DUBAI // Thousands of UAE-based followers of Sathya Sai Baba, who died yesterday morning, chanted his name and recited ancient Indian Vedic mantras in memory of the famed spiritual guru.
Devotees prayed in their homes or gathered at day-long meetings organised by social welfare groups.
Many shared a sense of disbelief. "We were very emotional when we heard the news, we cried a lot," said Sujatha Sunder Rajan, a Dubai housewife whose family annually visits their leader's Puttaparthi ashram in India's southern Andhra Pradesh state.
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"We calmed down afterwards because we believe his soul is with us everywhere."
She said it was tough to comprehend the news, which came in early yesterday, that the man they revered died of multiple organ failure at the age of 84.
"It's difficult for us to believe that he is not bodily with us," said Sunder Rajan, 47, whose family has lived in Dubai for 24 years.
"Now all we can do is say his name and keep our mind cool. He taught us the importance of a life of service and that's what we must continue."
People met in homes, where heads were bowed. Marigolds decorated the room and incense sticks burnt near portraits of the famed saffron-robed leader. The guru had followers all over the world from all walks of life; from government ministers and Bollywood stars to housewives and students.
Sai volunteer groups in the UAE have organised medical camps and blood donation drives in the past decade, and raised funds for schools in India.
"I can't believe this news, I can't believe he has left his mortal remains behind," said a follower, who asked to be identified as AV.
"His main teaching that service to mankind is service to god will be what we live by."
AV said groups in Dubai would continue visiting labour camps and serving workers with nutritious meals as part of the service many devotees have vowed to complete.
"It's not just prayer alone, satisfaction also comes from seva [service]," AV said. "It is a spiritual recharge after a mundane mechanical life."
Several fought back tears as they left yesterday's meetings, others gave thanks that they had visited his Indian ashram for his blessings.
"Nothing we say will be normal today. We can just pray and live a life of love, truth and ahimsa [non-violence]," said one follower.
Rema Menon, a director of Counselling Point, an educational services group, said the guru brought hope to families.
"He gave comfort to a lot of people," said Ms Menon, who has addressed meetings organised by Sai volunteer groups in the Emirates.
rtalwar@thenational.ae
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Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
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- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
If you go
The flights
There are direct flights from Dubai to Sofia with FlyDubai (www.flydubai.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com), from Dh1,164 and Dh822 return including taxes, respectively.
The trip
Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours.
The trip was organised by Bulguides (www.bulguides.com), which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip.
Married Malala
Malala Yousafzai is enjoying married life, her father said.
The 24-year-old married Pakistan cricket executive Asser Malik last year in a small ceremony in the UK.
Ziauddin Yousafzai told The National his daughter was ‘very happy’ with her husband.
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
The biog
Birthday: February 22, 1956
Born: Madahha near Chittagong, Bangladesh
Arrived in UAE: 1978
Exercise: At least one hour a day on the Corniche, from 5.30-6am and 7pm to 8pm.
Favourite place in Abu Dhabi? “Everywhere. Wherever you go, you can relax.”
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
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Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
ETFs explained
Exhchange traded funds are bought and sold like shares, but operate as index-tracking funds, passively following their chosen indices, such as the S&P 500, FTSE 100 and the FTSE All World, plus a vast range of smaller exchanges and commodities, such as gold, silver, copper sugar, coffee and oil.
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There are thousands to choose from, with the five biggest providers BlackRock’s iShares range, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisors SPDR ETFs, Deutsche Bank AWM X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
Challenge Cup result:
1. UAE 3 faults
2. Ireland 9 faults
3. Brazil 11 faults
4. Spain 15 faults
5. Great Britain 17 faults
6. New Zealand 20 faults
7. Italy 26 faults
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