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| Tue, Nov 23, 2010 - 85th Birthday News & Photos - Festival of Divine Love: Morning - When the big day arrived there was a festive ambience prevailing at the Sri Sathya Sai Hill View Stadium with men and women in thousands turning up occupying every inch of space in the stadium. With many Gods watching from the hill top, mortals on earth were making merry of the opportunity bestowed upon, anticipating the grand arrival of “The Lord of 85 Years”. With time ticking past inching towards the anticipated hours, there was heavy jostling of huge turnout of crowd, expected of such a mammoth festivity. Yes, the Hill View Stadium was anticipating the moment of her life to embrace The Lord and with her there were thousands upon thousands of mortals awaiting seeking to win a glance of The Lord on the auspicious day!
Earlier, in the morning when all the roads were expected to open towards the main venue, the Hill View Stadium was calm and quiet, warmly welcoming the inflow of devotees. Devotees vying for a vantage spot in the unreserved area started filing past in the early hours, well before the sun rise, and with the clock ticking away the stadium was gathering momentum. Watch and ward sevadals coupled with senior students were in full swing action, providing guidance with reference to seating arrangement. Refreshments were given in the form of tea, coffee, snacks along with drinking water. Proceedings began with the usual one hour Vedam at 0800 hrs. and bhajans commenced at 0900 that continued till 0945 hrs. when a group of boys took over the stage coming up with commentary in English, Telugu and Hindi. Prof. Anil Kumar as well joined the boys and the show continued up to 1030 hrs. Bhajans continued beyond 1030 hrs. till the Divine arrival. At 1120 hrs. Prof. Anil Kumar’s voice echoed the spacious stadium, announcing the imminent arrival of the Lord. With it began the minutes countdown. At 1125 hrs., when all eyes were fixed at the western end of the Hill View Stadium, there He appeared, shining in creamish-white, enthroned on the Golden Chariot! Yes, the Lord of all lords began His Birthday Journey, casting the highest benedictions. Bhagawan was ushered into the venue by Vedam group followed by the Institute Band of boys and girls. The procession took fifteen minutes to reach the venue, Shanti Vedika. Throughout the procession, the theme song, “parithranaya sadhunam” with groundbreaking beat music rendered the air, echoing the entire stadium, with the Lord making His ‘strides’ towards the Shanti Vedika. The Shanti Vedika resembled a royal court of yore with a silver throne awaiting the Lord at the centre. Upon reaching on stage, Bhagawan assumed the Seat of The Divine, presenting Himself to the multitudes present before Him. A host of VIPs were also present on the stage. Hon’ble External Affairs Minister, SM Krishna, Union Ministers, Sushil Kumar Shinde, Vilasrao Deshmukh, Governor of Andhra Pradesh, ESL Narasimhan, Governor of Pubjab, Shivraj Patil, Dy.CM Tamilnadu, Stallin, Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh Prof. Prem Kumar Dhumal, Minister from Andhra Pradesh, Dr. J. Geeta Reddy, Industrialist Sri Ratan Tata were among the host of dignitaries present on the occasion. Proceedings began with Bollywood singers of fame Hariharan, Suresh Wadkar, Shankar Mahadevan along with famous South Indian singer P. Unnikrishn and Simeet Tappu presented Birthday Anthem, singing the glory of the Lord, wishing Him “Happy Birthday”. Shankar Mahadevan presented a solo, Mahaprana Deepam, regaling with excellence, enticing the vast audience.
All India President of SSSS Organisations, Sri V. Srinivasan compeered the programme for the rest of the session. There were a host of speakers including Minister SM Krishna, Governor ESL Narasimhan, Worshipful Mayor of Chennai, Dr. Subramaniam etc. The occasion also witnessed the launching of the much talked about Sri Sathya Sai Vidya Vahini Project, an open ended project extending modern education facilities through the medium of internet based web based tools. Sri SV Giri spoke on the subject elaborating the salient features of the project. Tata Consultancy Services that has been playing a key role in the project providing Management skills in the areas required came for reference. A short video presentation on the same followed after which Sri Ratan Tata , Chairman Tata Sons Ltd. and Sri Chandrasekhar, CEO, TCS Ltd. officially handed over the TCS Software for the project in presence of Bhagawan. The Vidya Vahini Project was subsequently launched by the Divine hands, marked by fire works as an act of merriment. An announcement followed, informing the Vidya Vahini Project is Bhagawan’s 85th Birthday gift to the nation. The occasion also witnessed launching of a dedicated ‘sainetwork’, a connecting link for the millions of Sai devotees. Sri Sathya Sai Digital Archival System, a mission that takes care of entire Sai related archivals, was also launched by the Divine hands. Both the projects are initiatives by Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisations. “Testimonies of Gratitude” by direct recipients of His Love and Grace followed, wherein selected beneficiaries coming under various humanitarian projects initiated by Bhagawan echoed their voice in His divine presence. Covering Anantapur Water Project, East Godavari Water Project, Gujarat Earth Quake Project, Tsunami Relief Project in Tamil Nadu, Flood Relief Project in Orissa, Super Speciality Hospital Project and Medicare Mobile Hospital Project in Anantapur, six persons shared the stage speaking their hearts out in their own language, with touch of innocence. Soon came an important announcement. Free Food was declared by Bhagawan to all the villages around Puttaparthi that are covered under the Sri Sathya Sai Mobile Medicare Project that came as a Birthday Gift from the compassionate Lord! It was 1310 hrs. and Bhagawan accepted Mangala Arathi. Ministers Sushil Kumar Shinde, Vilas Rao Deshmukh, Former CM, Maharashtra, Ashok Chavan along with Dy. CM Tamil Nadu Stallin went to Bhagawan offering Pranams at His Lotus Feet. At 1320 hrs. Bhagawan moved down the dais retiring for the session. In the evening:
HILL VIEW STADIUM WAS TRANSFORMED INTO A WONDERLAND OF LOVE & LIGHT! Heaven does not need to come down to Earth; where Lord is walking the Earth, it is verily heaven on Earth. And Prasanthi aptly holds the title; the huge turn out of multitudes, notwithstanding the possibilities of hardships expected of a carnival of this magnitude, stands a testimony to this fact! Verily Prasanthi has the highest ever turnout of devotees during the months leading unto this very day. In a sharp contrast to the morning where scorching sun dominated the proceedings, evening was as cool as a moonlit night, with glitter n' shine all over! Vibrant stadium was the scene of frenzy of actions with multitudes barring religious, ethnic, lingual, economic and social barriers gathered under one roof, identified as children of One God, to pay homage to the Great Teacher commemorating 85th Year of His earthly advent! With three gigantic monumental architectural marvel shining with brilliance from the top of the hill, Gods in varied forms watching over from the hill led by Lord Hanuman, huge welcome arches shining with golden glitter, the centre-stage, the Shanti Vedika shining in golden hue filled with 'His Properties', the stadium was a sight to see - a carnival ground where Gods would ever prefer to come and watch the melee involving God walking the Earth! Expecting Bhagawan to come out en route stadium, hundreds and thousands have gathered behind the Mandir, ever ready to steal a glance while He is passing by. Bhagawan arrived at 1940 hrs. donned in yellow. Welcoming The Lord laser beams flashed around the stadium making dancing greenish waves all around. As Bhagawan assumed His special throne the stage was being set for the proceedings for the evening. "Prema Pravaham" - a loving offering of musical bouquet by a bunch of talented musical boys working with varous institutions in Prasanthi was the schedule for the evening.
Seeking blessings, after a brief introduction, the session got underway with music weaving magic, love echoing in the air, singing all about Bhagawan and His mission. "Preama Pravaham" was an essay of songs portraying His Divine Love, Compassion towards humanity, structured through a series of seven songs, ably assisted by visuals, showcasing His mission in a nutshell. As the presentation was peaking to its climax laser beams revisited the stadium again flashing all over, dancing with waves around. All the songs, except the final one were introduced for the first time, all selected from Bhagawan's collections. The one hour show concluded with the song "Tuu Pyaar Ka Sagar Hey..." sung by the troupe en masse, with special music scoring, done with added effort. As the song progressed Anantapur students sitting in the front held aloft lit lamps symbolically representing the song being rendered. The one hour presentation came to an end at 2050 hrs. and Bhagawan asked for Mangala Arathi. Subsequently Bhagawan blessed the boys with Padanamaskar.
23rd Nov 2010 wanted to sign off in style, and so was the Hill View Stadium as they have earned the privilege to celebrate the mammoth festivity in His Divine presence. Pyrotechnic - the grand finale for such unique carnivals - followed as hills around the Hill View shot skyward with a barrage of pyrotechnics yielding multi-colour showers from the heavens. These were the final moments of the grand 85th Birthday celebrations in Prasanthi Nilayam. It was time for Bhagawan to leave. With tens and thousands watching, Bhagawan came down the dais to get into His car, moving off the stadium, bringing the curtain down for the Festival of Divine Love! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 || Samastha Lokaaha Sukhino Bhavanthu || | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mon, Nov 22, 2010: 85th Birthday News & Photos - Festival of Divine Love: Monday morning presents the frenzy mood of devotees vying to get a place inside the Sai Kulwant Hall, the venue of the 29th annual convocation of SSSIHL. The Chief Guest, His Excellency The Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh is expected to arrive at 1045 hrs. Convocation is expected to begin at 11:00 hrs. This is going to be the second visit of the high dignitary; his earlier visit was in 1995, as Finance Minister of India, with the same assignment as Chief Guest of Convocation during the 70th birthday celebrations.
Unending serpentine lines of devotees, both ladies and gents, started snaking through the lanes and bylanes of ashram from the early hours. With the Prime Minister arriving and a host of other Central and State Ministers, State Governor and Chief Minister are expected to accompany, heavy security blanket has been thrown throughout the township by the State Police. Annual Convocation 2010 of SSSIHL The annual convocation of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning was held in Sai Kulwant Hall in a glittering ceremony graced by the Chancellor of the Institute Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba attended by Chief Guest for the convocation His Excellency The Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh along with a host of glitterati from the political world.
Picture graphic layout - Saibabaofindia.com "SBOI" The host of dignitaries included Sri K. Rosaiah, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Sri E.S.L. Narasimhan, Governor of Andhra Pradesh, Sri Y.S. Yeddyurappa, Chief Minister of Karnataka, Sri Shivraj Patil, Governor of Punjab, Sri M.K. Stalin, Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Sri Sushil Kumar Shinde, Union Minister for Power, Sri Ashok Chavan, former Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Dr. Ratan Tata, Chairman of Tata Sons, Tata Consultancy Services Chairman Sri N. Chandrasekaran, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Tata Consultancy Services.
The Convocation procession started at 11.10 a.m. from Yajur Mandir with the Institute Brass Band leading the procession playing sonorous tunes. Bhagawan in a crimson-hued robe along with the Chief Guest and a host of glitterati from the world of politics were ushered in to the venue by the Band followed by a student carrying the Sceptre on one side while the Registrar carrying the Ceremonial Mace.
As the procession reached the dais, the Vice Chancellor of the Institute Dr. Shashidhara Prasad garlanded the Prime Minister. Ceremonial Vedic chants for the Convocation followed. On the request of the Vice Chancellor, the Chancellor of the Institute Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba declared the Convocation open and pressed the button to unveil the plaque of 29th Convocation of the Institute. On the dais along with Bhagawan and the Prime Minister were seated the Governor and Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. On the other side facing the dais were seated the members of the Academic Council.
Extending a cordial welcome The Vice Chancellor spoke about the Institute before getting into introducing the honourable Chief Guest for the occasion. Institute Oath was administered after which doctorates and gold medals were given away by the Divine Chancellor. Dr. Manmohan Singh delivering the convocation speech Dr. Manmohan Singh recalled his earlier visit as Chief Guest in 1995. Opining about the International status of Prasanthi Nilayam, Dr. Singh highlighted on the point of diversity here, watching the microcosm in the township. “Yours is a relatively young University, already established its place as a centre of excellence”, lauded the erudite Chief Guest. Dr. Singh then paraphrased the words of Baba: “This is not a place to earn degrees, but a place to cultivate self-sacrifice, self-knowledge leading to self-realisation”. The true meaning of education is knowledge in action, said Dr. Singh. Speaking on the hallmark of education, Dr. Singh said is to combine science with spirituality.
Addressing the students, Dr. Manmohan Singh said, you are graduating today. I have no doubt you will face challenges, but you will come successful, I have no doubt. You have been exposed to fine minds, excellent libraries. Dr Singh advised that the students that your life will not be complete if you do not reach out to those less unfortunate ones. Render help to them. God bless each and every one of you. With the Institute Brass Band rendering the National Anthem, the Convocation function came to a close at 12.15 p.m. After the function, Bhagawan went inside the interview room with Dr. Manmohan Singh. After a few minutes, Bhagawan and Dr. Manmohan Singh emerged from the interview room and came on the stage. What followed was the Divine Benedictory Message. The Academic Council members too came on the dais after some time.
Pouring Divine Wisdom as usual, Bhagawan spoke about the glory of Bharatiya culture, the innate divinity, the greater importance of discipline in life, before coming into the crux of the message, on the importance of educare in the present day. There is no unity at the national level. There is no unity, but instead there is enmity. Everyone should work for the unity of this land. In fact, in every field of public life, unity is required, echoed Bhagawan. Concluding His benedictory message, Bhagawan exhorted: All are the children of God. You should mingle with each other as brothers. This is the message of Bhagawan on this occasion of Convocation. Mangala Arathi was offered at 1310 hrs. The Prime Minister was called inside the Interview Room for a private audience that lasted for thirty minutes, upon which Bhagawan retired for the session. Read the complete Convocation Report & excerpts from Swami's discourse - click here In the evening: This was the penultimate evening before the big day and none had any special schedules for the evening, but the Divine! He had His set plans and the evening turned out to become a glittering Birthday Eve, a carnatic session, showcasing the abundance of talent in His backyard! Emerging at 1900 hrs. in the evening to soul-filling tunes of spirited bhajans Bhagawan went for a complete round before coming on to the Verandah. "Prema Pravaham" music troupe were called inside the bhajan hall for a short session after which Bhagawan emerged on stage for some flash seconds before retiring to the Interview Room for the next five minutes. Team Vidya Vahini also got to interact with Bhagawan. The Vidya Vahini Project will be officially launched tomorrow, on the occasion of 85th birthday celebrations.
Returning on stage at 1920 hrs. Bhagawan blessed the State Governor, Sri ESL Narasimhan who sat squatting on stage. A host of VIPs including Union Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, Dy. CM, Tamin Nadu, Sri M.K. Stalin, Sri Ashok Chavan, former Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Dr. Ratan Tata, Chairman of Tata Sons were also present for the evening session. Assuming the Seat of The Divine, Bhagawan went on glancing through letters, as bhajans continued. In the meanwhile, blessed prasadam went for distribution.
Bhajans continued for some more time after which a pause ensued and Bhagawan interacted with leading bhajan duo for some time. Releasing the pause bhajans continued. ...Soon the duo returned donning special clothes as instructed by Bhagawan. Some more interaction followed and the stage slowly getting set for a grand Birthday Eve Programme! At 2000 hrs. the duo took over as proposed by God Himself! An hour long session followed, with the duo singing mezmerising variety of carnatic rendition enchanting the divine. Capacity assemblage of devotees burst into loud cheers at every possible interval rejoicing the session every bit.
This was not a man made proposal, but a proposal by God Himself and how soon everything came in place as willed by Him. And Prasanthi was lucky to witness a glorious Birthday Eve! Bhagawan accepted Mangala Arathi at 2100 hrs. and as He was leaving the dais, an announcement on the Birthday programme followed. It was announced that the programme would commence at 1000 hrs. in the Hill View stadium and Bhagawan would be arriving at the stadium on the Golden Chariot! When the D-Day dawns tomorrow morning, all attention would be diverted to the Sri Sathya Sai Hill View Stadium where God would be ushered in as King of kings in the Golden Chariot! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|| Samastha Lokaaha Sukhino Bhavanthu || | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sun, Nov 21, 2010: 85th Birthday News & Photos - Festival of Divine Love: The countdown for the big day comes down to two days and with that the huzzle buzzle of the mammoth spiritual carnival peaked today with constant inflow of devotees throughout the day. After filling the available ashram apartments, the sheds and the temporary accommodation facilities, the fresh entrants are slowly occupying the building verandahs inside the ashram.
Ladies darshan line turned out to become a long serpentine one, turning at every possible detour, finally ending up at the western end passing through the shopping centre - book trust buildings. Adding to this comes the security cordon in view of the VVIP movement expected tomorrow. Hon'ble Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, Chief Guest for 29th annual convocation of SSSIHL, is scheduled to fly down from New Delhi tomorrow morning to deliver the convocation speech. Governor of Andhra Pradesh, Sri ESL Narasimhan is already camping in Prasanthi ahead of the VVIP visit and some of the Union Ministers along with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister are expected to attend the glittering function scheduled for 11:00 hrs. tomorrow morning. This evening, penultimate day for the Annual Convocation, Bhagawan arrived at 1755 hrs. granting darshan to the packed audience. The stage was set for the annual convocation drama by the students of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning. The drama entitled "Twameva Sharanam Mama" depicted the story of a tailor who, when fell short to deliver a duty assigned to stich 16 pairs of dresses ahead of Bhagawan's 85th birthday celebrations, gets the unseen blessing of His chosen deity, Lord Vittala of Pandharpur, in response to his desperate call, as saving grace. Chinna Katha story involving King Alexander who invaded India, showcasing high morale exhibited by Bharatiyas of those days was shown as an anecdote. The drama ended with a Qawwali, sang in celebration of joy of His Advent. Upon the end of the drama Bhagawan posed for photograph with the drama crew before Mangala Arathi at 1915 hrs. One bhajan followed after which the cast sung the Prasanthi Love Song, Humko Tum Sey Pyaar Kitna... Bhagawan asked for an encore of "Samastha Lokaaha..." after which an announcement on the next day's convocation programme followed. It was announced that Prime Minister of India, His Excellency Dr. Manmohan Singh would be attending the Convocation as Chief Guest and the entry to the hall would be from 0900 hrs. onwards.
Yajur Mandiram, the Divine Abode, is indeed the cynosure of all eyes. For an onlooker watching from outside, the Mandiram shines with brilliance under the shades of changing colour themes. Information Kiosks have mushroomed at every vantage points, aiding and guiding devotees, well managed by grateful old students (boys) of Bhagawan's Institute. Earlier, the 9th World Conference of Sri Sathya Sai Organisations - World Wide that got underway yesterday concluded this afternoon at 1430 hrs. with the final session held in the Poornachandra Auditorium. top | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|| Samastha Lokaaha Sukhino Bhavanthu || | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sat, Nov 20, 2010: 85th Birthday News & Photos - Festival of Divine Love: Bhajans are indeed the high point of Prasanthi sessions. This evening, upon emerging at 1840 hrs. Bhagawan went for a full round of darshan before coming on stage at 1850 hrs. Bhajans continued with full spirit and Bhagawan was seen fully engrossed, often giving finger beats, enlivening the session. The session continued till 1935 hrs. when Bhagawan accepted Mangala Arathi. Spending another ten minutes on stage, conversing with some of the students and senior officials of Sri Sathya Sai Organisations - Worldwide, Bhagawan left the dais at 1945 hrs. retiring to Yajur Mandiram. Earlier, the 9th World Conference of Sri Sathya Sai Organisations was held in the Poornachandra Auditorium during the day. top | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|| Samastha Lokaaha Sukhino Bhavanthu || | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fri, Nov 19, 2010 - Annual Ladies' Day - 85th Birthday News & Photos - Festival of Divine Love: Annual Ladies' Day 2010 turned out to be a noon affair when Bhagawan was ushered into the hall by the Anantapur and Primary School Band just after 12 noon today. The Chief Guest for the occasion, Her Excellency, The President of India, Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil along with other dignitaries, His Excellency ESL Narasimhan, Governor of Andhra Pradesh, His Excellency Sri Shivraj Patil, Governor of Punjab, etc., Hon'ble State Tourism, Information & PR Minister Smt. J. Geeta Reddy accompanied Bhagawan into the hall.
Smt. Mallika Srinivasan, Director of Amalgations Group and CEO of TAFE India Ltd.
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|| Samastha Lokaaha Sukhino Bhavanthu || | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Thu, Nov 18, 2010 85th Birthday News & Photos - Festival of Divine Love: This evening Bhagawan was ushered into the hall by a host of Primary school children, that included the Veda chanting students, the Primary School Band, students dancing Bhangra steps deftly and a couple of students holding umbrella in their hands.
As He emerged out of the Yajur Mandiram at 1840 hrs. He was religiously received with Poornakumbham by the children before the commencement of the procession invoking The Lord into the Sai Kulwant Hall. All along the procession a welcome song was played in the background giving an added flavor to the Lordly entry.
As Bhagawan came on to the dais, students presented the programme to Bhagawan before they burst open into a dance scene commencing the presentation.
The leading cast or the narrator of the dance drama announced that such universal acceptance of God in human form has never occurred in the annals of history. A divine declaration by Bhagawan on who is He was then screened to the audience which set the benchmark for the dance drama. There were two short episodes in the drama, the first was the episode of Upamanyu from the Sivapurana and the second was the episode of Uddhava counselling the Gopikas after being sent by Lord Krishna. The speciality of this drama was a backdrop of LED screen which beamed crystal clear visuals to the audience. Added to this were two LED screens, one on the gent’s side and the other on the ladies side telecasting the proceedings in real time to the audience.
Giving a colourful visual spectacle towards the end of the drama students from the Primary, en masse, were seen waving colourful wands with lights. Bhagawan went down the dais and gave a prolonged photograph session to the cast, followed by the Veda chanting students, Band boys and Bhangra dance boys. The cast arranged themselves in small groups for the photograph session with Bhagawan. Bhagawan then directed the Institute students to distribute clothes and sweets to the participants. After group Bhajans by the Primary School students, Bhagawan was offered Arati at 2010 hrs. Then Bhagawan retired for the day to Yajur Mandiram. Earlier as Bhagawan came on to the verandah after His usual darshan rounds, latest edition of Sathyam Sivam Sundaram - Vol 7 was taken to Bhagawan for blessing by the Publisher Sri KS Rajan along with the author Sri BN Narasimhamurthy. Bhagawan glanced through the same before conferring His blessings. top | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Morning Update 18th Nov. 2010 Ratotsavam is an annual feature that normally comes as a forerunner to the grand Birthday Celebrations of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. ..And ever since its inception many years ago, this festivity has been a fixed schedule for the 18th November. For so many years, this day had been tagged with another big event, Narayana Seva, en mass for the villagers in and around Puttaparthi, where in Bhagawan would present Himself through and through, along with hundreds of University students and sevadal volunteers, held at the Vidyagiri Sports Stadium.
This morning, at around 0945 hrs. the procession began from the bhajan hall with the idols, mainly Venugopala Swami idol, were taken out to be mounted on the main chariot stationed outside the main gopuram gate. The idols were taken out in a procession with the escort of Vedam and Bhajans by group of students from Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning.
Upon mounting the idols on the chariot, coconuts were broken and arathi was offered before the procession continued with great religious fervour attended by students and hundreds of villagers. The ecstatic mood of the village folk dancing to the tune of drumbeats, breaking coconuts and offering arathi enroute, is evidential of the religious fervour attached to the festive occasion. The Venugopala Swami idol will be mounted at the Pedda Venkama Raju Kalyanamandapa before return procession commences, carrying the Sita Rama idols, a custom that has been in place ever since the Chariot Festival began in Parthi. top | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|| Samastha Lokaaha Sukhino Bhavanthu || | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wed, Nov 17 2010: 85th Birthday News & Photos - Festival of Divine Love: It is said, marriages are made in heaven! ...And when marriages are done in the heaven on earth, in the immediate Divine presence of the Avatar of the Age, the joy of such a feat can only be described by the direct recepients of the benediction, ninety five couples who tied the nuptial knot in Prasanthi Nilayam this afternoon. This morning, Sai Kulwant Hall, the venue of the mass marriage function presented a festive look with beautiful decorations in the traditional way. The dais was decorated traditionally with coconut leaves and flowers of various hues. The brides and bridegrooms were seated in an orderly fashion along with their parents for the function. Bhagawan came for the function at 1125 hrs. After Bhagawan came to the dais, the chief priest started the rituals for the marriage asking the brides and grooms to follow him religiously. At the outset, the chief priest declared that it was a very auspicious moment for the brides and grooms since they had the opportunity to celebrate their marriage in the Divine Presence of Bhagawan on the occasion of Bhagawan’s 85th Birthday Celebrations. The proceedings began with the worship of Ganapati by the brides and grooms with Akshata (sanctified rice). Rituals like tying of Kankana (protective thread, which acts as a talisman) on the wrist and Kanya Dhanam (giving away the bride by her parents) were followed according to scriptural injunctions. Since this ritual entails that the bride and groom should not look at each other, a veil was placed in between them. Then came the most auspicious moment, the tying of Mangalasutra at 1159 hrs. when the bridegroom tied the Mangalasutra round the bride’s neck to the chant of hymns from the Vedas. Garlands were exchanged by the bride and groom and the couples went round the sacred fire observing the vow to be faithful to each other. An announcement was made that a few former students of Bhagawan from the Institute too had entered the wedlock on this auspicious occasion along with brides and grooms from the nearby villages. Bhagawan in His unbounded compassion had arranged for the distribution of articles of immediate household need. Even decorative jewellery, watches and sweets were distributed to the couples. Bhagawan then went down amidst the couples blessing the couples and their parents while the couples did Padanamaskar. Swami went in between in each of the rows as the research scholars from the Institute facilitated the free movement of Bhagawan. Swami had arranged a sumptuous feast for the couples and their relatives on this occasion. An announcement was made Bhagawan wants the couples to wear the new attire and come for the evening Darshan. Arati was offered to Bhagawan at 1255 hrs. and Bhagawan retired for the morning session. Two music concerts were slated for the evening session. The first was by Sri Pandit Ronu Majumdar, the renowned flautist and the second by Sri Sikkil Gurucharan, a vocal concert. After the long morning session, which ended well past 1 o’clock in the afternoon, Bhagawan came to Sai Kulwant Hall at 1830 hrs. as the bhajans were in progress. After giving Darshan to the devotees, Bhagawan came to dais of the Hall and listened to the invigorating and lively Bhajans of the students for nearly one hour. At the outset, the State President of Delhi, Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisations introduced the two artistes who were to perform on the third day of the Festival of Divine Love. Sri Pandit Ronu Majumdar is a renowned flautist who has performed in many international and national forums like The Kremlin in Moscow, Russia. He is the innovator of new age music. He is famous for his epoch-making album “Travellers Tale”. He has many awards to his credit like All India Radio Award, Aditya Vikram Birla Award, Lifetime Achievement Award by Sahara India, National Kumar Gandharva Award and Pandit Jasraj Gaurav Puraskar. The next artiste, Sri Sikkil Gurucharan is a vocalist from a reputed family. He learnt initially from his grandparents, the illustrious Sikkil Kunjumani and her sister Neela, and then from Vaigal Sri S Gnanaskandan, Smt. Mala Chandrasekar, etc. He has won numerous awards as a youth performer like Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar, Yuva Kala Bharathi, to name a few. He has travelled frequently to Middle East, Singapore, etc., giving concerts in these countries. Pandit Ronu Majumdar began his concert by saying that he is the most fortunate musician sitting at Bhagawan Sai’s Lotus Feet. The flautist mesmerised the audience with his musical pieces. His second piece was the famous Mira Bhajan “Payoji Maine Ram Ratan Dhan Payo …” He began by playing the piece in his flute and then even sang the song. He ended his concert with the song “Vaishnava Jano Tho …” Bhagawan honoured the artiste and his accompanying musicians with shawls. The next artiste Sri Sikkil Gurucharan began his concert by saying that he was honoured to sing at the Lotus Feet of Sai Baba. He sang a few Thyagaraja Kritis (compositions) in his mellifluous voice and ended his concert with the famous lullaby song “Vuyyalaluguma Sri Sathya Sai …” Bhagawan then honoured Sri Sikkil Gurucharan and his accompanying artistes with shawls. Arati for the day was offered at 2035 hrs. after which Bhagawan retired to Yajur Mandiram. top | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|| Samastha Lokaaha Sukhino Bhavanthu || | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tue, Nov 16, 2010: 85th Birthday News & Photos - Festival of Divine Love: Day 2 The day was gloomy with overcast sky followed by intermit tend rains and the bright spot arrived with Bhagawan entering the hall at 1800 hrs. As the large assemblage of devotees in Sai Kulwant Hall was awaiting Bhagawan’s arrival, Bhagawan took everyone by surprise and went in the opposite direction towards the massive food pavilions at 1800 hrs. He entered the pavilion as the devotees were having their dinner - the devotees present there had Bhagawan’s Darshan. This was direct manifestation of Bhagawan’s love for His devotees; He wanted to see for Himself the arrangements made, though He is the all-knowing One. He also had a look at some of the replicas of structures put up at various points in the Ashram like the Bahai Temple, the Srirangam Temple. Bhagawan then went to the Sri Sathya Sai International Centre for Sports where the various State Organisations had set up an exhibition on Sri Sathya Sai Village Integrated Programme (SSVIP). Bhagawan had a look at the exhibits, after which Bhagawan returned to the Sai Kulwant Hall at 1835 hrs. and gave Darshan to the devotees.
The brides and bridegrooms who were to tie the nuptial knot on 17th November were seated in the Hall for Bhagawan’s blessings. Swami spoke for some time to Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma, the Santoor maestro and then went in between the brides and bridegrooms and gave with His own hands the wedding attire. How fortunate were these brides and grooms to receive the clothes from Bhagawan’s Hands! Bhagawan gave the dress to each bride and groom and ensured that no one was left. He also spoke to a few of them. Arati for the day was offered at 1930 hrs. top | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
As Prasanthi gears up: “The Burden of the Badge” sounds on the responsibilities of the badge that one wear. The badge under reference is the Sevadal Volunteer Badge of Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisations and the reference is in connection with the mammoth exercise of celebrating the “Festival of Divine Love” on the occasion of 85th year of Bhagawan’s earthly Advent.
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|| Samastha Lokaaha Sukhino Bhavanthu || | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mon, Nov 15, 2010 85th Birthday News & Photos - Festival of Divine Love: Day 1 Echoing Music Divine, Festival of Divine Love, Nine-day long festival celebrating the 85th Year of the Advent of the Lord in physical got off to a sublime beginning in Prasanthi Nilayam this evening.
Setting a perfect background for the "Festival of Divine Love", Prasanthi experienced evening rains, an auspicious sign as is believed, for any fresh venture. With the dark clouds coupled with rains forcing an early sunset, the Divine Assembly in Sai Kulwant Hall shone brilliantly under the lights anticipating the Divine entry. Adding charm to the glare, the dais was bedecked with floral costumes. Enhancing the audio facility, in view of the week-long festivity, special speakers were installed at proper locations and facilitating closer view, two LED display, on both gents' and ladies' side, along with number of closed circuit tv sets were also set in place.
Emerging at the twilight hour, at 1845 hrs., His twenty minutes' round of darshan found the magnanimity of the Lord coming to the fore as Bhagawan negotiated the round most patiently, attending to many on the ladies' side, the primary girls, italian cake makers before coming on to the verandah where He had the artistes for the evening as well as many an organisational office bearer seeking blessing. Coming on stage at 1905 hrs., the stage was ready for the session to begin. An announcement on the programme was made introducing the artistes for the evening with brief description. Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, the Sarod Maestro of fame along with son Aayan Ali Khan and Aman Ali Khan were to perform that was followed by Abhishek Raghuram, a child prodigy and grandson of legendary Mridagam Artiste, Palghat Raghu, on Carnatic Vocal.
Ustad Amjad Ali Khan began his concert with a solo, a composition of Saint Puranadaradasa set to Raga Sivaranjini. He announced that he was inspired by the same rendering by legendary ML Vasanta Kumari, Carnatic Vocalist of yester years, and thus relish to sing the same in the Divine presence. Beginning the second piece with an introduction to his sons, the maestro on Sarod along with his sons produced a magical spell of instrumental music that lasted for more than twenty minutes, well received by the audience with rapturous applause.
Music is Divine and when legendary musicians rocks the stage with music's sublime touch at the highest platform, it not alone entices the onlooking mortal audience, but the first and foremost recipient of the offering is the Master Musician, the Immortal Divine Himself. With serene musical notes emanating from the blessed Sarod producing subtle waves, often raising and rising, slowing down, pausing, harmoniously blending with accompanying tabla, the session turned out to be a scintillating jugalbandhi, a perfect start for the Festival of Divine Love.
From the world of Instrumental into the world fo Carnatic Vocal. The second programme for the evening was by Abhishek Raghuram, an upcoming Carnatic Vocalist who began with a Thyagaraja composition "Nee Dayarada" set to Shrutibhairavi on Rupaka Talam. Perfectly harmonising with the accompanying mridagam and violin, the solo lasted for fifteen minutes. One more piece followed before he wound up to receive special blessings from the Divine Hands. The singer was completely engrossed in his devotional rendering and one could read his devotion to the dedicated profession, who spellbound the audience with his mesmerising rendering.
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|| Samastha Lokaaha Sukhino Bhavanthu || | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Source: Sri Sathya Sai Sadhana Trust - sssbpt.org - Radiosai.org - Sri Sathya Sai Media Foundation - h2hsai.org . | Web layout - Photo graphic design : saibabaofindia.com "SBOI" | - We gratefully acknowledge the publishers Sri Sathya Sai Sadhana Trust & Sri Sathya Sai Media Foundation
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viernes, 26 de noviembre de 2010
ACTIVIDADES DE NOVIEMBRE EN PRASANTHI NILAYAM
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