Sathya Sai Baba: Life in pics
From ordinary believers to the President of India, Puttaparthi Sathya Sai Baba's clout spread far and wide. India had, and has, several Godmen but none could match his name and fame. In fact, Sathya Sai Baba's influence had no barriers as his millions of followers spanned the globe. We take a look at his life.
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Now, Puttaparthi has been metamorphosed into a self-contained city and finds itself on the international map, thanks to the large number of the Baba's foreign devotees who visit Prasanthi Nilayam day in and day out. It boasts of an exclusive airport where chartered flights, carrying Baba's devotees from different parts of the globe, land. (Text: PTI)
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As a child, Sathyanarayana Raju was described as "unusually intelligent" and charitable. His talents were in drama, music, dance and writing, and he was an avid composer of poems and plays. He was also known as a singer, having released several CDs of bhajans. (Text: PTI)
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On June 6, 1993, an attempt was allegedly made on his life by his close aides. Six inmates of Prasanthi Nilayam were killed right inside the Baba's bedroom. All of them were part of the "inner circle" of Baba. His personal assistant Radha Krishna Menon was among those killed in the incident. Facts of the case still remain a mystery. (Text: PTI)
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His divine preaching apart, Sathya Sai Baba pioneered many social service activities beginning with a tiny general hospital at Puttaparthi which has now transformed into the Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, a 220-bedded super-speciality hospital. (Text: PTI)
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The Sathya Sai Central Trust manages all the service activities and also runs the Sathya Sai University (formerly Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning) at Puttaparthi. Besides, the trust also runs many schools and dispensaries in different states while it has also completed large water supply projects in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. (Text: PTI)
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Since 2005, Baba used a wheelchair and his failing health forced him to make fewer public appearances. In 2006, he suffered a fractured hip when a student standing on an iron stool slipped and both the boy and the stool fell on Baba. He gave darshan from a car or his porte chair. (Text: PTI)
