Sunday, October 6, 1 4 THE MICHIGAN DAILY Page Five i PERSPECTIVE PHONY OR SINCERE? Muktananda: Looking beyond the bizarre By CINDY HILL HIS APPEARANCE has - an element of the bizarre: sunglasses often mask the gentle; eyes, he usually wears a long turtleneck shirt over a cotton wrap-around, and his salt-and- pepper hair is unruly and wiry. For several hundred lo c a people, the biggest event of last week was the appearance in town of the swami, Baba Muk- tananda, a 66-year-old holy manl from India wearing electric-- orange socks and a woolen win- ter hat, no matter how warm the weather was. For his followers, there was good reason for the excitement: Muktananda, who leaves f or New York today, is a "self- realized saint," they claim, in a constant state of nirvana. HIS ADMIRERS, it is said, include Indira Gandhi, Al- len Ginsberg and Baba R a m Dass (alias Dr. Richard Al. The American Game! (Continued from Page 3) In the last year of the decade, crash the headlines would read , The Mets won it all. It couldn't MANTLE, 29 OTHERS KILL- have been more perfectly plan- ED IN CRASH-"Whitey Ford. ned. BASEBALL FIFTIES conform- But what of the present? ity was known as the New During the short-lived seven- York Yankees. Dedicated pro- ties, baseball history has seen fessionals, the Organization the breaking of its most cher- Men of their trade, they were ; ished record, discord in the all interchangeable, substituted: first player strike in 1972, and in and out at the whim of j just this week the naming of their manager Casey Stengel. ' the first black manager. Though Only Whitey Ford and Mickey the decade has yet to be char- Mantle were true superstars of acterized, an educated guess that team, yet year after year would select the Oakland A's as after year the Yanks were on the team of decade. top when the third out of the As America has settled into a ninth inning of the World Series seemingly permanently divisive was recorded. culture split politically, social- ly, and racially, what team best "I got my start in the coin- exemplifies this than the quar- edy business at a tender age," reling A's, who seem to do their Woody Allen once said, "I wrote best "between the lines" after the early New York Met they've demolished each otherF games." As Fitzgerald should in the clubhouse? Their whole have created Ruth, Allen should demeanor is perfectly suited to have created Marvelous Marv the times. pern) among other notables. in an old rattletrap?" Pierce ex- Baba Muktananda, however, plodes. "That's childishness. seems oblivious to the reaction There's no reason he should his presence inspires, as, in- have to sleep on the ground to deed, he seems oblivious to just prove he's religious. A religion about everything. He wanders that flays bodies, pictures t h e among his followers distracted- body as evil, sex as evil, and ly, randomly picking up ob- food as evil is an extremely low jects that interest him a n d level of consciousness. "playing" with people. "The only thing evil is when One moment he may scowl you're selfish and greedy about at a reporter's notes, and the material things, abuse o t h e r next moment he may sprinkle people to get them, and become perfume on a five-year-old attached to them. He doesn't child. "Attention" from the care what he drives around in." Master may mean a quiet, brief The car, incidentally, w a s discussion through an interpre- provided by a follower who was ter or a perfunctory tap on reportedly "overjoyed" that the the shoulder. swami would be using it, and His followers claim this flux "charging it with his vibes." of emotions is only a facade and The car was to be returned fol- that, actually, he surveys the lowing Baba's departure. world with unruffled equanim- itv.ABA SPOE through an in- terpreter: "To me, any- "TIE MAY RAGE at people, one without inner wealth is grin at them, or stroke poor, and if a man hasn't be- them," says David Pierce, co- come totally fulfilled and is ordinator for Baba's worldwide still driven by cravings and de- tour. "He sees them all as sires - who will call him rich?" games to be played. He may be The word he is spreading is games to bes paed Helg mabe nourishing in itself, he feels. chewing my ass and telling me! "I'm giving food to all t h e I'm an idiot, but all I get are waves of bliss." hungry in the world." Another disciple, Steve, ex- The food he gives, however, plains, "We all have millions is more than spiritual. At his of thoughts, millions of emo- Indian ashram, hundreds of tions. They're like static. It's children come for milk inthe like we're tuned in to one chan- morning. On Sundays, 5,000 peo- nel all the time, and he's tuned pe come for dinner. The ash- in to all of them - and can ram has financed several make sense of them." schools as well. Baba does not discus this. Nor ''A lot of people don't know does he mention that in India quite what to think of him, he is accorded a much higher Steve continues. "He only at- degree of respect. There, fol- tracts certain people S omei lowers fall on their faces as far people recognize his divinity im- as 50 feet away, Pierce says. mediately, or like him on a' "The only true equivalent in; human level. Others think he'America would be if Christ just a cute old man." were to appear in a long white "robe five miles up in the sky, "sT'S A RIP-OFF," one stta sptted by radar, and w a s dent said. " 'Give me all slowly lowered into Madison your money and I'll give you Square Garden." peace.' If nothing else, it's an Insteadi. emoioalri-of. 'abostead, Baba simply t a I k s emotionalrip-off.ndt eaboutenlightenment to his fol- Foes zero in on incident like lowers, plays with children, and his initial appearance in Ann is the proverbial eye of a hurri-' Arbor last week. He arrived in cane in the midst of a bustling an expensive limousine a n d worldwide tour. drove in it all week. And it is such criticism that provokes his followers to exasperation. Cindy Hill is Executive Di- "Why should he drive around rector of the Daily. om s m s n m s n m CONCERNED RACKHAM GRADUATE STUDENTS: Rackham Student Government is now accept- ing applications for membership. There are openings for representatives in the following divisions: Physical Sciences and Engineering, Social Sciences, Humanities, Education. Con- tact Rm. 2006 Rackham Bldg. for application forms. Contraceptive Counseling and Education Service Gynecology Clinic 3rd floor, Student Health Services free, individual contraceptive counsel- ing for women, men or couples. referral services for information call 764-0127: 764-8329 763-4370 or 763-4371 Daily Photo by KEN FINK ki RAVE IA 11 NOW AT V.I.P. Discount 213 S. STATE COMPLETE DAIRY DEPARTMENT DOMESTIC FLIGHTS SPECIAL FARES SAVE 20% THANKSGIVING-Deadline Oct. 28 NEW YORK CHRISTMAS-Deadline Nov. 19 NEW YORK 8 oz. YOGURT .. 29c Throneberry. -Throneberry played first and some outfield for the Mets in those early years of the club's existence. One day he socked a vicious line shot past the right fielder and circled around for a rare inside-the-park home run. "Yer Out," said the home plate umpire, "you missed third base." Normally on such a call an entire dugout empties to dis- pute the point, but the Mets sat quietly in theirs, content in the knowledge that not only had Throneberry missed third, but first and second as well. THIS ANALYSIS MAY be pre- mature. 1974 is a watershed year for baseball and with it the established stars are giving; way to a whole new constella-i tion. Al Kaline is gone, Henry Aaron is going, Bob Gibson and Tom Seaver had off years. The Tigers, Mets, and Cubs, always challengers for titles, played mediocrely at best. PerhapsE baseball and America are mov-I ing in a yet undetermined course. That, among other things, is what the playoffs which began yesterday are all about. A. T WAS CALLED perhaps the In 1964, the Cincinnati Reds worst ball club that ever were involved in a three way played major league ball. They fight for the National League finished their first season losing pennant and sent to pitch a an incredible 120 games and phenom named McCool, who, came back the next year to at the time was 19 years of lose 111. Yet New Yorkers turn- age. McCool pitched well but ed out in droves, applauding the lost the game in the ninth when Mets' every move. The more veteran Bill Mazeroski hit a the Mets struggled, the more home run. they were loved. The more in- After the game all McCool ept, the more cheered. could say was "that fucking It seemed all the frustrations Mazeroski, that fucking Mazer- Americans had with their Six- oski, that fucking Mazeroski."1 ties lives came out in their love When asked how he felt about of the Mets: their ambiguity; a young kid calling him "that towards success, their dislike fucking Mazeroski," Maz looked for their institutions, their scorn around and said, "Gentleman, of authority, and their tradi- that's what makes baseball the tional love of the underdog. And great game it is." the Mets didn't let them down. That's about right, Bill. "WHAT'S REALLY ME" A CHRISTIAN SCIENCE LECTURE BY JOSEPH HEARD, C.S. PALM BEACH, FLORIDA TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8th 8 P.M. MICHIGAN ROOM in the MICHIGAN UNION r ALL WELCOME y American Indian Jewelry Authentic 5 Fine Quality HOPI, ZUNI, NAVAJO, SANTO DOMINGO Earrings, Bracelets, Necklaces, Belf Buckles, Rings, Heshi, Pendants SILVER-TURQUOISE-CORAL phone ELAYNE (P.M.'S) 663-1372 0'" - T M S R ''"""M ~"">S o f ""- D. LOS ANGELES SAN FRANCISCO DALLAS Chile: CIA Plot Exposed All Flights on Scheduled American Airlines-Non Stop Jets KENNETH LANGTON-UM Pol. Sci. Prof. ~FOR FURTHER DETAILS--CONTACT MEG HAYES-Soc ialist Workers Candidate$ 6th Cong.Dist.179 TRAVEL SMONDAY, OCT. 7-8 p.m. Anderson Rm., Michigan Union Sponsored by Ann Arbor Young Socialist Alliance RAVEL MICH. UNION 3-21 if ojii C/cdi London at Christmas CHRISTMAS BREAK TRIP Dec. 24, 1974-Jan. 6, 1975 to BANFF, ALBERTA, CANADA Only $371.61 JAN. 2-8 $275* *COST APPROXIMATE INCLUDES Flight On Scheduled * Round Trip air fare-Air CanadaAirline Jets " Ground Transportation-Accommodations at Voyager Inn with sauna, pool " Lift Tickets-Good at Sunshine Village for further details contact (great powder), Mt. 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