Aishwarya touches PM Modi’s feet at Sathya Sai Baba centenary event

Dubai: Bollywood icon Aishwarya Rai Bachchan created a moment of surprise and warmth at the centenary celebrations of spiritual leader Shri Sathya Sai Baba in Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday, when she approached Prime Minister Narendra Modi and touched his feet before delivering her address.

Modi immediately stopped her with a gentle gesture and returned the greeting with folded hands.

Aishwarya, who attended the event as a former Bal Vikas student under the Sai Baba trust’s value-education programme, delivered an emotional tribute reflecting on her spiritual upbringing, the teachings of Sai Baba, and the message of universal love.

Aishwarya’s tribute to Sai Baba: “One caste, the caste of humanity”

Speaking onstage, Aishwarya said her heart was “filled with deep devotion and gratitude” on the “historic and sacred occasion” of Sai Baba’s birth centenary.

She emphasised his universal message of unity, saying:

“There is only one caste — the caste of humanity.

There is only one religion — the religion of love.

There is only one language — the language of the heart.

And there is only one God — and He is omnipresent.”

She credited Sai Baba’s teachings for shaping her values: “Once a Bal Vikas student, always a Bal Vikas student.”

Aishwarya thanked Prime Minister Modi for attending the celebration, saying his presence “adds sanctity and inspiration” to the occasion.

“I’m looking forward to listening to your wise words, impactful and inspiring as always,” she said, calling Modi’s participation a reminder of Sai Baba’s message that “true leadership is service and service to man is service to God.”

She also highlighted Sai Baba’s well-known “Five Ds” — Discipline, Dedication, Devotion, Determination and Discrimination — qualities he believed were essential for a meaningful and spiritually anchored life.

The celebrations honoured the legacy of Shri Sathya Sai Baba, renowned for his work in education, healthcare and humanitarian service, and for advocating compassion, unity and spiritual discipline.

Aishwarya, last seen in Mani Ratnam’s Ponniyin Selvan: II, has recently been in the news amid speculation about her marriage, though neither she nor Abhishek Bachchan has addressed the rumours.

Abhishek, while receiving a Filmfare Award this year for I Want To Talk, thanked Aishwarya and their daughter Aaradhya, saying their “sacrifices” made his achievements possible.

Aishwarya and Abhishek married in 2007 and have a daughter, Aaradhya, born in 2011.