Sathya Sai Baba

Despite the myriad controversies surrounding him, Sathya Sai Baba continues to be a popular Guru with a huge number of followers around the world. Here's a profile of the Sai Baba of our times.

Birth & Childhood: Sathya Sai Baba was born in Puttaparthi, a small village in South India, on November 23, 1926. As a child, he demonstrated exemplary qualities of compassion, generosity, and wisdom, which clearly distinguished him from the other children of his village.
Boy Turns Saint: On October 29, 1940, at the age of 14, he declared to his family and to the people of his village that he would henceforth by known as Sai Baba and that his mission was to bring about the spiritual regeneration of humanity by demonstrating and teaching the highest principles of truth, righteous conduct, peace, and divine love.

His Mission: His mission was further amplified in a letter he wrote to his brother in 1947. “I have a task,” he said, “To foster all mankind and ensure for all of them lives full of bliss. I have a vow: To lead all who stray away from the straight path again into goodness and save them. I am attached to a work that I love: To remove the sufferings of the poor and grant them what they lack.”

His Abode of Peace: Sai Baba's ashram, built by his devotees close to the village where he was born, was inaugurated on November 23, 1950. It is called Prasanthi Nilayam (the Abode of Divine Peace). It has been the gathering place of millions of spiritual pilgrims of various faiths from all over the world. Every day, Sai Baba graciously walks among them to guide, comfort, console, and uplift them.

The small temple dedicated in 1950 has grown into a spiritual oasis of unprecedented magnitude. The temple and the dharshan area in front of it, which is completely covered by a beautiful roof, together encompass an area that is over 10,000 square yards.

A Highly Popular Guru: During the period 14-23 November 1995, the celebrations of the 70th birthday of Sathya Sai Baba took place in Prasanthi Nilayam. More than one million people, including the President and Prime Minister of India, assembled in Prasanthi Nilayam to pay homage to Sathya Sai Baba during the 70th birthday celebrations.

Ganesh Chaturthi

With the Ganesha Chaturthi festival just a week away, idol makers in Bangalore are going out of their way to popularise Sai Baba and Indian American astronaut Sunita Williams.Ganesha idols resembling Sai Baba and Sunita Williams are everyone's favourites here.Local markets here have at least 500 varieties of Ganesh idols."This year the statue of Ganesha with many hands is in vogue. Besides, weave a Baba Ganesha and an 18-foot-high Ganesha.

The ranges of Ganesha idolst this shop vary from rupees 50 to 30,000. This year around 30,000 to0,000 idols would be sold," said M Srinivas, a retailer dealing in Ganeshadols.Artisans start making idols from the day of Pongal (14 January)."This year we have got special Ganesha with Sunita Williams besides other idols of Ganesha," said Muninanjappa, another Ganesha idol-maker."Vinayaka Chaturthi" or "Ganesha Chaturthi" as it is described popularly in different regions of the country, is actually the birthday celebrations of Lord Ganesha believed to have born in the lunar month of Bhadrapada as per Hindu almanac.

It comes sometime between August 20 and September 15.The 10-day long festivities conclude on "Ananta Chaturdashi" with the immersion of the worshipped Ganesha idols into any major source of water like river or sea or even lakes or a well.This year, Vinayak Chaturthi or Ganesha Chaturthi is falling on September 15.

Shirdi

Abode of the charismatic Shri Saibaba, Shirdi is the mystical town fragrant with the devotional intensity that sees devotees from across the world thronging to this small hamlet. Highly placed on the world map of spirituality, Shirdi is located in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra and close to the holy city of Nasik. Such is the devotional strength of the place that even a casual visitor cannot remain unaffected by the faith and conviction of the devotees on Saibaba.

Bereft of any religious narrowness, Saibaba was essentially an Indian Guru, a Fakir who was regarded by both Hindu and Muslim communities. He worshipped both at temples and mosques and encouraged tolerance between both the faiths. His life and teachings are wonderful semblance of both faiths. Saibaba is believed to have arrived at the village of Shirdi when he was about sixteen years old. He took up residence in a Khandoba temple, where a villager (Mahalsapathi) at worship first called him Sai ("saint").

Bearing an extremely simple and ascetic life, Sai Baba lived in the village as a mendicant monk. His inherent charisma soon began attracting followers. He has been attributed numerous miracles which still live expanding the list of his devotees. Today Saibaba temples are all across India and even beyond. Devotees have established Sai temples in countries like Canada and Cuba.