DIVINE TALK: President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam having a word with Satya Saibaba during the latter's 81st birthday celebrations at Puttaparthi on Thursday.

PUTTAPARTHI: Satya Saibaba observed that all religions had the same goal - to reach God. He delivered this message on the occasion of his 81st birthday celebrated in the presence of a huge gathering in Sai Kulwanth Hall in Prashanti Nilayam here on Thursday.

President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Governors of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka Rameshwar Thakur and T.N. Chaturvedi respectively and Chief Minister of Maharashtra Vilasrao Deshmukh attended the function.

Addressing devotees he said that human life was a combination of moral and spiritual qualities and righteousness. He termed human being as a reflection of the Almighty himself. He asked them to follow the five principles of `satya, dharma, shanti, ahimsa and prema' to achieve happiness.

Kalam's address

In his brief message on the occasion, Dr. Kalam dubbed the spiritual leader the "divine life shining in front of us". Completing 80 years in enriching the lives of others with his spirituality was indeed a divine task, the President said.

Dr. Kalam's simplicity was there for all to see as he sat on the floor along with others and refused to accept even a cushion.

Later, Saibaba insisted on the President being seated near him in a chair and the two conversed for several minutes.

The President said that Saibaba's missions of social service like drinking water projects, hospitals and educational institutions and now completing an indoor stadium of international standard in given time were examples of divine intervention.

A poem penned by Dr. Kalam on Saibaba in Tamil was recited in its Telugu versionby a functionary of the Satya Sai Central Trust.

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