Anantapur, April 20: Even as Satya Sai Baba is battling for life, Puttaparthi is abuzz with rumours of his eventual “Sajeeva Samadhi” (burial while still being alive) and of his being in a state of coma.
On Tuesday evening, a large number of devotees gathered outside Sri Satya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences amidst a heavy downpour leading to mild tension in the temple town.
The speculation in every street corner is that given Baba’s divine status, the Satya Sai Trust may declare that he has entered “Sajeeva Samadhi”. Lending credence to these rumour mills, a TV channel went to town with an interview of a self-styled senior Seva Dal member who claimed that the Trust was making plans to announce the “Sajeeva Samadhi” of Baba. Meanwhile, in a health bulletin, Dr AL Safaya, Director of Sri Satya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, said, “the health condition of Baba is stable but continues to be critical.”
He termed as worrisome Baba’s slow response to their treatment and said a panel of doctors were monitoring his health condition round-the-clock. “Baba is still on ventilator and doctors have decided to conduct a cycle of hemodialysis,” he said.
Government officials, deputed to Puttaparthi, however, claimed that Baba was responding to the treatment.
The latest controversy of “Sajeeva Samadhi” comes in the wake of reports of an ever widening rift between Ratnakar, son of Baba’s brother and a Trust member, and the other members of the Trust. Ratnakar is said to have the backing of Industries Minister J Geetha Reddy and former TTD chairman Audikeshavulu Naidu.
A TV channel, which is airing reports highly critical of the Trust members, is back on air in Puttaparthi in the past few days after being off air for one year. Incidentally, Ratnakar holds Cable TV rights in Puttaparthi.
Indicating that all is not well, pamphlets against the Trust members, in particular former IAS officer Chakravarthy, are also being distributed in the town.
–Agencies