Tamil Nadu  February 17, 2014: A devotee of Shirdi Sai Baba, K.V. Ramani, has accomplished the unique feat of donating 112 crores rupees for the construction of the recently completed “Sai Ashram” project for the accommodation of Sai devotees.

An industrialist and a software expert by profession, Ramani was born in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

Ramani says he feels a sense of enormous satisfaction at being a Sai devotee.

Recalling his early years, Ramani said that while living with his parents in Mylapore, he did not know anything about Sai Baba or about Shirdi.

He said that he occasionally visited the Mylapore Sai Baba temple, but did not worship the Sai Baba seriously.

He recalls that he was attracted to Shirdi Sai Baba for the first time in977.

“A relative of ours was seriously ill and was bedridden for nearly a week. The best doctors were consulted and all possible medical treatments were given, but the doctors nearly gave up all hopes. Situation was very critical and tense. The relative had to be saved somehow, from the critical condition. We did not know what to do. It was at that time, a lightning thought occurred in my mind to pray to Sai Baba! I immediately prayed to Sai Baba from wherever I was, sincerely from the depth of my heart, to cure the patient. In addition, I also vowed to Sai Baba that I would visit and pray to Sai, every Thursday at a Sai Temple. That is how Baba pulled this sparrow by a string to Sai and taken complete care of me, protected me and made me progress materially and spiritually over last 36 years,” he said.

“Sai blessed us with his grace and our relative recovered completely. The most astonishing thing was that I prayed to Sai Baba at about 6 p.m., and within two hours, at about 8 p.m., my relative got cured completely,” he added.

Ramani recalled that the doctors were greatly puzzled and could not believe it. He said that his relative was discharged next morning and brought home.

“From that memorable divine event, my devotion to Sai Baba enhanced. From that day till today, every Thursday without fail, I am going to a Sai Baba Temple, to have Sai’s darshan,” Ramani says.

When abroad, he prays to Sai by keeping a picture of Sai Baba in front of himself.

Apart from owning and running Hughes Software Systems,

Ramani is founder member of NASSCOM and was also an Executive Council member several times.

He believes that Sai Baba has ordered him to help many people and fulfil both his karma and dharma to the extent possible.

He says that he has eighty percent of the profits from his share of the companies to the trusts.

“Based on this contribution in 2004, the trusts grew financially much stronger,” he says.

He says that the Sai Ashram is built on twenty acres of land given by the Shri Sai Baba Sansthan in Shirdi.

The construction of the project took five years. Apart from this, land was made available and about 50 crore rupees was spent by the Shri Saibaba Sansthan, Shirdi for external infrastructure development works.

The Sai Ashram has 1536 rooms, 384 with air conditioners and 1152 room without.

In these rooms, about 9000 devotees can stay.

The Sai Ashram also has 192 dormitory rooms, which can accommodate up to 5000 people.

The project has all common facilities to ensure a comfortable stay for devotees, including an open air theater for bhajans, kirtans and palkis etc.

“We also evaluate and assist public charitable trusts and societies, who are constructing Sai mandirs in India. So far, we have made partial donations to about 450 Sai Baba temples.