Bhagavan’s 85th Birthday Celebrations: Kiosks of Love

The entire world recently celebrated Bhagavan’s 85th birthday… 85 glorious years of the advent of the Avatar. On this Divine occasion many alumni were fortunate to participate in the celebrations at Prashanti Nilayam. The alumni offered their devotion filled service in many ways – by making a special commemorative CD presentation, presenting clothes to students of all campuses, and by contributing to the beautiful arch permanently done in the hill view stadium. One of the most gratifying services that could be offered to devotees at Prashanti Nilayam is to play host during the celebrations.

It was observed that there was a need to take care of the hospitality of the devotees and to serve them with utmost care as Bhagavan wills it to be. Alumni took up the service of setting up and manning information kiosks and in the process they displayed their fine acumen, professionalism, and selfless commitment to serve.

A strategy committee and five specialised teams of alumni were at the helm of affairs to take care of authentic information flow. Devotees found the information kiosks very helpful in getting up to date information on
celebration, accommodation office, stay and food arrangements, Bhagavan’s Darshan timings, program schedules, lost and found articles and people, Vibhuti Prasadam distribution, RTC bus stand and railway station liaison, ticket reservations, PNR tracking, etc. There were hundreds of calls on to the toll free number and the phones were continuously ringing for help.

The kiosks were specially made to order from Chennai from specialists in exhibition stalls. An alumnus had used his extensive contacts to get the kiosks designed in aesthetically and environment friendly colours with exact shape and size to fit in four volunteers. The design was such that it attracted the eye of people from far. Each kiosk was fitted with electrical gadgets and adequate lighting facility.
“You are Bhagavan’s Students… No wonder!”
Right from the start, not one among the 100 dedicated alumni rested. They tirelessly comforted devotees coming to the kiosk. There was only one motto – “See and Serve Bhagavan in every person coming for help” and it worked! There was no trace of discomfort in any of our boys serving Bhagavan.

Language was no barrier. Multilingual assistance by various boys in the kiosks helped set things right for many people. There were heaps of praises by most of the people seeking help. One of them remarked – You are Bhagavan’s Students… No wonder!

As a parting gift to the yeomen service rendered by the alumni, Radio Sai has covered their exhilarating experiences which will be on the Internet soon!

Sai Alumni of North America Meet (SAI NAAM) 2010

With our beloved Bhagavan’s blessings and grace the Sai North America Alumni Meet (Sai NAAM) took place on 18th-19th September in Boston, USA. The purpose of this year’s meet was to introspect on the various venues in
which the alumni could participate to further Bhagavan’s mission. Alumni from the United States of America and Canada, who studied in Bhagavan’s institutions in Prashanti Nilayam and Brindavan attended the meet.

Session I – Saturday, 18th Sept, 2010
The two-day alumni meet began with Vedic chants and Bhajans. At the outset, the attendees were welcomed and the purpose of the meet was presented – to review the various opportunities that are available to the students. Following the opening remarks, another alumnus of Bhagavan’s institute led an interesting icebreaker session titled ‘Let the games begin’. The session was entertaining and helped the alumni get to know each other.

Following the session, the participants were walked through the various alumni initiatives undertaken in a session titled ‘Supporting Bhagavan’s Educational Institutions’. Various options for the alumni to participate were
discussed.

The presentation titled ‘Serve or Die Trying’ highlighted the enormous number of service projects that are currently done in North America. During the session, a list of alumni projects was presented.

Session II – Saturday, 18th September, 2010
The first presentation of the day, ‘Leaders Wanted’, elucidated Bhagavan’s message on alumni participation in service and educational activities of the Sai Organization. It highlighted that many students already hold local and regional responsibilities in the organization. This was followed by an interactive discussion on how to increase alumni participation in the organization.

Later a very intimate session was conducted by two brothers. During the session several alumni shared their moving experiences with Bhagavan during their days at the Divine Lotus Feet.

‘Where have all the (Krishna’s) cowboys gone?’ was the name of the subsequent presentation. It elucidated some of the opportunities that Bhagavan had graciously allowed the alumni to undertake for the 85th birthday. The response to these activities has been overwhelming from the North America alumni.

Statistics and back stage events were shared with the participants when a presentation in the Sai Student portal given. It was interesting to note that 1,634 registered members have contributed 17,605 articles till date since the launch of the portal.

This was followed by a very thought provoking session led by another brother on how the alumni in North America should organize themselves to be more effective. A small team of volunteers were asked to research various options and present to the group in a few weeks.

Divine Glimpses
The evening program began with Bhajans. This was followed by dinner and a two-hour session on experiences with Bhagavan. Devotees from the Boston Sai Centres participated in the evening program. The alumni thanked the Sai Centres for their support in making this event a success.

On the following day, 19th Sept 2010, the Boston alumni had planned a tour of the city.

NAAM 2011 The following venues and dates were proposed for the next North American Alumni meet. · Venues – Prashanthi Nilayam, Toronto (Canada), Orlando and Columbus (USA) · Dates – Schools in North America are closed for summer vacation from late June-Aug

With Bhagavan’s Blessings, the two day meet came to a fruitful conclusion. With His message in their hearts, the alumni left for their hometowns to plan and implement the service projects identified in the meet.

Tamil Nadu Sri Sathya Sai Students Alumni Meet

With the Divine blessings of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, the first Tamil Nadu Alumni Meet was held in Chennai on 7th March 2010. Bhajans by old students brought back Prashanti Nilayam to everyone’s heart. More than 135 members gathered at the venue filling the Bhajan hall.

The programme was compeered by an alumnus of the 1993 MBA batch. The statelevel youth co-ordinator, an alumnus of the 1995 MFM batch, addressed the session and asked the alumni to take active part in the Sri Sathya Sai Organisation.
The all India President, Sri Sathya Sai Organisation, Sri Srinivasan, elucidated on the importance of the alumni in Bhagavan’s mission. He spoke about how few boys have already taken up positions in the organisation and how they were serving. He pitched for more boys to join the organisation and serve Bhagavan. He presented opportunities within the organisation for students to engage in.

The Salem district president, a 1994 MBA batch alumnus, described how Bhagavan was pleased with the activities at the grass-root level in the district. Another alumnus movingly related how Bhagavan is working through each one of us as alumni to engage in the program and we must simply surrender to Bhagavan’s Divine Sankalpa.

Collage of Memories and Current Activities
A collage of old memorable pictures with students was presented at the Divine lotus feet as a fond remembrance of the love showered on the alumni. An alumnus of the 1975 B.Com batch described Bhagavan’s visit to Bhandipur, a narrative which everyone listened to with rapt attention Another student described the village adoption in action as a part of the Sri Sathya Sai Village Integration Programme (SSSVIP).

Other alumni followed describing and narrating various service activities the alumni are involved in. An alumnus of the 1984 B.Com batch from Erode district explained how 380 Bal Vikas centres were created in the district in a period of five years. He took the gathering through his personal journey from a Bal Vikas student to a Samithi convener. Following this, an alumnus elucidated on a number of service activities in and around Chennai.

A 1997 B.Com alumnus, currently the additional district president of Nilgiris district explained ‘Vegetable Seva’ from Ootacamund to Prashanti Nilayam and other such activities.

Seva activity of the day
Children from Sri Shanmuga Seva Illam, an orphanage, were brought to Sundaram and they sang Sai Bhajans. The alumni distributed many essential things such as pillows, mats, towels umbrellas, blankets, toys and so on to the children as Prasadam from Sai Mata

Overall, alumni from different batches elaborated on the different opportunities in educare, medicare, soft skills training, and so on.
The Tamil Nadu Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisation headed by State President Sri Ramani made excellent arrangements and provided very good hospitality to the alumni. All the alumni left with a positive spirit and
profusely thanked Bhagavan for His Divine blessings.

Middle East Sai Students Retreat

The first Middle East Sai students retreat took place on 15th October 2010 in Dubai. The event brought together alumni from batches 1997 to 2008 living in Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Dubai, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Sharjah under one roof.

The main purpose of the retreat was to foster interaction among Sai students in Middle East and to look at past activities and set the stage for future ones. Alumni along with their family members were greeted and welcomed at the registration desk followed by sumptuous breakfast.
A multimedia presentation mesmerized the attendees on Bhagavan’s mission and on our life with Him.

After the presentation a brother enlightened the group on the activities going on in Oman. A true experience of what Bhagavan means when He asks us to take one step towards him and He would take TEN! The Sai brother narrated his introduction and involvement with Autistic children. He and his group of dedicated volunteers took their small step to help the cause of the children. This threw open a slew of doors to them. A Sai sister at this juncture offered her professional help towards this cause.

Reliving the good old days
After this, a sister took the gathering back to those halcyon days of the hostel and college life and the moments they had spent with Him. Each one of in the gathering was in bliss recollecting those days when Bhagavan took
care of His students as a mother.

Lunch break offered an opportunity for the Sai families to interact with each other and to share their happiness of being together. It was a sight to see the joy while people exchanged greetings and news with one another.

Post lunch a presentation was made on the various group activities. The initiators of each project had the opportunity to share their feelings and joy when they saw that they could make difference in the lives of needy.

During the day’s events, the little ones were not left alone. A couple of our Sai sisters organised various fun activities for the younger people who also got their dose of fun and energy.

As a part of the day’s events a Sai brother divided the group into three large teams to have a group discussion on what good could the alumni do to the society – teams presented their plans and ideas which instantly became agenda for the next regional monthly meeting. It was certainly an icing on the cake, as the discussion gave the participants lot of food for thought.

Alumni Retreat 2010 at Divignano (Italy)

The alumni of the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning residing in Europe got together for their annual retreat and meeting in Divignano, Italy, from the 24th to the 26th of September 2010. The meeting venue was a
peaceful and silent countryside near Milan. There were about 29 brethren from across 7 countries accompanied by family members – the total strength being 49 including 8 children.
Day 1
The warmth of reunion among the brothers who arrived charged the mood as pleasantries and enquiries of wellbeing were exchanged. Upon arrival the alumni and their families were ushered for dinner, which was then followed by words of welcome. It was announced with great joy how earlier that morning, Bhagavan, after reading through the program, graciously blessed it and remarked, “Bhagavan Aashirvachanam cheppu. Jayapradham ga cheyandi ani cheppu”.
Day 2
The day began with Omkaram and Suprabatham, followed by Rudram chanting and Bhajans. After a sumptuous breakfast, the day’s proceedings started off, the first session being introductions.

A report of activities undertaken worldwide during the previous year was then presented. The next session was devoted to a panel discussion on the topic ‘Bhagwan’s Call: Committing to the Sai Organization’. The discussion touched many aspects including how one should begin at the grass root level. The next session, ‘Who is Bhagavan to us’, was dedicated to hearing from the spouses of the alumni on what they had to say about their association with Bhagavan and His students.

Post lunch, Mr. Mauro Roffino, the coordinator at Mother Sai (the venue of the retreat), showed a short video on how Mother Sai came into existence and recounted how Bhagavan guided them in every step. He then proceeded to take the participants around the facility. Following this was a presentation on the recent pilgrimage that the alumni batch of 1996 made to Parthi – Prema Bandham. A brother recounted how Bhagavan showered blessings on all of them including their families. There was a discussion that the alumni in Europe should undertake a similar pilgrimage to Parthi – activities for which should begin very soon.

Day 3
The first session of the day was about the genesis of the Africa project and the experience of running the project. They shared the impact that Sathya Sai values have had on the establishment and the continuous Seva initiatives that they have been a part of to support it.

• This was followed by talks by invited guests from the Italian organization. The speakers stressed on the following points:
• The need to incorporate Bhagavan’s values in cultural programs and the opportunities for us to be a part of the programs
• The opportunity for the alumni and Sai Organisation to work together – we should get involved and should look forward to opportunities

The last session of the meet was sharing of experiences followed by closing remarks thanking the selfless and very loving service rendered by the volunteers at retreat.

Action plan for 2011
This was followed by a discussion on the action plan for the year 2011. It was agreed that the projects running until now would continue. A resolution was taken that the alumni will participate and get involved more closely in the activities of the local Sai organization and, if necessary, also take up positions in the centres. At this point a brother who is involved in the Sai Student Portal connected live from the USA and made a presentation on the describing the various facets of the portal and its facilities.
The final session of the day ‘Being Sai Youth outside Sai Organization’ brought to the fore problems facing the youth, such as peer pressure, faith, devotion, and conformation were discussed. Issues on how to handle different religious and cultural habits with respect to the Indian religion/culture were discussed. Experiences were shared by youth from the UK, Germany, and Canada.

Sai Seva at Haiti

The alumni of the Sathya Sai University had a wonderful opportunity to travel to Haiti and serve the people who had been affected by the recent earthquake from 3rd to 10th July, 2010. The Sathya Sai Organization at Haiti arraigned lodging and boarding for devotees who came to serve the Haitian people. The team, on its arrival, was met by members of the Sri Sathya Sai Organisation and were provided accommodation in Port-au-Prince.

The teams offered service in two areas – the Big Church and the Small Church in Port-au- Prince. They served many patients in these two locations. About four hundred patients were treated during the week. Sharing Bhagavan’s love through Seva was an experience of joy for both the team and the patients. The members distributed clothes, bracelets, toys and art supplies especially flutes and were treated to the smiles and love on the faces of the children in the orphanage which was priceless.
Bhagavan’s love and His presence could be felt in the hearts of the people of Haiti. The team witnessed large-scale Narayana Seva operations by the Sai Organization in Delmas. The scale of the operation was such that about thousand people were fed everyday! The team members recited Rudram and sang Bhajans twice a day at their place of stay. The team members were enthralled when they heard beautiful French and Creole Bhajans sung by the Haitian devotees and were inspired by wonderful stories of Bhagavan’s grace and protective power recounted by the Haitian devotees.

Personal account of an alumnus
I was part of Team 20 to Haiti – which means that 19 teams had made a trip from the Sai Organization before us. There were 7 members in Team 20 with 3 members being alumni and 4 being devotees from various parts of US. From the time as the earthquake struck, almost every week, a team went from USA and Canada to Haiti.
What I seek to share here is my experience ofthe devotion and love the Haitian devotees have for Bhagavan. To begin with, I had severe reservations about my utility and worth in the service during such troubled times. I am neither a doctor nor do I have any special skills related to rescue and development efforts. I am an IT guy, so what would my role be here? That was the big question. But like all of Bhagavan’s Leelas, the moral is at the end of the story. Almost at the end of the trip, it made sense to me as to why I was sent here. But I am jumping ahead.

What this trip taught me…
Bhagavan’s mission will go on whether we choose to be part of it or not. I compare myself to a Vanara in the time of Rama – if I take part in it, it is my good fortune. If not, no one will lose out anything except me.
Bhagavan says we should do service to bring a transformation in ourselves. I am not sure how much I was able to contribute in my service at Haiti, but it definitely has started a transformation in me (very slowly though!) I know now how much more I need to be active in His organization and implement His message and teachings and not just be a devotee of His form. Thank you Bhagavan!

Sai is everywhere When the Sathya Sai Centre in Port-au- Prince collapsed, the altar remained untouched. On the altar, Bhagavan’s picture was intact except for a small tear over His hand. A telltale sign of His grace was that the tear in the picture was in the exact shape of the map of Haiti! Also, the tear makes the picture look as if Bhagavan is holding Haiti in His arms! I thought this happened during the earthquake but when I was at Haiti, I was told it happened much before. Either way, it is amazing that the tear could happen only in the middle and did not affect the frame or glass! As mentioned in the beginning of my narration, the moral is at the end of the story. No matter where we go the unseen hand of the Lord is always there to guard and guide us.