The 38-year-old Tendulkar skipped his birthday celebrations yesterday to mourn the death of Sai Baba, who battled multiple-organ failure before breathing his last at 85 years of age.
Tendulkar was accompanied by his wife Anjali during his visit to the Sai Kulwant Hall in Prashanti Nilayam. The couple was moved to tears upon arriving at the hall where they sat for a while before driving off.
Gavaskar also had his wife Marshneil for company. Tears could be seen in the former batsman's eyes even as his wife sobbed uncontrollably.
Sai Baba's body has been kept here for two days for his millions of devotees to pay their last respects.
Born as Sathyanarayana Raju in a humble backward caste family on November 23, 1926, Sai Baba emerged as one of the most popular godmen in India in modern times.
Initially he attracted attention through acts like producing articles like sacred ash and 'lingam' which his detractors claimed was a sleight of hand, but later he came to be known for his founding institutions of learning and philanthropy.
He has left a big empire estimated from a conservative figure of Rs 40,000 crore to a staggering Rs 1.5 lakh crores raising questions over who will manage the Trust.
