Sai Mahabhakta Late Shri.Vasanthrao Narayan alias Baba Saheb Gorakshkar belonged to Pathare Prabhu Community.  He was a very old devotee of Shri.Sai Baba.

He served Shri Sai Baba from the year 1911. When he was working in Mumbai,  he used to visit Shirdi every 7-15 days in a month without fail to have shri Sai baba’s Darshan.

On the auspicious Guru Poornima day i.e., on  23rd July 1918, Shri.Sai Baba instructed shri.Gorakshkar to do the first  Chariot Procession in Shirdi. After this Guru Poornima Utsav Shri.Sai Baba took Samadhi on 15th October 1918.

On the thirteenth  day i.e, on 28th October 1918, Shri.Vasanthrao Narayan alias Baba Saheb Gorakshkar was one of the prominent among Sai devotees to have started the “Samartha Sainath Koti”.

In the year 1922, Shri.Gorakshkar along with other old Saibaba Devotees started “ Shri Sai Baba Sansthan”, and got the required approval from Ahmed Nagar Court. From that time onwards,  he was in the Managing Committee of Shri Sai Baba Sansthan.

In the year 1939 , a Five Member Committee was formed and Shri.Gorakshkar was also one among them. From that time, till his last breath he worked with Shri Sai Baba Sansthan Trust  with total committment and involvement.

In addition to holding the post of trustee, he also worked as Secretary and Treasurer of Sansthan. In the year 1945 he was selected as Managing Trustee to look after the complete Management of Shri Sai Baba Sansthan.

Before Shri.Gorakshkar was selected as Managing Trustee of Shri Sai Baba Sansthan, Shri.S.D.Balavalli was working as Management Trustee and Secretary. He was removed from the Sansthan in the year 1946  because Sansthan came to know  that he was involved in a fraud.

Shri.Gorakshkar  stepped down as Managing Trustee of Sansthan  at the age of 69 years in the year 1950 unable to manage the work load and old age. Sansthan honoured him with two Baba’s Shesh Vastra (Clothes) as Baba’s Prasad for the excellent service that he rendered to Sansthan during his tenure.

Even after his retirement, Shri Sai Baba Sansthan Management Committee used to consult him regularly and  take his valuable suggestions.

(Source: Shri Sai Leela Magazine 1952, Translated from Marathi to English by Shri.Nagaraj Anvekar, Bangalore)