* Sathya (truth) Dharma (righteousness) Santhi (peace) Prema

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Spectrum of Divine Construction
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20 Landmark Years in Sai Service 
A brief on Sri Sathya Sai Baba
Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust
Prasanthi Nilayam
Swami’s Style of Project Management
Perspectives of Divine Construction
Dwellings for the devotees
Hanuman Statue
Sri Sathya Sai Airport
Canteen Buildings 
Boys’ Hostel
Hill View Stadium
Sai Kulwant Hall
Shopping Centre
Book Trust Building
Music College
School of Dance and Music
Sri Pedda Venkamaraju Kalyana Mandapam
Kalyana Mandapam, Hyderabad
Chaitanya Jyothi
Super Specality Hospital, Prasanthigram
Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences,  Whitefield
Sri Sathya Sai International Centre for Sports
B-School for Women at Anantapur
Sai Bhaktha Nivas
Prasanthi Tower, Muddenahalli
University College Campus, Muddenahalli
Sri Sathya Sai Water Supply Projects
Sathya Sai Ganga Canal
Godavari Drinking Water Supply Project

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8
It was my good fortune that I was invited, during 1990, to a 
dinner hosted by Sri V. Srinivasan, Chairman, WS Industries 
(India) Ltd. and former All-India President, CII, during the visit 
of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba to Madras.  It was during 
the dinner that I had the first opportunity of a personal chat 
from Bhagawan with me which made me travel to Puttaparthi.  
Col. S.P. Joga Rao coordinated the visit to Puttaparthi and 
subsequently told me of the immediate requirement for some 
construction to be taken up for the benefit of devotees at 
Prasanthi Nilayam.  Thus began L&T’s engagement with 
Bhagawan and the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust to continue to 
work on projects of a humanitarian nature and social value as 
per Swami’s wishes and directions.  I was at that time Group 
General Manager of Engineering Construction & Contracts 
(ECC) Division, reporting to Sri C.R. Ramakrishnan, Joint 
Managing Director.  He too joined me in my subsequent visits 
to Puttaparthi, and Swami had so fondly given both of us 
interviews whenever we visited Prasanthi Nilayam.  In the later 
years CRR and I had many occasions to meet Bhagawan, 
including the one in Kodaikanal and Swami used to call CRR 
‘pedda Ramakrishna’ and me, ‘chinna Ramakrishna’.  It is 
good I am recalling CRR’s association as he is no more with 
20 Landmark Years in Sai Service...  
Historic Anecdotes
us but was responsible for giving me enough freedom to take 
up Swami’s projects at cost or with low profit as a very very 
special case, as they met many social requirements of the 
country and L&T as a good corporate citizen was obliged to 
take up such works, even though with a different approach.
During his annual visits to Kodaikanal, Swami used to 
meet and interact quite frequently with many devotees.  
In one such interaction with Mrs. Grete Toubro, wife of 
L&T’s co-founder Mr. Soren Kristian Toubro, at Hochelaga, 
L&T’s Holiday Home, He blessed her with a ring which he 
materialized.  On another occasion He also met Mr. Ole K 
Toubro, son of Mr. S K Toubro, and blessed him.  Our former 
Chairman Mr. N.M. Desai and current Chairman Mr. A.M. Naik 
also had interviews with Swami and were similarly blessed.   
I believe that the Company has grown by leaps and bounds 
and achieved good reputation to ultimately become the leader 
in engineering & construction, technology and manufacturing 
and won laurels as a professional organization with good 
value systems.  On a request from us Swami was graceful 
to visit L&T’s ECC Headquarters Campus at Manapakkam in 
Chennai and spent some time and blessed all the employees.  
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The occasion became very memorable for all of us at L&T.
Normally big companies and corporate entities make 
donations to some non-profit organizations to meet their 
corporate social responsibility objects and do not go beyond 
the gesture.  In the case of Swami’s projects, L&T took a 
different route to serve the noble cause of social responsibility 
by providing engineering and construction services at low 
cost.  L&T achieved this by participating in the projects with 
full intensity and involvement to execute the projects as per 
Swami’s directions and in the shortest time possible and 
with high quality, safety, honesty, sincerity and professional 
approach in the national interest.  Serving good causes and 
helping millions through Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust has been 
a very valuable and rewarding experience as it proved to be 
extremely beneficial not only for those causes but also for 
L&T in taking such strategic directions which ultimately led to 
the Company’s growth during the two decades that followed, 
during which L&T has been associated with the Trust.   
Mr. C.R. Ramakrishnan retired by December 1991 and it was 
my turn to lead the ECC Division which celebrated its Golden 
Jubilee in 1994 and Diamond Jubilee in 2004.   
Mr. K.V. Rangaswami succeeded me in January 2005 and 
continued the policies to support Sri Sathya Sai Central 
Trust in their socially relevant construction projects.  I plan 
to give below for the benefit of readers a few instances and 
experiences to substantiate the influence that a godly person 
could have on organizations as well as individuals.
Left:
  Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba flanked by 
Late C.R. Ramakrishnan (left) and  
A. Ramakrishna (right).   
Above:
  Three generation 
leaders of ECC with their spouses - (from left)  
C.R. Ramakrishnan, A. Ramakrishna and  
K.V. Rangaswami with L&T’s Chairman and 
Managing Director, A.M. Naik.  
The first work to be taken up by L&T in Bhagawan’s cause 
was to build quickly a housing for the enormous number of 
devotees for their short-term as well as long-term stay.  A 
new technology was used in the project - RCC walls and 
slab using large area system formwork in place of the beam 
and column method with conventional formwork and brick/
block masonry.  I had the good experience of interacting 
with Bhagawan with the plans made by us and modified as 
per His instructions, with open verandahs outside for access 
to various rooms.  The project - ‘W’ Blocks – (and later on 
‘S’ and ‘N’ Blocks) was completed in 3-4 months’ time to 
high quality and most economically.  This new approach was 
chosen to save cost and time and the job was executed at 
rates lower than normal rate per sq.ft.  

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