(This article was originally published on 23 November 2017. It has been reposted from The Quint’s archives to mark the birth anniversary of Sathya Sai Baba.)
At the time of his death in 2011, Sathya Sai Baba had at least 5 crore followers, including famous cricketers like Sachin Tendulkar and Sunil Gavaskar, as well as actors like Aishwarya Rai. While his claims that he could conjure gold chains and watches out of thin air earned him staunch critics, crores of devotees remain faithful to Sai Baba because of his spiritual and philanthropic work.
Years after Sathya Sai Baba’s death, the schools, hospitals, and drinking water projects started by him continue to serve people across the country. The money and gold donated by his devotees has been used by a charitable trust to provide services like subsidised education and healthcare for the underprivileged.
The Quint takes a look at the life and legacy of the one of prominent spiritual leaders of India.