As Satya Sai Baba continued to be on life support on Tuesday,and thousands of devotees converged at his Puttaparthi ashram praying for him,all eyes have turned to his nephew J Ratnakar. With police struggling to control the 50,000 devotees trying to break through the barricades outside the hospital where Sai Baba is admitted,there is growing apprehension of a struggle to control the powerful and cash-rich Satya Sai Central Trust and Prashanti Nilayam,the ashram and abode of Satya Sai Baba,should he die. And one of the persons expected to play an important role in the succession tussle is Ratnakar,the only family member in the Trust who was inducted recently. Sources in the Trust said the responsibility to continue the charity and social work as well as maintain the ashram as a spiritual centre may fall on Ratnakar,though he may not be appointed as successor by Satya Sai Baba. Ratnakar is the son of Satya Sai Babas younger brother Janakiram. Former IAS officer K Chakravarthi is secretary of the multi-million dollar trust,Indulal Shah is chief convenor of the Satya Sai Organisations,M Srinivasan heads the social and charity work arms,while Justice (retired) P N Bhagwati is a member. The Trust works in the spheres of education,healthcare,rural poor,water supply and promotion of culture and heritage. Except for Ratnakar,Sai Baba did not encourage any of his family members. Dr A K Safaya,head of the panel of doctors treating Sai Baba at the super-speciality Sri Satya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences at Puttaparthi,said on Tuesday his level of consciousness had improved. However,the 86-year-old,who was admitted to the ICU on March 28 with chest and lung infections,is still on ventilator support. With doctors revealing little apart from this,thousands of devotees who have gathered at the ashram are becoming restless. Information is not being given properly. Lakhs of devotees are waiting to hear about Swamijis health. We want that at least one devotee be allowed to go and see Swamiji for himself. Then we will be assured, said B Venkataprasad,leading a group of devotees from East Godavari district. Prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code have been clamped in Puttaparthi town in a bid to control the surging crowds. Prayer meetings are being held all over Puttaparthi,a small town that was transformed into an education,health and spiritual hub by Sai Baba. Street corner discussions revolve around what is happening to him,what is being portrayed in the media and also about life and death. Sai Baba is fine. He will always be fine. He himself has said it. I dont know why we are all being so anxious, a devotee,Venkatesh,tells a police inspector on duty outside the Sathyamma temple in the town. Late in the evening on Tuesday,after the hospital issued a bulletin that Bhagwan Sri Satya Sai Baba continues to be in a stable condition as he was in the morning,devotees took out a candle-light march through the streets to the house where Sai Baba was born as Satyanarayana Raju.
