D. Sreenivasulu
— Photo: PTI/ Shailendra Bhojak
Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and his wife Anjali paying their last respects to Sathya Sai Baba at Puttaparthi in Andhra Pradesh on Monday.
Prashanti Nilayam has many tall buildings with street signs in English, French, German, Spanish
Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and his wife Anjali paying their last respects to Sathya Sai Baba at Puttaparthi in Andhra Pradesh on Monday.
PUTTAPARTHI: Thousands of grief-stricken devotees thronged Prashanthi Nilayam here for the second day on Monday as the body of Sri Sathya Sai Baba lay in the sprawling Sai Kulwant hall.
According to one estimate, over two lakh devotees have had darshan of the mortal remains of the Sai Baba till Monday evening. Andhra Pradesh Revenue Minister N. Raghuveera Reddy said the public would be allowed to have darshan till 6 p.m., Tuesday.
Volunteers and key functionaries of the Sathya Sai Trust handled the flow of people inside Prashanthi Nilayam, while the situation outside was left to the police and revenue authorities to tackle.
In tears
Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, playback singer P. Susheela and veteran actress Anjali Devi, who have been long-standing visitors to Prashanthi Nilayam, were among the mourners. Sachin, who sat on the floor close to the coffin, was in tears. He had tried hard to control his emotions. Ms. Susheela, who wept uncontrollably, was consoled by Major Industries Minister J. Geetha Reddy. Ms. Anjali Devi too broke down.
Union Ministers Vilasrao Deshmukh and Praful Patel, former cricketer Sunil Gavaskar, actor Arjun and Andhra Pradesh Home Minister Sabitha Indra Reddy also paid their last respects.
According to one estimate, over two lakh devotees have had darshan of the mortal remains of the Sai Baba till Monday evening. Andhra Pradesh Revenue Minister N. Raghuveera Reddy said the public would be allowed to have darshan till 6 p.m., Tuesday.
Volunteers and key functionaries of the Sathya Sai Trust handled the flow of people inside Prashanthi Nilayam, while the situation outside was left to the police and revenue authorities to tackle.
In tears
Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, playback singer P. Susheela and veteran actress Anjali Devi, who have been long-standing visitors to Prashanthi Nilayam, were among the mourners. Sachin, who sat on the floor close to the coffin, was in tears. He had tried hard to control his emotions. Ms. Susheela, who wept uncontrollably, was consoled by Major Industries Minister J. Geetha Reddy. Ms. Anjali Devi too broke down.
Union Ministers Vilasrao Deshmukh and Praful Patel, former cricketer Sunil Gavaskar, actor Arjun and Andhra Pradesh Home Minister Sabitha Indra Reddy also paid their last respects.
Every street was choked with grieving devotees descending on the small town. There was an outpouring of charity with volunteers offering water and packets of lemon rice.
Many devotees have come from far off places in Karnataka, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. The global following for the spiritual leader was visible in the presence of a considerable number of foreigners.
Serpentine queues were seen as men and women walked separately covering over two km. In spite of heavy barricading of the roads leading to Prashanthi Nilayam, stray incidents of jostling or stampede were reported. Pressure was felt in the evening when crowds swelled beyond the expectations of officials and Trust members.
Manmohan, Sonia coming today
As Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi are coming on Tuesday, security has been beefed up. They will arrive in a special flight from Delhi at the Puttaparthi airport at 4.40 p.m. and drive straight to Sai Kulwant Hall.
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and his Orissa counterpart Naveen Patnaik are among the other dignitaries slated to arrive on Tuesday.
Senior BJP leader L.K. Advani will attend the funeral on Wednesday.
Ravi P. Benjamin
Many devotees have come from far off places in Karnataka, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. The global following for the spiritual leader was visible in the presence of a considerable number of foreigners.
Serpentine queues were seen as men and women walked separately covering over two km. In spite of heavy barricading of the roads leading to Prashanthi Nilayam, stray incidents of jostling or stampede were reported. Pressure was felt in the evening when crowds swelled beyond the expectations of officials and Trust members.
Manmohan, Sonia coming today
As Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi are coming on Tuesday, security has been beefed up. They will arrive in a special flight from Delhi at the Puttaparthi airport at 4.40 p.m. and drive straight to Sai Kulwant Hall.
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and his Orissa counterpart Naveen Patnaik are among the other dignitaries slated to arrive on Tuesday.
Senior BJP leader L.K. Advani will attend the funeral on Wednesday.
Ravi P. Benjamin
| Puttaparthi became famous after Sai Baba declared that he was Shirdi Sai Baba's re-incarnation |
Prashanti Nilayam has many tall buildings with street signs in English, French, German, Spanish
M. Sankara Raju, Sai Baba's relative, played a key role in acquisition of lands, buildings construction
Puttaparthi (Anantapur district): The over 140-year-old village of Puttaparthi, once home to shepherd community, has transformed into a pilgrim city of international repute in a span of 70 years.
Puttaparthi (Anantapur district): The over 140-year-old village of Puttaparthi, once home to shepherd community, has transformed into a pilgrim city of international repute in a span of 70 years.
The birth place of Sathya Sai Baba also finds a mention in the revenue records of 1872. But, the village shot into significance when Sai Baba announced on May 23, 1940, that he was the re-incarnation of the Sai Baba of Shirdi. The construction of the earliest buildings in the Prashanthi Nilayam began in 1948 and completed in 1950.
Prashanti Nilayam resembles an international township with about a hundred tall buildings with street signs seen not only in English, but in French, German and Spanish.
Global village
Once work on Prashanthi Nilayam started, local residents and farmers came forward to donate their lands for several projects that started coming up. In 2001, the super specialities hospital commenced full-fledged operations in a sprawling building. M. Sankara Raju, a relative of the Baba played a key role in acquisition of lands and construction of buildings.
The Sai era that started on November 23, 1923, saw the 140-year-old village emerge into a global village.
Over five decades, thousands of devotees made Puttaparthi their spiritual abode to spend the evening of their lives, even as Sai Baba's popularity transcended national boundaries. Hundreds of overseas devotees of the Sai Baba began purchasing flats and independent villas in several townships.
Interestingly, there is a gated community on the road between the airport and Prashanthi Nilayam that is strictly for the ‘firangs'.
The economy of Puttaparthi revolved around retired employees who were Sai devotees, business establishments, real estate owners, those involved in hospitality projects, and over 1,000 foreign residents from the USA, Germany, Spain, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia and other European and African countries. The town is also a bustling centre for foreign currency exchange dealers.
Attractions
The tiny town has a world class planetarium and a stadium that can accommodate about a lakh of people apart from corporate style auditoriums. It boasts of an airport with a state of art runway that can accommodate Boeing 747s.
Despondency
Even as Sai Baba's mortal remains were kept in Sai Kulwant hall, despondency is writ large on the faces of thousands of devotees and businessmen who came from as far as Jammu and Kashmir, Orissa, Bengal and other Northern States.
Questions are raised on the future of the township, its economy, and the future of all stakeholders of the town.
Courtesy : The Hindu
Courtesy : The Hindu
1 comment:
Thanks very much for quick and nice update along with photographs
-abvpsurendran
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