 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.6.1 2.7 2.8 CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY The Research Process Site Selection Informant Selection: Organizational Channels and Informal Mediums Structure Informant Selections and Channels Data Collection Socio- Demographic Profile of Informants Methodological Issues and Limitations Obstacles to Gaining Access Researcher Confronting Issues of Subjectivity and Objectivity Summary of Research Design 3.1 3.1.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.4.1 3.4.2 3.4.3 3.5 CHAPTER 3: THE RESEARCH SETTING Historical Background The Founder and his Charisma Profile of the Sathya Sai Baba Movement in Singapore Religious and Cultural Characteristics Programmes and Activities The Spiritual Wing The Education Wing The Service Wing Summary 2.1 2.2 2.3 19 24 25 25 28 29 31 34 34 39 41 43 43 51 52 56 56 64 72 77 v 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.5.1 4.5.2 4.5.3 4.5.4 4.6 4.7 4.8 CHAPTER 4: SATHYA SAI BABA MOVEMENT: COLLECTIVE IDENTITY CONSTRUCTION EFFORTS Introduction Singapore Race- Religio- Politico Developments Hindu Religious Change Why Turn to Sai Baba? An Inclusive Structure Space The ‘Hindu’ Label as Problematic Realm of Gastronomy A Plural Community Reflections on the Bhajan Ritual The Sai Family as a Global Entity Summary 79 81 89 90 96 98 104 105 107 112 115 116 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.3.1 5.3.2 5.4 5.4.1 5.4.2 5.5 5.6 CHAPTER 5: CHARITY: IDEOLOGY OF HUMANISM VOLUNTEERISM: YOUTHS IN ACTION Introduction History The Singapore Model that Works Present Scene Religious Bodies and Welfare Sai Philosophy of Humanism Performance of Seva Socio- Religious Inclinations Youth Participation Summary 117 117 118 120 121 122 123 125 135 138 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.4.1 6.4.2 6.4.3 6.5 CHAPTER 6: RATIONALIZING CYBER- SPACE SAI SPIRITUALITY Introduction The Technocratized Network Virtual Community Sathya Sai Baba Movement in Cyber- Space Bhajans Digitization: Sai Baba Images and Videos Negative Publicity on Cyber- Space Limitations of Cyber- Related Research 139 139 145 148 148 154 158 162 vi 6.6 Summary 163 7.1 7.2 7.3 CHAPTER 7: CONCLUSION Introduction Making Sense of the SSB Movement Limitations of Study and Recommendations 164 164 169 BIBLIOGRAPHY APPENDICES TABLES 174 190 206 vii Summary Title: Ethnographic accounts of the Sathya Sai Baba- a Spiritual Reform- Oriented Movement: Identity Formation, Charity- Giving & Rationalization Process This research is an ethnographic study of the Sathya Sai Baba (a global neospiritual) Movement and its various centres in Singapore Faith becomes a matter of personal preference during the up rise of modernity and intensive urbanization, especially when the authority of traditional religious institutions weakens People embark on a search for a common identity and spiritual enlightenment often through experimentation The participation of a large proportion of multi- ethnic and multi- religious devotees is noticed in the local manifestation of the movement The movement’s facility in promoting a multi- ethnic and multi- religious communal identity amongst its membership is interesting in the host city of Singapore The SSB movement once imported into Singapore, has adapted itself to and revised certain modes of its operations and practices over time to assimilate itself to the needs of the multi- racial devotees as well as learnt to co- exist in harmony with the state’s policies The thesis addresses the question of why people of different ethnicities and religious orientations join the movement and the processes of establishing a collective identity Secondly, particular attention is in addition devoted to the movement’s created ‘imagined community’ and their participation in charitable activities as a united group and how devotees are mobilized from the spiritual realm to expand their expertise into the social service realm Specifically, what are the socio- religious inclinations in the promotion of charitable activities in the movement? viii The internet has become a domain of engagement for purposes of experimentation and experiencing Cyber- space as a transnational socially constructed nexus for a Sai virtual community and how the local movement approaches and rationalizes devotion over the web is explored last These questions are analysed with an ethnographic gaze, supported by some of Weber’s social action theory and Durkheim’s collective consciousness frameworks ix List of Tables Table 1: Resident Population Aged 15 years and over by Religion 206 Table 2: Resident Population Aged 15 years and over by Ethnic Group and Religion 207 ... Formation, Charity- Giving & Rationalization Process This research is an ethnographic study of the Sathya Sai Baba (a global neospiritual) Movement and its various centres in Singapore Faith... CHAPTER 3: THE RESEARCH SETTING Historical Background The Founder and his Charisma Profile of the Sathya Sai Baba Movement in Singapore Religious and Cultural Characteristics Programmes and Activities... Organization of Singapore and the fourteen Sathya Sai Baba Centres of Singapore In all these places- a core group of respondents have been instrumental in assisting me in the completion of my fieldwork