Table Of Content“tulasi srinivas shows a superb ability to juxtapose contemporary theoretical concerns among S
r
scholars of globalization and transnational theory with ethnographic work done on a growing
i
indian tradition. adept at negotiating the intricacies of many academic dialogues, srinivas shows n
i
she is a polyglot intellectual.” —Deepak sarma, case western university v w i n g e d f a i t h
a
S
the sathya sai global civil religious movement incorporates Hindu and muslim practices,
buddhist, christian, and Zoroastrian influences, and “new age”-style rituals and beliefs. shri
sathya sai baba, its charismatic and controversial leader, attracts several million adherents from
various national, ethnic, and religious backgrounds. in a dynamic account of the sathya sai
rethinking globalization and
movement’s explosive growth, Winged Faith argues for a rethinking of globalization and the pol-
itics of identity in a religiously plural world.
this study considers a new kind of cosmopolitanism located in an alternate understanding of dif- religiouS pluraliSm through
ference and contestation. it considers how acts of “sacred spectating” and illusion, “moral stake-
holding” and the problems of community are debated and experienced. a thrilling study of a
the Sathya Sai movement
transcultural and transurban phenomenon that questions narratives of self and being, circuits of
sacred mobility, and the politics of affect, Winged Faith suggests new methods for discussing reli-
gion in a globalizing world and introduces an easily critiqued yet not fully understood commu- w
nity. i
n
g
e
“this is a wonderful book that can be read on two levels. one: as the fascinating story of how a
d
religious movement spread from india throughout the world, with many vignettes that will stay in
f
one’s mind. and two: as a very instructive demonstration that cultural globalization is not a one- a
way process dominated by the west, but an interaction between cultures, with some processes i
t
going from east to west.” —peter l. berger, boston university
h
tulasi srinivas is assistant professor of anthropology at emerson college, specializing
in south asia, with a focus on issues of globalization, religion, and identity.
tulaSi SrinivaS
columbia university press new york www.cup.columbia.edu
cover image: © veer
back image: sathya sai baba
and devotees at darshan.
photo courtesy kekie mistry
printed in the u.s.a. c
o
l
u
m
ISBN 978-0-231-14933-4
b
i
a
winged faith
OUP INDIA
OUP INDIA
w inged fa i t h
Rethinking Globalization and Religious Pluralism
Through the Sathya Sai Movement
Tulasi SOrinUivPas INDIA
Columbia University Press New York
Columbia University Press
Publishers Since 1893
New York Chichester, West Sussex
Copyright © 2010 Columbia University Press
All rights reserved
Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data
Srinivas, Tulasi.
Winged faith: rethinking globalization and
religious pluralism through the Sathya Sai
movement / Tulasi Srinivas.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978- 0- 231- 14932- 7 (cloth: alk. paper)—
OUP INDIA
ISBN 978- 0- 231- 14933- 4 (pbk.: alk. paper)
1. Sathya Sai Baba, 1926— Cult.
2. Globalization —Religious aspects.
3. Religious pluralism. I. Title.
BP605.S14S75 2010
294.5092—dc22 2009043266
Casebound editions of Columbia University Press
books are printed on permanent and durable
acid- free paper.
Printed in the United States of America
c 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
p 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
References to Internet Web sites (URLs) were
accurate at the time of writing. Neither the author
nor Columbia University Press is responsible for
Web sites that may have expired or changed since
the book was prepared.
In memory of my father, M. N. Srinivas,
with aff ection, respect, and gratitude
OUP INDIA
OUP INDIA
Contents
Ac know ledg ments ix
Note on Translation xiii
List of Abbreviations xv
Introduction: Toward Cultural Understanding 1
OUP INDIA
1. Becoming God: The Story of Sathya Sai Baba 50
2. Deus Loci: Economies of Faith, Sacred Travel, and the Building
of a Moral Architecture 93
3. Illusion, Play, and Work in a Moral Community: Divine
Darshan and the Practices of Transnational Devotion 156
4. Renegotiating the Body: Muscular Morality, Truancy, and the
Satisfaction of Desire 201
5. Secrecy, Ambiguity, Truth, and Power: The Global Sai
Or ga ni za tion and the Anti- Sai Network 232
6. Out of God’s Hands: Reframing Material Worlds 282
In Lieu of a Conclusion: Some Thoughts on Cultural
Translation and Engaged Cosmopolitanism 323
Appendix 343
Notes 347
References 381
Index 413
OUP INDIA
Ac know ledg ments
OUP INDIA
This research was supported in part by the Pew Charitable Trust
and by postdoctoral fellowships at the Center for the Study of World Reli-
gions, Harvard University, and the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and
World Aff airs at Georgetown University. I thank Peter L. Berger, director,
Institute on Culture, Religion, and World Aff airs, Boston University, for
his ongoing support of my interest in the transnational Sathya Sai move-
ment and his valued counsel. I also thank Tom Banchoff , director, the
Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Aff airs, Georgetown Uni-
versity, for giving me time to think, and my colleagues at Georgetown
University for their support during my fellowship year there.
At Boston University, thanks are due to Robert Weller and Charles
Lindholm for laughs, inspiration, and for being generous enough to take
the time to read unedited drafts and make supportive noises, in spite of
their busy schedules, and to Robert Hefner, Merry White, Frank Korom,
and Nazli Kibria, who have provided intellectual inspiration. I would also
like to thank Wendy Doniger, who (whether she knows it or not) talked
me out of a writing block over lunch in her h ouse on Cape Cod, and Kirin
Narayan who kindly shared her expertise, homemade pizza, and thoughts
when I was intellectually lost.
Portions of this work have been presented at the American Anthropo-
logical Association meetings in 2004 and 2005, the South Asia meetings
