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The Passing of an Icon
Although I have nothing to do with controversial Sathya Sai Baba, who has left his physical presence at his hometown in Ananatpur District of Andhra Pradesh aged 85 after struggling between life and death, I joined millions of people across the globe in mourning the demise of one of the prominent religious teachers having followers and professional institutions across the world. Even those who are critical of him for his cocktail of religion and magic called ‘Chamatkar’ will admit that the institutions constituted by him and at his instance have contributed singularly to various walks of life. It will not be an exaggeration to say that perhaps he is ranked among the top religious teachers in terms of setting up socio-educational and professional institutions during their earthly sojourns besides creating direct and indirect jobs for several lakhs of people through these institutions.
Sathya Sai Baba was born eight years after the demise of Om Sai Baba of Shirdi in Maharashtra in 1918, about whom very little is authentically known. Satya Sai Baba claimed to be his incarnation and was considered a demi God by millions of people. He preached an eclectic blend of the Hindu religion since the time he claimed to be an 'avatar' at a young age of 14.
There were many attacks on him by rationalists and non-believers through the media but these could not derail him from his mission through which he garnered an immense following.
Born as Sathyanarayan Raju on November 23, 1926 in the village of Puttaparthi in the Anantpur district of what was the Madras Presidency of British India, his devotees claimed he started singing Sanskrit verses about which he had no knowledge at an early age in March 1940 after being apparently stung by a scorpion while staying with his elder brother. Within two months, then still a teenager, he claimed to be a reincarnation of the more famous Shirdi Sai Baba who had reportedly stated before his death in 1918 that he would reappear in the then Madras Presidency eight years later.
The boy gathered a following as he stepped into the world of spirituality. Word spread that Raju could make objects such as food and sweets materialize out of thin air. With the passage of time, he came to be recognized for his mane and flowing orange robes. The boy transformed himself into Sathya Sai Baba, frequently producing with a flick of his hand ‘vibhuti’ (sacred ash) and small objects such as Shiva lings, rings and necklaces. Puttaparthi became his base, eventually transforming the once small village into a lively pilgrimage centre with its own railway station and air strip.
The spiritual guru built a temple in 1944 in his native place. Four years later, he founded ‘Prasanthi Nilayam’ which means an abode for supreme peace at Puttaparthi. He also opened ashrams at Whitefield in the outskirts of Bangalore and at Kodaikanal in Tamil Nadu. He made it a point to advise his followers not to give up their original religion even after accepting him as their religious teacher.
He preached, “My objective is the establishment of ‘Santana Dharma’ which believes in one God as propitiated by the founders of all religions.” Sathya Sai Baba, however, had many critics who repeatedly challenged him to make the objects materialize in ‘controlled conditions’ to prove that he was not indulging in trickery or sleight of hand. One of the critics was internationally noted magician P C Sorkar (1913 to 1971) who claimed that he was capable of performing all the ‘chamatkars’ done by the Baba in the name of religion. However, the godman brushed aside the attacks by non-believers and vested interests. The personal attacks on him abated over the years and his spiritual empire expanded. It is stated that now, his devotees are spread over some 130 countries and number in millions. He was a great workaholic and had devoted his entire life to charitable work providing jobs to several thousands of people. His movement began with free medical treatment, both in Puttaparthi and Bangalore, as well as free education for the poor.
Sathya Sai Baba was also credited for unveiling drinking water schemes which provided water to the drought-prone Anantapur district where Puttaparthi is located and to the city of Chennai. Food is sold at hugely subsidized rates at his ashram even to those who do not follow him. In 2001, the digital radio network, Radio Sai Global Harmony, was launched to spread Sai Baba’s message of harmony and peace.
He acquired a huge following that included political leaders, film stars, industrialists, and sportspersons, besides millions of ordinary folk. But controversy always dogged Sai Baba.He was accused of sexual abuse. The BBC once produced a documentary showing him in poor light. Sai Baba remained single and not much is known about his personal life. The killing of four alleged intruders into Sai Baba’s bedroom by police in 1993 is another controversy which remains a mystery.
Since 2005, Sai Baba had been using a wheelchair and his failing health had forced him to make fewer public appearances. Two of his elder sisters, an elder brother and a younger brother have predeceased him. Some of his nieces and nephews are today active in the trusts formed by him. Many believe he died a day after he was admitted to the hospital on March 28 and that his relatives waited for an auspicious time to make the announcement to avoid feuds over his earthly possessions valued at billions of INR. Let us hope that the dispute over management of the trust owning assets of an estimated 40,000 crore INR equivalent to 10 billion US dollars will be resolved amicably.
Whatever his critics may say, there is no denying that he has done a lot of constructive work in the field of education, for women’s emancipation and breaking the caste barriers. He had no faith in communalism and castes and never asked any follower to give up his or her religion. He was, above all, a great social activist through religion.
Sathya Sai Baba, whose message of universal love and brotherhood attracted millions of followers across the globe, was on April 27th 2011, four days after his Nirvana, interred at the very spot from where he used to meet and address his disciples for years. The mortal remains of the 85 year old spiritual leader, whose clout spread far and wide among both the commoners and the high and mighty, were buried after the last rites were performed by his nephew RJ Ratnakar with the Vedic customs following full police honours.
Watched by a galaxy of political personalities including Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka Chief Ministers N Kiran Kumar Reddy and BS Yeddyurappa, Governors ESL Narasimhan and Shivraj V Patil, BJP leaders LK Advani, M Venkiah Naidu, Bandaru Dattatreya, former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan and hundreds of his followers, Sai Baba’s body was buried amidst the chanting of ‘Sai’ Mantras.
P.K. Chakravarty