Sathya Sai Baba: His Life & Legacy

The Journey

November 23, 1926: Sathya Sai Baba was born in Puttaparthi to Peda Venkappa Raju and Easwaramma.

1940 : Sathya Sai Baba declares at the age of 14 that he is the incarnation of Sufi saint Sai Baba of Shirdi, Maharashtra, who died in 1918.

1944 : Comes to Bangalore as a savant. Starts wearing a robe, initially greyish-white, then saffron.

November 23, 1950: His home Prashanti Nilayam or ‘Abode of Tranquillity’ inaugurated on his 28th birthday.

1972: Sets up Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust to manage his spiritual empire.

April 24, 2011: Dies in Puttaparthi

Controversies

June 6, 1993: Four armed men try to enter Sai Baba’s bedroom. While the motive behind this intrusion was unknown, preliminary investigation showed that the attack was the result of skirmishes among the ashram inmates over a financial issue.

December 2001: Allegations of sexual abuse reported in certain sections
of the media.

June 2004: BBC airs a documentary ‘ Secret Swami’, on the abuses allegedly committed by the Baba.

Sai Baba legacy

Clout: Some of his high-profile fans included former prime minister AB Vajpayee, former Supreme Court chief justice PN Bhagwati and former president APJ Abdul Kalam. This is apart from top businessmen and even cricket superstar Tendulkar who were his followers.

Charity: Rs 40,000-crore Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust has many of the Baba’s confidantes as its members. This inner circle includes PN Bhagwati, Sai Baba’s nephew RJ Ratnakar; former IAS officer K Chakravarthi and former
CVC SV Giri.

Rebirth: A prediction that Sai Baba once made was that he would die in 2022 and, eight years later, be reborn in Gunaparthi village of Karnataka’s Mandya district to a woman called Kasturi. His next avatar will be called Prem Sai Baba and he will have nothing to do with Puttaparthi.