Race to find guru's successor

Who will look after more than 400 billion rupees worth of earthly riches left behind following the death of Sathya Sai Baba, the Indian guru?

Manmohan Singh, the prime minister of India, pays his last respects to guru Sathya Sai Baba. Dibyangshu Sarkar / AFP

MUMBAI // The death of a saffron-robed Hindu spiritual guru on Sunday without an appointed successor has raised the spectre of a battle for control of India's richest religious trust.
Sathya Sai Baba, 85, who declared himself the reincarnation of a 19th century Hindu saint, set up the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust in 1972 through tax-free donations from millions of devotees worldwide. It now has assets worth more than 400 billion rupees (Dh33.07bn).
His ashram in Puttaparthi in southern India boasts of a private airstrip built for the convenience of his elite devotees - such as the corporate chieftain Ratan Tata and the cricket superstar Sachin Tendulkar - who often sought his spiritual guidance.
The charismatic guru won wide recognition for his controversial "miracle" acts of generating rings and necklaces seemingly from thin air, but he was most revered for his trust's charitable endeavours. It runs several free schools, specialised hospitals and a university. It also leads water harvesting projects in some of India's most drought-prone areas.
The current trustees, many of whom are former high-ranking government functionaries, are confident the trust's philanthropic work will not be disrupted by Sathya Sai's death.
"Institutions like schools, hospitals and the university are managed by individual trusts," the trustees say. "There is . no vacuum and we firmly believe that [Sathya Sai] will continue to guide the trustees."
They are expected to decide on a successor after Sathya Sai's funeral, which was yesterday. But the decision will not be easy, especially in the absence of a clear favourite among a number of contenders who can hardly match the charisma and mass appeal of the trust's founder.
The challenge reflects how succession battles plague not just India's family-run enterprises that dominate the country's business landscape, but also large empires erected by spiritual gurus worshipped as demigods in this nation of 800 million Hindus.
India, a land of many faiths, has long been the salvation destination for hundreds of millions of spiritual seekers worldwide. But as its economy has accelerated in recent years, the market for redemption has blossomed into a thriving, multibillion-rupee industry.
More than half a dozen television channels in India beam religious programming.
Most of them are led by spiritual gurus who engage in slick marketing campaigns for their religious services. Some of them have adopted the role of televangelists to guide devotees in search of enlightenment.
Hundreds of spa and yoga resorts have sprung up across India in recent years that offer meditation and alternate healing therapies. Many of them are governed by well-endowed religious trusts controlled by powerful gurus.
Some of them have been exposed by the Indian media as fly-by-night ascetics who amass illegal wealth or are accused of involvement in scandal.
But the primary concern remains succession. Sathya Sai was the only authority who had the power to issue cheque payments.
Analysts say the transfer of power at his trust must happen quickly - and without conflict - to ensure a smooth continuation of its philanthropic work.
"Godmen don't leave behind earthly wills," says Ramdev Baba, a popular yoga guru who also enjoys a formidable following. "Millions of people have played a role in building Sathya Sai's trust. They will choose his successor. There should no government interference."
Ajay Bhalla, a professor at the Cass Business School in London, warns against a "premeditated" approach to plant successors to head spiritual institutions as that may result in the erosion of faith among followers and adversely affect donation collections.
"[Spiritual organisations] must refrain from behaving like a family-run businesses," he says. "A natural successor may emerge from [among] the followers.
"But such institutions should focus their energies on building governance mechanisms which continue to reinforce the faith of its followers even after the demise of the spiritual guru."
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