The 70th Birthday celebrations of Sathya Sai Baba
In an interview after the 70th birthday, Sathya Sai Baba told Robert Bruce - the US VIP devotee, husband of Sai-author Rita Bruce - that there had been 3 million present. (See YouTube video about this claim)
He had previously said that there'd be 7,000 Japanese (but there were only 75!). Also he had told New Zealand leaders with Arthur Hillcoat that he wanted 5,000 Seva Dals for the B'day. But the U.S. contingent was largest - 750 persons in all.
The Prashanthi Nilayam public relations office published the true figures about foreign visitors, which I noted at the time. In toto there were 18,000 from abroad, including very many Indian immigrants from various countries.
