Sachin Tendulkar (PTI image)

NEW DELHI: Former cricketer Sachin Tendulkar on Wednesday offered his respects to Sri Sathya Sai Baba during the birth centenary celebrations in Puttaparthi. He recalled how people would compare his hairstyle to the spiritual leader’s when he was a child and how meeting Baba later left a deep impact on his life.

He called the occasion “truly special” and paid his “warmest pranams” to Sri Sathya Sai Baba.“My warmest pranams to our beloved Baba. This is a truly special occasion, and I welcome all of you as we celebrate Baba’s centenary year. This place has given comfort, purpose and direction to millions,” he said. Tendulkar said he first met Baba in the mid-1990s in Whitefield. “Since then, I’ve been blessed to meet him many times,” the cricket legend recalled.Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had earlier visited the Mahasamadhi of Sri Sathya Sai Baba to offer his prayers, also attended the event alongside Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu and deputy CM Pawan Kalyan. Actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Union ministers Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu and G Kishan Reddy were also present.The centenary celebrations featured cultural performances, devotional songs and tributes highlighting the spiritual leader’s legacy of service.Ahead of the ceremony, PM Modi held a roadshow in Puttaparthi, where large crowds gathered to welcome him. Security arrangements were heightened in the region with barricades and deployment of police personnel.As part of the programme, the prime minister also released a commemorative coin and a set of postal stamps honouring Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s life and teachings.Later in the day, PM Modi will travel to Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu to inaugurate the South India Natural Farming Summit.