Sri Sai Baba and National Unity

The chapter

At Shirdi, Baba lived in a mosque while Hindu and Muslim devotees gathered around him. Hindu festivals were celebrated there, Muslims came to him, and the same place became a meeting ground rather than a boundary between communities.

The author records stones being supplied for the mosque and Baba giving stones to devotees for Hindu temples. Hindus later helped reconstruct the mosque. Upasani Maharaj built a mosque near temples of Siva and Maruti, making the physical landscape itself express coexistence.

Hindus and Muslims joined processions, festivals and visits to Baba’s tomb. The author does not describe a forced new religion. He points to repeated acts of shared reverence as the habits through which unity becomes part of daily life.

During the 1916 Dasara celebration, Baba threw his clothes into the dhuni and stood naked. The act forced people to ask whether they could identify him as Hindu or Muslim. His life, worship and conduct crossed the labels that divided his devotees, and the author presents that lived unity as the basis of national unity.

Editorial note: This page is a concise paraphrase for web presentation and does not reproduce the complete chapter. Please consult the original PDF for the full account and wording.