Who after Sai Baba? Speculation over succession plan

PTI – Sat, Apr 23, 2011 6:42 PM IST Puttaparthi: As uncertainty looms over the health of spiritual leader Satya Sai Baba, there is speculation about the possibility of a succession war breaking out among the members of the Satya Sai Central Trust which manages several welfare activities across the country.

The Satya Sai Trust is always known for service activity and has undertaken massive water supply project in drought-prone Anantapur and other districts of Andhra Pradesh and neighbouring Tamil Nadu besides running major super specialty hospitals in Puttaparthi and Bangalore and holding holding health clinics across the country.

The trust also runs educational institutions in different parts of the country.

The Sathya Sai Central Trust runs the university complex, a speciality hospital, a world religious museum Chaitanya Jyoti, a planetarium, a railway station, a hill-view stadium, a music college, an administrative building, an airport, an indoor sports stadium and sport complex in Puttaparthi.

Who after Sai Baba will manage the Trust''s activities and what will happen to the social work? Will they continue or stop? These questions are doing the rounds among the followers of the spiritual leader.

Raghuram Chowdhary, an agriculturist in Anantapur town wanted to know what will happen to the good work undertaken by Sai Baba and whether they will continue.

"I am not his devotee but what I feel is whatever work the Baba has done for the public is exemplary. Making available potable water in drought-prone villages of Anantapur district, setting up of medical facilities and educational institutions defintely deserve appreciation," Chowdhary said