26 April,2011 10:30 AM IST | | The Features Team
He was Bhagwan to his devotees. Sathya Sai Baba who passed away yesterday at Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh had a legion of followers including India's cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar. CS gives you some trivia on this revered man:u00a0
Sathya Sai Baba was born as Sathyanarayana Raju on November 23, 1926 at Puttaparthi to Eswaramma and Peddavenkama Raju Ratnakaram.u00a0
On March 8, 1940 while living with his elder brother Seshama Raju in Uravakonda, Sathya was apparently stung by a scorpion.
He lost consciousness for several hours. Sathya's behaviour changed thereafter, which doctors suspected to be hysteria.u00a0u00a0
On May 23, 1940 Sathya called household members and materialized Prasad and flowers for them. His father thought he was bewitched, to which he calmly replied that he was Sai Baba. He proclaimed himself to be a reincarnation of Sai Baba of Shirdi, who had died eight years before Sathya was born.
The number of active Sathya Sai Baba adherents was estimated in 1999 to be around six million, although followers' estimations are far higher.
He was a cultural icon in India and drew an audience with presidents and prime ministers from India and beyond who have become his devotees; in 2002, he claimed to have followers in 178 countries.u00a0
In 1963, Sathya Sai Baba suffered a stroke and four severe heart attacks.u00a0 It is believed by some that he healed himself of these, and on recovering announced that he would be reborn as Prema Sai Baba in the state of Karnataka.
