Satya Sai Baba passes away

Satya Sai Baba passes away


Apr 24, 2:25 PM


Popular Spiritual leader Satya Sai Baba is no more. A formal announcement was made at Puttaparthi in Ananthapur district of Andhra Pradesh by Dr A N Safaya Director of Sri Satya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences. He told a crowded news conference that Sai Baba breathed his last at 7.40 Sunday morning of cardio respiratory failure.

The 85 year old Sai Baba has been ailing at the super speciality hospital at Puttaparthi since the 28th of last month with multi-organ disfunctioning. A team of doctors and experts have been making all out efforts to improve his health condition all these days.

Political leaders across party lines are reaching Puttaparthi while thousands of Saibaba’s devotees are thronging the pilgrim town.

Andhra Pradesh Governor E S L Narsimhan and Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy have reached Puttaprthi by special helicopters and paid respects to the spiritual leader at the hospital.

Satya Sai Baba’s body will be kept at Sai Kulwanth hall at Prashanthi Nilayam from 6 this evening till Tuesday for his devotees and the general public to pay their last respects to the spiritual leader.

Saibaba’s last rites will be performed on Wedesday.

Satya Saibaba’s last rites will be performed with full official honours. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy announced this in his condolence message. The state Government has announced mourning till Wednesday. It has also announced Holiday in Ananthapur District on Wednesday.

AIR Hyderabad Correspondent reports, a spiritual legend of his ages, Saibaba is a popular Indian guru with crores of followers from over 170 countries across the world.

Born as Sathyanarayana Raju on 23 November 1926 in a poor agrarian family in a tiny village called Puttaparthi in the drought-stricken Ananathapur District, he declared him self as an incarnation of Sai Baba of Shirdi at his 14 years of age.

Sathya Sai Baba advocated the path of spirituality to one and all. Preaching five basic values- love, compassion, truth, peace and non violence that he believes humans should practice, he soon became a popular Indian guru, spiritual figure and educator.

He is described by his devotees as a godman and miracle worker. With his apparent capacity to materialize vibuthi that is holy ash and small objects such as gold rings, Saibaba has been a source of both fame and controversy.

While skeptics consider these acts as simple conjuring tricks, devotees adore them as evidence of divinity.

Saibaba founded several organizations and supported a number of free education, healthcare and other charitable works in India and abroad.

From huge donations he received, he spent thousands of crores of rupees to provide free education, health services and drinking water to hundreds of villages in the drought-stricken Raylaseema region and elsewhere in several states.

Presidents and Prime ministers of the country, High ranking political leaders, Business Tycoons, and even judiciary icons from both home and abroad are devotees and followers of Saibaba.

The Vice President Mohd. Hamid Ansari and the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh have condoled the death of Sri Satya Saibaba. Mr. Ansari in his message said that the Baba, a preacher of the highest Human values was an iconic figure for over five decades.

Dr. Manmohan Singh said the nation deeply mourns his passing away. He said that the Baba believed that it was the duty of every person to ensure that all people have access to the basic requirements for sustenance of life.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi has condoled the death of Sai Baba. Senior BJP leader L.K. Advani is among the other prominent personalities who have condoled his death.

Union Minister Vilas Rao Deshmukh and the Punjab Governor Shivraj Patil are among those who have condoled the death saying his passing away is an irreparable loss to all.