Comments From the Press

Posted at 16:00 Hrs. on 31st Oct 2009

Sathya Sai Baba’s visit to Pune and Mumbai has evoked greater enthusiasm among spiritual seekers, the Sai Fraternity and beyond. The Man of Miracle’s greater message of Love and Service is the silent revolution of the present time. For the past three days thousands upon thousands thronged to the Sri Sathya Sai Panduranga Kshetra at Hadshi in Pune to catch a glimpse of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai. The Times of India owned "Pune Mirror" interviewed some of the youth to get the pulse of the fraternity on the high profile visit of Sathya Sai Baba. Read on for some more comments from the Press on the much talked about Divine Visit as the next two days would witness Mumbai City, the financial hub of India, getting morally and spiritually recharged.

Young Devotees Wowed By Sathya Sai Baba

The youth were captivated by the guru’s message of love and respect for mankind
By Vishakha Sharma
Posted on Saturday, October 31, 2009 at 02:38:20 AM

Hundreds of devotees of Sathya Sai Baba in the city gathered to catch a glimpse and listen to their revered guru from Wednesday, October 28 to Friday, October 30. Pune Mirror spoke to some of Sathya Sai Baba’s devotees who told us of their experience.

Aloka Deane-Chinnayya (30) felt blessed to have met Sathya Sai Baba. She said, “It was an amazing experience meeting him. He taught us how important it is to love and respect mankind. The love he shared with all the people here is unbelievable. He spoke to everybody in a lay man’s terms so everyone could understand. He taught us some phrases which we should use in our lives like help ever, hurt never and love all, serve all.” We also found some young devotees at Baba’s darshan and they were equally happy.

19-year-old Vrushali Swatantramath said, “Meeting him felt like meeting god. Just like all his devotees were happy, Swami was happy too. It was wonderful to have him with us.”

16-year-old Ragini Ramachandran, recollected an old memory and shared it with Mirror. She said, “When I was three years old, my father had this drinking habit which he would not leave. One day, my mother and I decided to attend Swami’s bhajans and asked my father to join us. He refused saying he did not believe in him. So the two of us went. But later, my father called up, asked us for the bhajan’s venue and attended it. He was sitting in the last row and refused to meet Swami. But after coming home he had a transformation and quit drinking. Sathya Sai Baba spreads the message of love and helps transforming people for their better,” added Ragini.

Times of India, Mumbai’s widely circulated daily wrote about the Divine Visit…

Sri Sathya Sai Baba to visit city tomorrow
TNN 30 October 2009, 06:32am IST

MUMBAI: Spiritual leader Sri Sathya Sai Baba will bless his devotees in the city on a visit scheduled from October 31 to November 2. Sri Sathya Sai Baba will be staying at his divine adobe `Dharmakshetra' in Andheri (E).

The schedule for the Mumbai trip includes bhajan and darshan at these locations: Bombay Exhibition Centre in Goregaon (E) on October 31 at 4 pm; Jamboori Maidan in Worli on November 1 at 10 am and Brabourne Stadium in Churchgate on November 1 at 5 pm.

He visited Mumbai for the first time in 1967 and laid the foundation for Dharmakshetra, which was inaugurated in 1968. Dharmakshetra is an initiative involved in many social activities like education and medical care among other things.

DNA, Mumbai reports:

Satya Sai Baba Will Bless Bandra-Worli Sea Link
Linah Baliga / DNAThursday, October 29, 2009 2:51 IST

Mumbai: Spiritual leader Sathya Sai Baba will be on a two-day visit to Mumbai this weekend. Coming to the city after a gap of nine years, Sathya Sai Baba will bless the Bandra-Worli sea link at the behest of his devotees, and drop in at Varsha, the official residence of chief minister Ashok Chavan.

“Devotees want Mumbai to prosper, so they want him to travel via the sea link,” said Rajeev Nambiar, member, Sri Sathya Seva Organisation (SSSO), adding that children from Balvikas Sanstha, where actor Aishwarya Rai had enrolled as a child, will release balloons in the air to welcome him on the stretch.

The Baba has a huge following in the city, from the common man to the celebrity. Politicians Vilasrao Deshmukh, Ashok Chavan, DY Patil and Jayant Patil, and musicians like Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma, Hariharan and Suresh Wadkar, are ardent devotees, and will be meeting him during his visit. Cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar has informed DNA that he will pay his respects to Sathya Sai Baba when he comes to the city.

Sources in SSSO said Ashok Chavan has invited the spiritual leader for lunch at Varsha. Chavan had made a special trip to Pune to seek the Baba’s blessings on his birthday on October 28.

The Baba, however, is making a transit stopover in the city. He is on his way to inaugurate a temple complex called Sri Satya Sai Pandurang Kshetra and do a moorti sthapana in Hadshi via Pune in Lonavala. He will be put up at Dharmakshetra near Mahakali Caves in Andheri.

The Economic Times...

The Economic Times on Bhagawan's Visit...
28 Oct 2009, 0502 hrs IST, Girish Kuber, ET Bureau

MUMBAI: This sunday, Varsha, the Maharashtra chief minister’s official residence, will have a rather unusual visitor. The house that’s familiar with political bickering and has witnessed many a deal, will wear a saffron, spiritual look as Sathya Sai Baba will visit Varsha to bless his disciple Ashok Chavan. It’s the first time that the state will officially host a guru.

Chief minister Ashok Chavan has always been very forthcoming about his admiration for the Baba. Every time he finds himself in a crisis, Mr Chavan makes a trip to Puttuparthy in Andhra Pradesh, the Baba’s abode. This time, too, soon after votes were polled for the state assembly election, Mr Chavan was at the Baba’s doorstep to seek his blessings for a political battle that later went in his favour.

As a mark of gratitude, the state chief minister is learnt to have invited Baba to his official residence. Top officials from the state administration confirmed this to ET, requesting anonymity. A dedicated website, which tracks Satya Sai Baba’s movements, has also announced a meeting of a spiritual sect head with the head of the state this Sunday. “On November 1, Sathya Sai Baba will give a discourse at Gandhi Maidan, Worli Naka, South Mumbai at around 11 am and then lunch at the residence of Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan, who was blessed to be the CM again as his Congress won with a big margin,” the website proclaimed.

Before arriving at the state’s centre of power, he will also bless the newly-constructed Bandra Worli Sea Link by travelling over it. “Bhagawan’s car will also definitely grace the new Bandra-Worli sea link where balloons will be released by the Balvikas children of Mumbai. South Mumbai being the financial hub of the city, many top businessmen and corporate leaders will grace the occasion at both the venues in Mumbai,” the website said.

This may be Sathya Sai Baba’s first visit to the state’s chief minister’s residence. But he is no stranger to Congress politicians. In fact, former prime minister the late Narasimha Rao was one amongst his most prominent devotees.