Saturday, April 30, 2011
Friday, April 29, 2011
Thursday, April 28, 2011
What not to miss at the wedding -- the 7 key moments
The royal wedding morning will be long. From the moment the first guests arrive at 8:15 a.m. London-time to when the couple appear on the balcony at 1:30 p.m. will be about five hours.Perhaps only the most hardened royalists will sit and wallow in every moment. For those who need to do the laundry, walk the dog or -- heaven forbid -- do some work, here is a guide to the truly, absolutely, completely important moments. These are the times NOT to go to the bathroom or make a cup of tea.Follow this guide and you will always be able to say, "Of course I saw the moment when ..."
1. The Dress: 11 a.m. in London (6 a.m. ET) We will see the dress through the windows of the Rolls Royce as Kate is driven to the church. But our first PROPER look at the dress will be at 11 a.m. London (6 a.m. Eastern) when she gets out of the car at the Abbey. This is the time to ooh and ahh on the design. Whether it is akin to the puffed up style of Diana's or, as some suggest, sleek and satiny like Princess Margaret's, this is THE moment. Don't miss it!!!
2. The Vows: 11:15 in London (6:15 a.m. ET) It may be cruel, but many will be watching to see if there are any mistakes! Diana got Charles's name wrong (and seemed to marry his father instead). Charles for his part forgot to endow Diana with his worldly goods. Never mind. She got a lot of them anyway in the divorce! Meanwhile, Sarah Ferguson repeated Prince Andrew's middle name twice.Will tradition strike again or can William and Kate get each other's name right?Don't be feeding the cat at that moment.
3. The FIRST kiss: Any time after 11:15 a.m. in London (6:15 a.m. onwards ET) It should be after the Archbishop of Canterbury pronounces them man and wife. But Charles forgot to kiss Diana -- we had to wait until the balcony for that moment. Let's see if William and Kate remember.
4. The Fanfare: About 11:30 a.m. in London (6:30 a.m. ET) Keep an ear out after the register is signed for a trumpet fanfare composed especially for this occasion. It will be performed by the Royal Air Force Trumpeters and is called "Valiant and Brave," the motto of Prince William's RAF squadron. Thirty seconds of ear-blasting trumpets that could well wake some of the 300 dead and buried in the Abbey.
5. Placing the bouquet: After 11:45 a.m. in London (6:45 a.m. ET) It is fully expected that Catherine will follow royal tradition and lay her wedding bouquet on the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey's nave. This tradition was started by Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother in 1923 and has been followed by all royal brides at the Abbey ever since. It will be a poignant moment.
6. The Carriages: 12:15 p.m. in London (7:15 a.m. ET) Which coach will take the happy couple back to Buckingham Palace? If it is dry then they will use the 1902 State Landau BUT if it is "severely wet weather" then they will use the 1881 Glass Coach. Since rain showers are forecast, we won't know until the morning just how much rain has to fall to be "severely wet" and force a carriage challenge.
7. THE kiss: 1:25 p.m. in London (8:25 a.m. ET) Even if you have slept through the ceremony and missed the procession, you still have time to catch THE moment. Catherine and William and their families will be on the balcony of Buckingham Palace at 1:25 p.m. in London (8:25 a.m. ET). A kiss is expected -- in fact it will be demanded by the million or so people expected on the streets outside.Charles and Diana started the tradition. Sarah and Andrew followed it. Now it's William and Catherine's turn. Will it be a peck on the cheek or a smackeroo on the lips? Miss this and you have missed the lot.Royal Weddings like this come around every, oh, three decades. Don't miss out!
1. The Dress: 11 a.m. in London (6 a.m. ET) We will see the dress through the windows of the Rolls Royce as Kate is driven to the church. But our first PROPER look at the dress will be at 11 a.m. London (6 a.m. Eastern) when she gets out of the car at the Abbey. This is the time to ooh and ahh on the design. Whether it is akin to the puffed up style of Diana's or, as some suggest, sleek and satiny like Princess Margaret's, this is THE moment. Don't miss it!!!
2. The Vows: 11:15 in London (6:15 a.m. ET) It may be cruel, but many will be watching to see if there are any mistakes! Diana got Charles's name wrong (and seemed to marry his father instead). Charles for his part forgot to endow Diana with his worldly goods. Never mind. She got a lot of them anyway in the divorce! Meanwhile, Sarah Ferguson repeated Prince Andrew's middle name twice.Will tradition strike again or can William and Kate get each other's name right?Don't be feeding the cat at that moment.
3. The FIRST kiss: Any time after 11:15 a.m. in London (6:15 a.m. onwards ET) It should be after the Archbishop of Canterbury pronounces them man and wife. But Charles forgot to kiss Diana -- we had to wait until the balcony for that moment. Let's see if William and Kate remember.
4. The Fanfare: About 11:30 a.m. in London (6:30 a.m. ET) Keep an ear out after the register is signed for a trumpet fanfare composed especially for this occasion. It will be performed by the Royal Air Force Trumpeters and is called "Valiant and Brave," the motto of Prince William's RAF squadron. Thirty seconds of ear-blasting trumpets that could well wake some of the 300 dead and buried in the Abbey.
5. Placing the bouquet: After 11:45 a.m. in London (6:45 a.m. ET) It is fully expected that Catherine will follow royal tradition and lay her wedding bouquet on the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey's nave. This tradition was started by Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother in 1923 and has been followed by all royal brides at the Abbey ever since. It will be a poignant moment.
6. The Carriages: 12:15 p.m. in London (7:15 a.m. ET) Which coach will take the happy couple back to Buckingham Palace? If it is dry then they will use the 1902 State Landau BUT if it is "severely wet weather" then they will use the 1881 Glass Coach. Since rain showers are forecast, we won't know until the morning just how much rain has to fall to be "severely wet" and force a carriage challenge.
7. THE kiss: 1:25 p.m. in London (8:25 a.m. ET) Even if you have slept through the ceremony and missed the procession, you still have time to catch THE moment. Catherine and William and their families will be on the balcony of Buckingham Palace at 1:25 p.m. in London (8:25 a.m. ET). A kiss is expected -- in fact it will be demanded by the million or so people expected on the streets outside.Charles and Diana started the tradition. Sarah and Andrew followed it. Now it's William and Catherine's turn. Will it be a peck on the cheek or a smackeroo on the lips? Miss this and you have missed the lot.Royal Weddings like this come around every, oh, three decades. Don't miss out!
Kate and William's challenge? To make their special day personal
As Kate Middleton steps out of her royal Rolls Royce on her wedding day and walks up Westminster Abbey's long and imposing aisle, she'll spend the last moments of her single life in public view, watched by a billion people around the world.
With her father by her side, she'll pass by the lines of the great and the good, turned out in their finery to see her marry her university sweetheart. The pressure of the global interest in the occasion could cause even her calm head to spin.
So what can the decade's most famous bride do to make sure she is not overwhelmed on the day?The most public part of the forthcoming Royal Wedding celebration is the marriage ceremony. We'll be able to see all of it from multiple cameras and hear every word from dozens of microphones. A challenge for those officiating the ceremony and the couple themselves, is how to make this very public occasion one that is meaningful and personal to the bride and groom.
When a couple exchange their wedding vows I believe they should be present in the moment. It is a huge and solemn undertaking: a wedding celebration is a joyous occasion, but this is the crucial bit.At the moment you make that commitment you need to mean it and with every fiber of your being. But as you exchange your vows, you are also relating to one another very publicly in a way you generally do only in private. It can be emotional and nerve-wracking for any couple.And most especially if a billion-plus people are watching and listening live on television and radio. Prince William's mother was so nervous at her wedding, she could not even repeat the names of the Prince of Wales in the right order. It did not look very meaningful: It looked like she just wanted to get through it.
The atmosphere at any wedding ceremony is likely to be charged and full of expectation: there's been the big build up, everyone is there -- family, close friends and people you didn't realize until today were this important to you. There's been music and readings, you were up early and here you are all scrubbed up.Then, for the first time that day, silence falls. All eyes are upon you. It's time to declare your love and commitment to one another for life, out loud. For some it's just too much: the lump rises in the throat, the words won't come out and tears well in the eyes. Panic ensues (especially in grooms).We rehearse and give a pep talk to our clients so it does not come as a surprise when they feel a tad emotional. Those who listen, therefore, expect something of the above -- which in itself is helpful and sometimes all that's needed to avoid it. They know (1) it does not matter and (2) how to move through it.
With her father by her side, she'll pass by the lines of the great and the good, turned out in their finery to see her marry her university sweetheart. The pressure of the global interest in the occasion could cause even her calm head to spin.
So what can the decade's most famous bride do to make sure she is not overwhelmed on the day?The most public part of the forthcoming Royal Wedding celebration is the marriage ceremony. We'll be able to see all of it from multiple cameras and hear every word from dozens of microphones. A challenge for those officiating the ceremony and the couple themselves, is how to make this very public occasion one that is meaningful and personal to the bride and groom.
When a couple exchange their wedding vows I believe they should be present in the moment. It is a huge and solemn undertaking: a wedding celebration is a joyous occasion, but this is the crucial bit.At the moment you make that commitment you need to mean it and with every fiber of your being. But as you exchange your vows, you are also relating to one another very publicly in a way you generally do only in private. It can be emotional and nerve-wracking for any couple.And most especially if a billion-plus people are watching and listening live on television and radio. Prince William's mother was so nervous at her wedding, she could not even repeat the names of the Prince of Wales in the right order. It did not look very meaningful: It looked like she just wanted to get through it.
The atmosphere at any wedding ceremony is likely to be charged and full of expectation: there's been the big build up, everyone is there -- family, close friends and people you didn't realize until today were this important to you. There's been music and readings, you were up early and here you are all scrubbed up.Then, for the first time that day, silence falls. All eyes are upon you. It's time to declare your love and commitment to one another for life, out loud. For some it's just too much: the lump rises in the throat, the words won't come out and tears well in the eyes. Panic ensues (especially in grooms).We rehearse and give a pep talk to our clients so it does not come as a surprise when they feel a tad emotional. Those who listen, therefore, expect something of the above -- which in itself is helpful and sometimes all that's needed to avoid it. They know (1) it does not matter and (2) how to move through it.
We're unlikely to see tears from William and Kate. The Royals are pretty good at keeping their emotions in check: that British "stiff upper lip" routine is drilled into them from an early age.
But William and Kate's is a genuine love match, not a marriage of convenience or an attempt to produce "an heir and a spare." They're the nearest we've seen to a "normal" couple in the entire history of the British monarchy
Somehow, despite the pomp and the pageantry, the Abbey filled with 2,000 people, the trumpets and a TV congregation of over a billion, this service needs to be personalized. It must be an occasion full of joy and meaning for the couple and their families.Although vast, the area within the Abbey where the ceremony will take place (the quire) does afford a degree of intimacy. If William and Kate properly rehearse together at home they will be able to remember what it is they've to say, why they are saying it and what it means. It's unlikely this couple will be able to shut the world out of their minds when their moment arrives, but it is worth a try.
So whether you are marrying a prince or a pauper anytime soon, here are my top tips to get the most out of what should be the most meaningful part of your wedding day:
Kate, William at wedding rehearsal
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Final farewell to Sathya Sai Baba..
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Monday, April 25, 2011
Sachin Tendulkar in tears over Sai Baba's body
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sri sathya sai baba dies
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Sathya Sai Baba's body to be kept for two days
The body of spiritual leader Sathya Sai Baba, who died on Sunday morning, will be kept at Prashanti Nilayam - his ashram in this pilgrim town - for two days to enable devotees to have a "last darshan".
According to the statement released by Sathya Sai Central Trust, the body will be kept at Sai Kulwant Hall at 6 pm on Sunday. The body will lie there on Monday and Tuesday.
The trust is silent about the last rites but it is likely to be performed on Wednesday at Prashanti Nilayam with full state honours. The trust has appealed to devotees not to rush to the hospital and have a last glimpse of Baba in an orderly manner.
It was at Prashanti Nilayam that Baba has been giving darshan and blessing his devotees for over four decades.
Sai Baba, whom his devotees worshipped as god, was suffering from multi-organ dysfunction. He breathed his last at the Sathya Sai super-speciality hospital, where he was admitted on March 28 with cardiac problems. He was 85.
Spiritual guru to miracle man: Sathya Sai's life
One of India's most famous spiritual leaders, who counted a worldwide following of millions including top diplomats, sports icons and film stars, led a life dedicated to philanthropy marred by the occasional controversies.
Sathya Sai, or Sathya Sai Baba, as he was fondly known among followers, passed away at the intensive care unit of a hospital funded by his organisation in the town of Puttaparthi in Andhra Pradesh where thousands of devotees gathered to pay their last respects. He was 85.
Sathya Sai, whose devotees believe him to be an incarnation of God in human form, has a following believed to be over six millions in India and abroad.
Regarded as the god man of the god men, Sathya Sai, led a life full of claimed miracles for over 70 years. He was also a spiritual leader, educator, and philanthropist.
Sathya Sai was born in 1926 into an ordinary family at Puttapathi village in Andhra Pradesh. He was named Sathyanarayana. As a child he was unusually intelligent and showed no interest in worldly things. He was a writer of poetry. When he was just 14 years old, Sathyanarayana announced that he was a reincarnation of Sai Baba of Shirdi.
Hagiography has it that at a very early age he was bit by a poisonous scorpion, following which he started to show unusual powers such as reciting Sanskrit verses of which he had no knowledge of.
Prime Ministers, Presidents, Kings, Ambassadors and celebrities from every walk of life thronged his Aashram in Puttaparthi seeking his blessings for over 50 years. He founded over 1500 Sathya Sai Centres in 114 countries across the globe. He was visited by record number of heads of states during his life time.
Sathya Sai proclaimed himself as divinity and claimed miracles such as producing sacred ash or 'vibhuti', vermillion, fruits, precious gems and gold items from thin air at the time of his visitations with his followers.
He also claims to have brought back to life two persons from the dead apart from curing fatal diseases and disability in followers. His Aashram at Puttaparthi became a famous religious centre within just 20 years.
Sceptics and rationalists considered his miracles nothing more than parlour tricks. Retired Icelandic psychology professor Erlendur Haraldsson wrote that he did not get Sathya Sai's permission to study him under controlled circumstances. In 1976, Dr H Narasimhaiah, a physicist and then vice chancellor of Bangalore University, founded and chaired a committee "to rationally and scientifically investigate miracles and other verifiable superstitions".
He wrote to Sathya Sai to allow him to study the guru's purported miracles under scientific conditions but was refused audience.
Another rationalist Abraham Thomas Kovoor who campaigned to expose as frauds various Indian and Sri Lankan "god-men", believed that the Sathya Sai performed his 'vibhuti' through sleight of hand. Noteworthy is also the effort of Indian magician P C Sorkar Junior who was critical of the gurus "miracles."
Sathya Sai gained immense popularity among the people of southern India for many philanthropic endeavours such as world class speciality heart hospitals, free water schemes to cities, towns and villages and educational institutions.
Satya Saibaba died. He said he would die in 2022. But he died too early.
The celebrities who 'follow' Sathya Sai
Former prime ministers, presidents, actors and politicians – the fan following of god man Sathya Sai runs into several columns of the world's who's who.
The man who claims to have performed several miracles including bringing two dead men back to life, counts top businessmen and even the country's cricketers among his followers.
In 1968, when Sathya Sai made his first and only trip overseas to Uganda he met with dictator Idi Amin. But the late military leader and President of Uganda was one of a long list of celebrities who sought audience with him everyday, mostly at his native Andhra village of Puttaparthi where he lived
In a letter made public in December 2001, then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, former Chief Justice of Supreme Court PN Bhagawati, former former chairperson of Rajya Sabha Najma Heptullah and former Union Minister Shivraj Patil expressed "pain and anguish" at alleged attempts by the media to tarnish Sathya Sai's image.
The allegations by the media followed criticisms by rationalists of the godman's claims of divinity and his refusal to undergo scientific scrutiny of his materializing inanimate objects out of thin air.
Among his noted followers are actor Amitabh Bachchan, cricketers Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble, politicians Shivraj Patil, Ashok Chavan, S M Krishna, M K Stalin and Chandrababu Naidu.
In 2001, when the digital radio network Radio Sai Global Harmony was launched through the World Space Organization, Dr Michael Oleinikof Nobel, a distant relative to Alfred Nobel, said it would spread Sathya Sai's message of global harmony. He was a patron of the radio network.
Who is Sri Sathya Sai Baba ???
From ordinary believers to the President of India, his clout spread far and wide but controversy also followed Puttaparthi Sathya Sai Baba all along.
India had, and has, several godmen but none could match his name and fame. In fact, Sathya Sai Baba's influence had no barriers as his millions of followers spanned the globe.
Top-ranking politicians including prime ministers, Union ministers, governors, chief ministers, filmstars, sportspersons, industrialists and virtually the 'who's who' of the country rank among the high-profile devotees of the Baba.
As a child, Sathyanarayana Raju was described as "unusually intelligent" and charitable. His talents were in drama, music, dance and writing, and he was an avid composer of poems and plays. He was also known as a singer, having released several CDs of bhajans.
It was on October 20, 1940 at the age of 14 that Sathyanarayana Raju declared himself as the reincarnation of Sai Baba of Shirdi.
Sathya Sai Baba invariably referred to Shirdi Sai Baba as "my previous body" whenever he spoke about him.
Sathya Sai Baba became famous for his magic tricks by producing objects from thin air. But he was reviled by critics and rationalists who campaigned against him with magic shows.
Frequently, reports alleging scandals in his ashram appeared. Questions were also raised over sexual preferences but they were dismissed by him and his followers as vilification by his detractors or those who had fallen out with him.
On June 6, 1993, an attempt was allegedly made on his life by his close aides. Six inmates of Prasanthi Nilayam were killed right inside the Baba's bedroom. All of them were part of the "inner circle" of Baba. His personal assistant Radha Krishna Menon was among those killed in the incident.
India had, and has, several godmen but none could match his name and fame. In fact, Sathya Sai Baba's influence had no barriers as his millions of followers spanned the globe.
Top-ranking politicians including prime ministers, Union ministers, governors, chief ministers, filmstars, sportspersons, industrialists and virtually the 'who's who' of the country rank among the high-profile devotees of the Baba.
Born into an ordinary family as Sathyanarayana Raju in the sleepy Puttaparthi village in the dry Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh, on November 23, 1926, he was to later become Sathya Sai Baba, the reincarnation of the saintly Sai Baba of Shirdi.
Now, Puttaparthi - which metamorphosed into a self-contained city - finds itself on the international map, thanks to the large number of the Baba's foreign devotees who visit Prasanthi Nilayam day in and day out. It boasts of an exclusive airport where chartered flights, carrying Baba's devotees from different parts of the globe, land.As a child, Sathyanarayana Raju was described as "unusually intelligent" and charitable. His talents were in drama, music, dance and writing, and he was an avid composer of poems and plays. He was also known as a singer, having released several CDs of bhajans.
It was on October 20, 1940 at the age of 14 that Sathyanarayana Raju declared himself as the reincarnation of Sai Baba of Shirdi.
Sathya Sai Baba invariably referred to Shirdi Sai Baba as "my previous body" whenever he spoke about him.
Sathya Sai Baba became famous for his magic tricks by producing objects from thin air. But he was reviled by critics and rationalists who campaigned against him with magic shows.
Frequently, reports alleging scandals in his ashram appeared. Questions were also raised over sexual preferences but they were dismissed by him and his followers as vilification by his detractors or those who had fallen out with him.
On June 6, 1993, an attempt was allegedly made on his life by his close aides. Six inmates of Prasanthi Nilayam were killed right inside the Baba's bedroom. All of them were part of the "inner circle" of Baba. His personal assistant Radha Krishna Menon was among those killed in the incident.
Facts of the case still remain a mystery.
In 1944, a small temple was built for Sathya Sai Baba's devotees at Puttaparthi and in 1950 a sprawling ashram popularly called the 'Prasanthi Nilayam' was built, making it his permanent abode.
His divine preaching apart, Sathya Sai Baba pioneered many social service activities beginning with a tiny general hospital at Puttaparthi which has now transformed into the Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, a 220-bedded super-speciality hospital.
Another super-speciality 333-bedded SSIHMS was established at Whitefield on the outskirts of Bangalore, where the Baba's summer abode Brindavan also stands.
The Sathya Sai Central Trust manages all the service activities and also runs the Sathya Sai University (formerly Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning) at Puttaparthi.
Besides, the trust also runs many schools and dispensaries in different states while it has also completed large water supply projects in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra.
Volunteers from the Sathya Sai Seva Organisation are always found in the forefront carrying out relief and rehabilitation work during natural calamities not only in AP but also in other states.
Sathya Sai Baba established three primary mandirs (spiritual centres) in India - Dharmakshetra in Mumbai, Shivam in Hyderabad and Sundaram in Chennai.
Besides, there are Sathya Sai centres located in over 114 countries in the world.
In 1957, Sathya Sai Baba went on a temple tour of north India and made his only overseas trip to Uganda in June 1968.
In 1963, Sathya Sai Baba suffered a stroke and four severe heart attacks but survived.
Since 2005, Baba used a wheelchair and his failing health forced him to make fewer public appearances. In 2006 he suffered a fractured hip when a student standing on an iron stool slipped and both the boy and the stool fell on Baba. He gave darshan from a car or his porte chair.
In 1944, a small temple was built for Sathya Sai Baba's devotees at Puttaparthi and in 1950 a sprawling ashram popularly called the 'Prasanthi Nilayam' was built, making it his permanent abode.
His divine preaching apart, Sathya Sai Baba pioneered many social service activities beginning with a tiny general hospital at Puttaparthi which has now transformed into the Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, a 220-bedded super-speciality hospital.
Another super-speciality 333-bedded SSIHMS was established at Whitefield on the outskirts of Bangalore, where the Baba's summer abode Brindavan also stands.
The Sathya Sai Central Trust manages all the service activities and also runs the Sathya Sai University (formerly Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning) at Puttaparthi.
Besides, the trust also runs many schools and dispensaries in different states while it has also completed large water supply projects in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra.
Volunteers from the Sathya Sai Seva Organisation are always found in the forefront carrying out relief and rehabilitation work during natural calamities not only in AP but also in other states.
Sathya Sai Baba established three primary mandirs (spiritual centres) in India - Dharmakshetra in Mumbai, Shivam in Hyderabad and Sundaram in Chennai.
Besides, there are Sathya Sai centres located in over 114 countries in the world.
In 1957, Sathya Sai Baba went on a temple tour of north India and made his only overseas trip to Uganda in June 1968.
In 1963, Sathya Sai Baba suffered a stroke and four severe heart attacks but survived.
Since 2005, Baba used a wheelchair and his failing health forced him to make fewer public appearances. In 2006 he suffered a fractured hip when a student standing on an iron stool slipped and both the boy and the stool fell on Baba. He gave darshan from a car or his porte chair.
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Sri Sathya Sai Baba dies in Puttaparthi
Spiritual leader Sri Sathya Sai Baba died at the Sathya Sai super speciality hospital at Puttaparthi in Andhra Pradesh's Anantapur district today.
Doctors said he died at 7.40 am of cardio-respiratory failure. The 84-year-old was admitted to hospital on March 28 with breathing and heart problems.
His condition since Thursday morning had been described as "very critical" by doctors attending to him. Most of his organs were not responding to treatment. The condition of his liver and his low blood pressure were causing concern, they had said.
As doctors announced his death, they appealed to people to be calm and not rush to hospital. Security has been tightened in the area. All roads leading to the hospital have been blocked and shops have been ordered to close at Puttaparthi
Though a few controversies did cast shadows on Sai Baba's image and critics have been skeptical about claims that he would produce holy ash, golden rings and mementoes from thin air, Sathya Sai Baba also earned respect for setting up world-class educational and health institutions and also for charitable work like drinking water projects for four semi-arid districts of Andhra Pradesh and in Chennai. The institutions and properties that he built are estimated to be worth over Rs. 27,000 crore.
After a hip fracture in 2006, Sathya Sai Baba was confined to a wheel chair and gave darshan from his car or a portable chair.
Doctors said he died at 7.40 am of cardio-respiratory failure. The 84-year-old was admitted to hospital on March 28 with breathing and heart problems.
His condition since Thursday morning had been described as "very critical" by doctors attending to him. Most of his organs were not responding to treatment. The condition of his liver and his low blood pressure were causing concern, they had said.
As doctors announced his death, they appealed to people to be calm and not rush to hospital. Security has been tightened in the area. All roads leading to the hospital have been blocked and shops have been ordered to close at Puttaparthi
Godman to some, miracle-man to others and revered as God by lakhs of his followers, Sathya Sai Baba had the rich, famous and powerful from the world of politics, business, films and sport flocking to his doorstep in Puttaparthi, the small Andhra Pradesh village that he made internationally famous.
Born on 23 November 1926 in a modest family in Puttaparthi, Satyanarayana Raju declared himself a reincarnation of Shirdi Sai Baba at the age of 14. From then on his devotees and admirers only grew in numbers over the years.Though a few controversies did cast shadows on Sai Baba's image and critics have been skeptical about claims that he would produce holy ash, golden rings and mementoes from thin air, Sathya Sai Baba also earned respect for setting up world-class educational and health institutions and also for charitable work like drinking water projects for four semi-arid districts of Andhra Pradesh and in Chennai. The institutions and properties that he built are estimated to be worth over Rs. 27,000 crore.
After a hip fracture in 2006, Sathya Sai Baba was confined to a wheel chair and gave darshan from his car or a portable chair.
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Sri Sathya Sai Baba..!!!
Sri Sathya Sai Baba was born on Novermber 23, 1926.The 84-year-old spiritual leader has millions of devotees around the world.His devotees describe him as an Avatar, godman, spiritual teacher and miracl“I am God. And you too are God. The only difference between you and Me is that while I am aware of it, you are completely unaware.” This is the answer Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba gives to people who query Him about His identity and divinity. This fundamental truth of man’s divine nature is at the heart of His message and mission. Indeed, in His discourses to devotees, He addresses them as “Embodiments of the Divine Atma”. All who experience His pure and selfless love, and benefit from His illuminating counsel, and witness His miraculous nature get a glimpse of the glory and majesty of God, and therefore of what one potentially and inherently is.
Even as a child, His spiritual inclination and contemplative nature set Him apart from other children of His age, and He was known as ‘Guru’ and “Brahmajnani’ (knower of Brahman or Godhead) among His peers and others in the village. However, it was not until October 20, 1940, the day He made the historic declaration of His Avatarhood, (Avatar - Divinity Incarnate) that the world at large learnt of this divine phenomenon. Today, millions of devotees from all over the world, professing various faiths, and hailing from various walks of life worship Him as an ‘Avatar’, and an incarnation of the Sai Baba of Shirdi. Thousands gather every day at Prasanthi Nilayam, His ashram established beside the village of Puttaparthi, for His Darshan, when He moves among devotees blessing them and providing spiritual succour and solace.
Even as a child, His spiritual inclination and contemplative nature set Him apart from other children of His age, and He was known as ‘Guru’ and “Brahmajnani’ (knower of Brahman or Godhead) among His peers and others in the village. However, it was not until October 20, 1940, the day He made the historic declaration of His Avatarhood, (Avatar - Divinity Incarnate) that the world at large learnt of this divine phenomenon. Today, millions of devotees from all over the world, professing various faiths, and hailing from various walks of life worship Him as an ‘Avatar’, and an incarnation of the Sai Baba of Shirdi. Thousands gather every day at Prasanthi Nilayam, His ashram established beside the village of Puttaparthi, for His Darshan, when He moves among devotees blessing them and providing spiritual succour and solace.
Revealing the purpose of His Advent, Sai Baba has said that He has come to re-establish the rhythm of righteousness in the world and repair the ancient highway to God, which over the years has systematically deteriorated. In His own words, “This Sai has come in order to achieve the supreme task of uniting the entire mankind as one family through the bond of brotherhood, of affirming and illuminating the Atmic Reality (Atma – The Self) of each being, to reveal the Divine which is the basis on which the entire cosmos rests, and of instructing all to recognise the common Divine Heritage that binds man to man, so that man can rid himself of the animal and rise up to the Divine, which is the goal.”
Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba is thus a beacon of hope in a world that is desperately seeking an end to the unrest and sorrow prevalent today. His message of “Brotherhood of Man and the Fatherhood of God” is a spiritual salve that will lead mankind from the darkness of ignorance to the light of immortality. Indeed, very rarely does such a divine power walk the earth. As one devotee said, “Bhagawan Baba is nothing but Love walking on two feet”. Mankind must use this golden opportunity to follow in His footsteps. That is the way to its redemption and its salvation.
Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, the Avatar of the Age, has succinctly explained the meaning and the reason for the descent of the Avatar in the following Telugu verse:
“Avatarinchuta yanutalo Arthamemi?
Janulapai Preethi Vaatsalya Paratha thoda
Vaari Sthaayaiki Daivambu Vachchu Bhuviki
Jeeva Prajnatho baatuga Daiva prajna”
He says that Formless God takes a form and descends upon the Earth as an expression of His boundless love and affection towards humanity. The Avatar is an enigmatic, yet delightful blend of individual consciousness and the Divine Consciousness. The Avatar behaves in a human way so that mankind can feel kinship with Him, but rises to His super-human heights so that mankind can aspire to reach those heights.Janulapai Preethi Vaatsalya Paratha thoda
Vaari Sthaayaiki Daivambu Vachchu Bhuviki
Jeeva Prajnatho baatuga Daiva prajna”
In Bhagavad-Gita, Lord Sri Krishna, the Avatar of the Dwapara Age, declares thus:
"Yada Yada Hi Dharmasya Glanirbhavathi Bharatha
Abhyukthanam adharmasya Thadathmanam Srujamyaham.”
“Parithranaya Sadhunam Vinashaya cha Dhushkrutham
Dharma samsthapanarthaya Sambhavami Yuge Yuge"
Abhyukthanam adharmasya Thadathmanam Srujamyaham.”
“Parithranaya Sadhunam Vinashaya cha Dhushkrutham
Dharma samsthapanarthaya Sambhavami Yuge Yuge"
Whenever there is a decline of Righteousness and rise of evil, the Lord incarnates from time to time to uphold Righteousness, to protect the Virtuous and to uproot the evil.
The Avatar appears whenever the world is passing through a spiritual and moral crisis. The Avatar comes in order to uphold Dharma (Righteousness) and raise the universal consciousness.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Wael Ghonim (1st rank)....The 2011 TIME's 100..Most Influential People In The World
Wael Ghonim embodies the youth who constitute the majority of Egyptian society — a young man who excelled and became a Google executive but, as with many of his generation, remained apolitical due to loss of hope that things could change in a society permeated for decades with a culture of fear.
Over the past few years, Wael, 30, began working outside the box to make his peers understand that only their unstoppable people power could effect real change. He quickly grasped that social media, notably Facebook, were emerging as the most powerful communication tools to mobilize and develop ideas. By emphasizing that the regime would listen only when citizens exercised their right of peaceful demonstration and civil disobedience, Wael helped initiate a call for a peaceful revolution.
The response was miraculous: a movement that started with thousands on Jan. 25 ended with 12 million Egyptians removing Hosni Mubarak and his regime. What Wael and the young Egyptians did spread like wildfire across the Arab world.
Thank you, Wael. Thank you to the Egyptian youth.
Mark Zuckerberg (6th rank)....The 2011 TIME's 100..Most Influential People In The World
I'm sure Mark Zuckerberg has heard many I-found-love-on-Facebook stories through the years, but my love story is unlike any other. I never knew when I created a Facebook account to connect with friends, relatives and constituents that I would find one of my residents who needed a kidney. But there was Carlos Sanchez, like some sort of cyberspace SOS on my NewsFeed, contacting as many people as he could to find a new chance at life. Would I have been his donor without Facebook? We'll never know. But Facebook allowed me to sit quietly in my office and say to myself, You're up! Answer this call!
It is now a regular occurrence to see folks awaiting a transplant use Facebook to put out a call to action. And the element of connecting via Facebook has generated interest that helps us promote health, wellness and organ and tissue donation. Every year nearly 7,000 people in the U.S. die while awaiting a transplant. I know of at least one person who survived, thanks to Mark Zuckerberg, 26, and his little idea called Facebook.
Sai Baba's health, worries Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Tendulkar may not celebrate his 38th birthday on Sunday owing to the critical condition of Sri Satya Sai Baba. Sachin is an ardent follower of Satya Sai baba. It was earlier planned that his birthday bash would take place on Saturday, but now it in not going to happen at all.
Sachin Tendulkar may not also play in Sunday`s game against the Deccan Chargers Hyderabad. Sachin Tendulkar has also tweeted, asking his fans to pray for the well being of Satya Sai baba. Indian batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar joined the thousands of devotees praying for a speedy recovery of Shri Sathya Sai Baba, whose condition continues to remain very critical.
Asking his fans to pray for the well being of Satya Sai Baba, Tendulkar, an ardent follower of Sai Baba, tweeted, "I m praying for Shri Sathya Sai Baba`s quick recovery. Hope everyone will join me in praying for his return to good health."
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