Agencies/Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress Party chief Sonia Gandhi joined mourners yesterday beside the body of Sathya Sai Baba, a charismatic Hindu guru who had millions of followers worldwide. Singh sat cross-legged on the floor next to the corpse, which has been on display in a transparent casket for devotees paying their last respects to a man many saw as a living god.Singh had visited Puttaparthi last November to participate in the 85th birthday celebrations of Baba.Earlier, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, Swami Nityanand and Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Ashok Singhal paid their homage to Baba. Huge numbers of Indians, among them celebrities including cricket star Sachin Tendulkar, as well as foreign pilgrims have bid Sai Baba a final farewell since he died of multiple organ failure on Sunday aged 85. The funeral will take place today when Sai Baba will be buried rather than cremated as is normally the practice at Hindu funerals. One devotee, Sergey Eliseev, 41, from Nizhniy Novgorod in Russia, said he had travelled to Sai Baba’s hometown when the guru fell seriously ill. “I was attracted by his teachings and principles,” he said after queuing for hours in the heat to see the body. “I came to Puttaparthi on hearing that he was in hospital. “I wanted to see him in person but I could see only his body now. I am at peace, though sad that I could not meet him when he was alive.” However his critics accused him of being a persuasive fraudster who used his huge popularity to avoid being investigated over allegations of murky financial practices and sexual abuse. Sai Baba, who had a mass of frizzy black hair and always wore saffron robes, claimed to be the reincarnation of a former holy man, Sai Baba of Shirdi, who died in 1918. Madhav Gangadhar, 24, a post-graduate student at Sai Baba’s university in Puttaparthi, said she believed her guru would himself be reincarnated. “He will be born again,” she said. “He has been a living god in human form for me. He may have left the body but his soul is immortal.” Meanwhile the deep grief over his death is compounded by one practical concern among followers: who will run Sai Baba’s hugely wealthy trust and its myriad of charitable schemes. The spiritual leader used donations to build up a sprawling empire of free hospitals, schools, clinics, prayer centres and other properties and assets. His trust, which has often been criticised for lack of transparency, is estimated to be worth up to $9bn. But its future is in doubt after Sai Baba died without leaving a will or a named successor. Devotees say they worry that any battle for succession may taint the guru’s shining legacy. “We want the trust to continue Baba’s work. There are many who are eyeing the top position for the money. This is not acceptable,” said Narayanan Ravi, a follower in Sai Baba’s hometown of Puttaparthi. The Andhra Pradesh state government has tried to curb speculation about the future. “Baba still lives with us and all the matters of the trust are in order,” Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy said within hours of his death. “There’ll be no change. The trust will continue to function the way it did.” The announcement did little to dampen rumours that the organisation had grown so large that the state government was considering taking it over. Sai Baba established ashrams in 126 countries as well as hospitals in Puttaparthi and Bangalore, according to his website. The trust also runs a university, museum and aid projects providing drinking water. Founded in 1972, the trust has always been unclear about its hierarchy but most observers say the key influences are now long-time secretary K Chakravarthi and R J Ratnakar, son of Sai Baba’s younger brother. Other trustees include a retired vice chancellor of the university, a former Supreme Court judge and the trust’s accountant. For the guru’s followers, the uncertainty added to distress over his death. “People would donate money, gold, silver to the trust to express their love and devotion,” said Radha Gopalchari, a member of the Sai Baba branch in New Delhi who says he gave a plot of land in 1999. “I hope the trust will remember to make good use of gifts, which people gave after their prayers were answered by Sai Baba.” Also bound up with the trust’s fate is the town of Puttaparthi itself. It grew from a small village into a hectic pilgrimage site due to Sai Baba’s presence and now boasts an airport, numerous hotels and hundreds of other related businesses ranging from travel agents to trinket stalls. Whether devotees will still pour in without Sai Baba’s public meetings and regular appearances is unclear - and a fall in donations could mean tough times ahead for the trust. “It’s quite natural that the flow of funds is bound to slow down drastically after the Baba,” K A N Moorthy, a businessman from Puttaparthi, told the Hindu newspaper. “The future of his good work in the education and healthcare space depends largely on how the existing funds are managed.”Pull quote“I wanted to see him in person but I could see only his body now. I am at peace, though sad that I could not meet him when he was alive”