Long before he became Venezuela's president, Nicolas Maduro's life intersected with India in a profound personal way.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan attended Sri Satya Sai Baba's birth centenary celebrations in Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh, and reflected on his teachings and principles.
Sachin Tendulkar attended the birth centenary celebrations of Sathya Sai Baba in Puttaparthi, where he shared a heartfelt memory from India's 2011 World Cup triumph.
'...but nothing a biryani and sleep will not fix.'
Puttaparthi was always bustling with activity every time when Sai Baba was there.
Two and a half months after his death, Sathya Sai Baba's Ashram in Puttaparthy is finding itself caught in a major storm over the alleged siphoning of the wealth left behind by the spiritual leader.
Batting legend Sunil Gavaskar celebrated his 60th birthday on Friday in solemn fashion at Puttaparthi, the abode of Sri Satya Sai Baba, in Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh. Accompanied by wife Marshniel, son Rohan and former brother-in-law, India batsman Gundappa Viswanath, Gavaskar reached Puttaparthi Ashram from Bangalore and met with Sai Baba in the morning.
As Puttaparthi continues to be on tensed over the deteriorating health of Sathya Sai Baba, the names of his caregiver, Satyajit and his nephew R J Ratnakar are emerging as possible persons who may have a bigger say in the Satya Sai Baba Central Trust, reports Vicky Nanjappa.
According to the latest medical bulletin, spiritual leader Sathya Sai Baba, who was hospitalised ten days ago following lung and chest congestion, is responding to treatment. But the bulletin added that he was suffering from multi-organ dysfunction and was being kept on ventilator support.Sathya Sai Baba, 86, is on continuous renal replacement therapy in order to help his respiratory and kidney functions, doctors attending on him said in Puttaparthi on Wednesday.
Following the demise of Sathya Sai Baba, the Andhra Pradesh government, which has been in talks with the trustees at Puttaparthi, wants to ensure that the take over of the trust should be free from any controversy.
Taking matters to the streets, several devotees of Sathya Sai Baba held protests in Puttaparthi on Saturday over the alleged misuse of funds by members of the Shri Sathya Sai Central Trust. The protest took place in the wake of the police filing cases after Rs 35.5 lakh in cash was nabbed while being transported illegally from Baba's residence Yajur Mandi. The devotees who took to the streets stated that they have no faith in the trust any longer.
Puttuparthi on Monday woke up to tears, pain and a vacuum left behind following the demise of Sathya Sai Baba. Vicky Nanjappa reports
Amid the growing concern over the health of Sathya Sai Baba, police have tightened the security arrangements in his ashram town Puttaparthy in Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh and imposed section 144.
Indulekha Aravind travels to Puttaparthi to find out the fate of an economy now bereft of the man it was centered on.
The situation in the temple town of Puttaparthi is expected to be tense with a huge protest march being planned against the alleged irregularities in the Shri Sathya Sai Central trust.
The town of Puttaparthi struggles to find its feet two years after Sai Baba died. From despondent property agents and handicraft sellers to hotel owners and drivers, all are hoping for better days ahead, says Indulekha Aravind
Valhalla is undoubtedly enriched by the presence of Unnikrishnan Gangadharan Kartha. He would have already convened the 'fall in' and regaled his friends with tales of the distant land that they once inhabited.
Sathya Sai Baba's health showed signs of improvement on Thursday and doctors attending on him expressed satisfaction with his response to their treatment.
The condition of ailing Sathya Sai Baba deteriorated on Thursday with doctors saying that all his organs were showing poor response to treatment. "Low blood pressure and the non-functioning of liver have become a major cause for concern. The baba continues to be on ventilator support," Dr A N Safaya, Director, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Sciences, said in Puttaparthi.
The CJI said people are the ultimate lords in democracy and whatever decision has been taken by the dispensation should benefit them.
The outpouring of grief at Puttaparthi continued on Monday with over one lakh devotees visiting the temple town to say their final farewell to spiritual leader Sathya Sai Baba who passed away on Sunday morning.
Sathya Sai Baba's mahasamadhi was on Friday opened to devotees for darshan at Prasanthi Nilayam in Puttaparthi on the auspicious occasion of Guru Purnima.
Our stand has been vindicated and the amount of Rs 34.5 lakh does belong to Prashanthi Nilayam (Sathya Sai Baba's ashram in Puttaparthi), said Shahnawaz Kasim, deputy superintendent of police, Ananthpur district. He was speaking on the backdrop of two trustees of the Shri Sathya Sai Central Trust being questioned by the police in connection with a case in which Rs 35.5 lakh was being transported out of Puttaparthi.
Trustees of the Shri Sathya Sai Central Trust have expressed their willingness to appear before the police for investigation into the case of missing cash case from Puttaparthi ashram.
Iconic Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, a devotee of the late Sathya Sai Baba, on Monday paid his last respects to the godman who died in Puttaparthi, on Sunday.
The police have managed to make some inroads into the case in which Rs 35.5 lakh went missing from the Sathya Sai Baba Central Trust. Earlier during the day, the Anantpur police had claimed that the money was being taken from Puttaparthy to Bangalore to be handed over to an unknown person.
The mortal remains of Sathya Sai Baba will be buried at Puttaparthi on Wednesday and a samadhi will be erected.
With anger against Maharashtra sweeping across Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan has cancelled his visit to Sri Satya Sai Baba's Ashram in Puttaparthi slated for Wednesday.
The one-way fare on executive class would be Rs 2,640 and in the economy class it would be Rs 1,825, it said.\n\n
A living God for millions of devotees, Sathya Sai Baba who passed away on Sunday was laid to rest at the Sai Kulwant Hall in Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh amidst full state honours on Wednesday.
From ordinary believers to the President of India, his clout spread far and wide but controversy also followed Puttaparthi Sathya Sai Baba all along.
"Bhagwan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, who has been in the hospital for the last five days, is responding to treatment given to him quite satisfactorily. He is still on assisted ventilation to help his respiratory system and is breathing more easily now," a health bulletin issued by A N Safaya, Director of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, said.
A group of devotees of the late Sathya Sai Baba, in a statement on Sunday, said the cash of Rs 35 lakh recovered from the vehicle of Sathya Sai Central Trust belonged to them and was meant for the construction of the Sai's Maha Samadhi.
Several senior leaders and dignitaries including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi visited Puttaparthi on Wednesday to pay their last respects to Sathya Sai Baba.
Specially abled Sai Kaustuv Dasgupta talks about how he wants to make his life a message to all the 'wheelchair warriors'.
Speaking for the first time after being mired in controversy, V Srinivasan, a trustee with the Shri Sathya Sai Central Trust refuted allegations of any wrongdoings.
In a tragedy that would be entrenched in the souls of million devotees all through their lives, Sathya Sai Baba passed away on Sunday morning in a hospital in Puttaparthi.
The devotees congregated at the Prashatni Nilayam, the official residence of the 86-year old godman, for prayers even as doctors said the the Sai Baba's response to their treatment was minimal.
The condition of Sathya Sai Baba is very critical with all his organs showing very poor response to treatment, doctors attending on him said on Thursday.
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