Mumbai: Cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis laid the foundation stone of a healthcare centre for children here.

The Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Centre for Child Health Care and Training in Paediatric Heart Care Skill would be operational in a year’s time in Kharghar, it was announced at the foundation stone-laying ceremony. Addressing the gathering, Tendulkar said, “It is clearly evident how many lives Baba (Sathya Sai Baba) impacted. To say in millions is an understatement.

People from 35 different countries have come here.” “I think whenever I met Baba, it was all about working more and talking less. And it is evident, because I was in Palwal (in Haryana), a few months before and I could actually get time to mix around with those parents, there were a few concern faces, there were many smiley faces because their child had recovered. “If you are able to make more and more people smile with their children recovering from this terrible (cardiac) disease, then we are looking after the future of our country,” the 44-year-old batting legend added.


The Bharat Ratna awardee was referring to the work done by Palwal-based Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani International Centre for Child Heart Care & Research. “The first surgery (at the Navi Mumbai centre) is one year away from now and I am sure everyone will contribute to make things happen and save more lives,” Tendulkar signed off.