Overview
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered prayers at Prasanthi Nilayam and the Mahasamadhi, then released a commemorative coin and a set of postage stamps honoring Sri Sathya Sai Baba.
- Modi spotlighted the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust’s work, citing over 3,000 km of drinking-water pipelines, housing for flood-hit families in Odisha, and free hospitals, while referencing schemes such as Sukanya Samriddhi and the Vocal for Local push.
- He took part in a godanam programme, handing cows to farming families as part of the Trust’s rural livelihood support.
- In his address, Modi said devotees are active in 140 countries and recalled Sai volunteers’ role during the 2001 Gujarat earthquake.
- The gathering drew Andhra Pradesh leaders N. Chandrababu Naidu and Pawan Kalyan, Sachin Tendulkar and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, whose unity-focused speech and gesture of touching the PM’s feet drew wide attention, alongside cultural performances by Trust-run institutions’ students.