Sri Sathya Sai Baba, the spiritual guru who passed away at Puttaparthi on Sunday morning after battling illness for four weeks, enjoyed a large following in India and abroad that cut across religious lines.
The Sathya Sai Trust Central Trust that manages the vast properties and religious affairs of Prashanthi Nilayam claims that it has Sathya Sai Baba Centres in as many as 114 countries and followers in 178. It is to facilitate devotees from far and near to have a last glimpse of Sai Baba that the funeral has been fixed for April 27, that is three days after the death of the 85-year-old Sai Baba.
A. P. Minister for Industries J. Geetha Reddy, a staunch devotee of Sai Baba, told reporters in Puttaparthi that his body, after being kept in the Sai Kulwant Hall on Monday and Tuesday, will be buried there on Wednesday morning. Sai Kulwant Hall is the venue of congregations where the devout perform bhajans and where Sai Baba's birthday used to be celebrated in a gradiose manner with a multitude of VIPs in attendance.
Sathyanarayana Raju, as Sai Baba was known, was born to Eswaramma and Peddavenkama Raju Ratnakaram in Puttaparthi on November 23, 1926. He was considered an intelligent child and quite talented in drama, music, dance and writing. His chequered spiritual journey began when he was barely 14 years of age and when he proclaimed himself to be a reincarnation of Sai Baba of Shirdi. His devotees built a temple near Puttaparthi village, now referred to as the old mandir.
The Prashanthi Nilayam (abode of divine peace) was built later during 1948-50. The spiritual guru enchanted his devotees by performing what seemed to them miracles such as producing `vibhtuti' (holy ash) and items of daily use like watches, gold chains and rings, seemingly out of thin air. However, it also attracted adverse attention from rationalists and scientists who sought to expose them as nothing but sleight of hand.
The Baba stopped performing these `miracles' and focused attention on charitable activities in a big way. The Sathya Sai Central Trust, set up in 1972 for running the ashram, executed the Water Supply Project for Anantapur district, one of the most chronically drought affected area in the country. Under the project, about nine lakh people in nearly 750 villages were provided water in a record time of about two years at a cost of more than Rs. 300 crore. Besides, he gave funding generously to the "Sathya Sai Ganga Canal" for supply of water to Chennai.
The Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, a deemed university, and the super-speciality hospital, both at Puttaparthi, were only two among the high-profile institutions besies the numerous schools, colleges and other facilities he created. The hospital routinely performs highly specialised operations free of cost. Sai Baba preached secular beliefs. During the peak of the Ramjanmabhoomi controversy, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad tried to rope the influential leader into the movement but met with no success.