The 86th birth anniversary of Sri Sathya Sai Baba was celebrated amid pomp and gaiety at Prasanthi Nilayam in Puttaparthi on Wednesday.
The sanctum sanctorum of the Mahasamadhi of Sathya Sai Baba was beautifully decorated and the silver throne was symbolically placed beside it as a mark of reverence to Baba. The function began with the chanting of the Vedas at 9 a.m.
The Tamil Nadu Governor, Konijeti Rosiah, who was the guest of honour on the occasion, said that Puttaparthi was a holy place as it was proved beyond doubt with the very presence of millions of devotees across the globe.
A musical concert by the Malladi brothers enthralled the audience. “Sai is with us, here and everywhere, now and forever”, said V.Srinivasan, a trustee of the Sathya Sai Central Trust, even as he asked the disciples, devotees to follow the ideals of Sathya Sai Baba would guide them in their endeavour.
Scores of devotees thronged the place to be part of the celebrations. Another trustee, Ratnakar, speaking to The Hindu said that close to 75,000 people were offered special ‘prasadam' at Prasanthi Nilayam today and sought to allay fears of alleged decline in patronage.
Amongst the other dignitaries present at the venue were Ministers N. Raguveera Reddy, J. Geetha Reddy, Anam Ramnarayan Reddy besides the former Maharshtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan.
