Chinna Gadhili (Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh): The residents of Chinna Gadhili in Visakhapatnam have been thronging the Uttara Shirdi Sai Temple upon hearing that Sai Baba himself gives darshan and blessings to the devotees visiting the temple. An animatronic robot Sai Baba chants mantras and preachings for devotees in the temple.
The animatronic robot shakes its head and moves its mouth with natural facial expressions while an inbuilt speaker voices the robot. This robotic Baba was made by Ravi Chand, a student of AU Fine Arts. He was able to make the unique robot after three years of hard work. The face was made out of silicone material and the rest of the robot was made up of special fiberglass imported from Canada.
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The addition of voice synchronization with modern technology gives the devotees the experience of darshan by Sai Baba himself. The number of devotees visiting the temple from Visakhapatnam and surrounding areas has increased due to the publicity provided by the devotees who have had Darshan of the robot.
"Really surprised to see this robot Sai Baba. It is good to have the 'Robot Sai' in Vizag. Everyone should come and see this Robot Sai. It is really like seeing Sai Baba in Shirdi." says Lakshmi, one of the devotees. "It is talking like a human being. It seems that I am seeing Baba in person. I also like the way Baba talks. It seems like we are talking directly to Baba. It is very pleasant to see," said another devotee Jagdish.
"This Robot is like Guru Sai Baba in living form from Shirdi. Many devotees come to visit Saibaba at Uttara Shirdi Sai Temple in Chinna Gadhili. The robotic Baba was created by AU Fine Arts student Ravichand after three years of hard work. It was designed and installed here by combining domestic and foreign knowledge," said the priest of Sai Baba Temple.
