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Index of earlier Bulletins
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
The alumni of the University and Higher Secondary School campuses at Prasanthi Nilayam and Brindavan have been gathering on 1 January for the last few years. This time, they had arranged a workshop for the alumni in the Poornachandra auditorium, with presentations on how to interface better with their alma mater and with the Sai Organisation. Bhagawan indicated last night that He would grace the proceedings, so all the alumni were seated in the Poornachandra by 8.30 am. Swami went to the Mandir where the Bhajans began at 9 o'clock, and accepting Arati at 9.15, came to the Poornachandra where He was welcomed with Vedic chants. The nearly 500 strong gathering was given an introduction to the speakers by Sri Chakravarthy, former Registrar of the University and current Secretary of the Central Trust. Former Vice Chancellor Sri S. V. Giri and the All India President of Sai Organisations Sri V. Srinivasan were the two speakers for the morning. Following their speeches, Bhagawan addressed the alumni, with translation by Prof. Anil Kumar. Bhagawan's 30 minute Discourse was followed by a 20 minute interactive session, in which the alumni got some points clarified by Swami directly. Prasadam was distributed, and Bhagawan left for His residence after Arati at 11.30 am. The alumni continued their workshop with presentations by some of their own number. In the evening, many of the alumni sat in the Bhajan Hall for the five o'clock bhajans. When Swami came to the Bhajan Hall at 5.15, He moved down the aisle and took a round of the verandah, returning to the Bhajan Hall to accept Arati at 5.50 pm.
Monday, December 29, 2008
This morning, the devotees from Indonesia who did the overseas sevadal duty were seated ithe Bhajan hall, and the bhajans started at 9 o'clock from Sai Kulwant hall. A few minutes later, Bhagawan came to the bhajan hall and blessed the Indonesia group with vibhuti prasadam, padanamaskar and group photographs. After spending around an hour with the 200-strong group, Swami went into the interview room and thence onstage to accept Arati before returning to His residence.
In the evening, youth from Rajasthan were to present a play. Bhagawan arrived for darshan at 4.30 pm and came onstage and their programme began. The 40 minute drama was on Baba Ramdev, a legendary figure of the 14th century and a folk deity of Rajasthan. After their presentation, Bhagawan blessed the group with group photographs. Bhajans by the students began and prasadam was distributed. Fifteen minutes later, Swami accepted Arati and retired for the day.
Friday, December 26, 2008
This evening, children from overseas presented songs and a musical play on the works of Jesus. After His darshan round at 4.30 pm, Swami came to the stage from the interview room at 5.10. and began the programme. Half an hour of songs were followed by the half-hour musical play. As they concluded, Bhagawan came down from the stage and blessed the participants with clothes and a group photograph. He then gifted photo-frames to the children who sang. The conductor and accompanists were also blessed with clothes. Swami interacted with the group for nearly half an hour before He went back onstage to accept Arati. Before He returned to His residence at 6.50, He blessed Mr. John Behner, the Christmas co-ordinator, also with clothes and raised both His hands in blessing all the devotees.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
This Christmas morning, the devotees from overseas gathered in the Sai Kulwant Hall and carolled after
Nagarsankirtan as scenes from early morning darshans from Christmases past were projected on two screens atop
the Mandir. Later, Bhagawan arrived in Sai Kulwant Hall at 8.35 in a white robe seated on His golden chair led
by a procession of children from overseas dressed as the characters in the Nativity. When He reached the
verandah, He blessed the cakes arrayed there and came onstage to begin the programme. The University brass band
was the first to perform. After 10 minutes of Christmas-themed music from them, the violins of the Primary
School took over. As the young boys finished their performance with 'Jingle Bells', young 'Santa's came up to
Swami to get their gift bags blessed. Swami threw a few toffees to the boys nearby, and the Santas completed
the job, running around the hall. Christmas songs by the students began next. The 40 minute song bouquet was
interspersed with a commentary in the form of a dialogue between two of Christ's apostles and a young boy. Two
more 'Santa's arrived to throw toffees, and more traditional prasadam was distributed too. After Arati at 10
o'clock, Swami blessed students who came up with pictures of the Senior Students Hostel, Christmas day being
the Hostel anniversary day too. More students with cards and birthday trays were blessed too before Swami left
for His residence 10 minutes later.
In the evening, Bhagawan arrived at 4.40 pm. The programme got underway once He came onstage with an
introduction and thanksgiving by Mr. John Behner from Latin America. Two overseas speakers were blessed to
present talks - Ms. Gisele Sebastian from Germany and Mr. Ted Henry from the USA. Following their moving talks,
Bhagawan delivered His Divine Discourse at 5.45 pm. After His Discourse, Swami asked the students to sing a
couple of Bhajans, following which He accepted Arati and returned to His residence at 7 pm.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
This evening, the Christmas eve celebrations began with Bhagawan arriving at 4.30 pm in His chair. After a
full round of the Sai Kulwant Hall, Swami came onstage after a brief visit to the interview room. The conductor
of the Western choir came up to Bhagawan for blessings, and their hour-long programme began. When they finished
all the songs in their printed schedule, Swami asked them to sing more songs, so they sang some traditional
carols like 'Silent Night' and then began an encore of selected songs from their programme. Prasadam was
distributed and Swami called up the conductor to bless her with a chain before accepting Arati. He then asked
the students to sing bhajans. After the first couple of bhajans, He asked them to sing 'Sarva Dharma Priya
Deva'. A couple of multi-religious bhajans followed before Swami accepted Arati once again and returned to His
residence in the car after spending more than 2 hours in Sai Kulwant Hall.
Monday, December 22, 2008
This evening's bhajan session was for over 100 minutes. Bhagawan arrived after the Bhajans began at 5 pm, and moved to the interview room. After a series of interviews, He came to the Bhajan Hall and almost immediately accepted Arati at 6.45 pm.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Three thousand devotees from Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh had gathered at Prasanthi Nilayam. Yesterday, they had a procession in the streets of Puttaparthi outside the Ashram. This evening, they had a chance to present their programmes in Sai Kulwant Hall. Bhagawan arrived at around 5.40 pm in His chair, and when He reached the stage, He asked the leader of the group to speak a few words of introduction. Following his Telugu speech, a 50 minute drama was presented by the youth and Balvikas children, on the transformative quality of Balvikas. The devotees sang some songs for fifteen minutes after the drama while chocolates were distributed to the participants and Bhagawan went down for group photographs with the children. Once He came back onstage, Bhagawan accepted Arati at 7.15 pm and returned to His residence.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
This evening, when Bhagawan arrived in Sai Kulwant Hall at five o'clock, He moved in His chair to where the youth from MP and Chhattisgarh were seated and moved among them. He said He wanted to give group photographs for the participants in yesterday's drama. Since they could not arrange themselves where they were seated, the students vacated an area in the centre of Sai Kulwant Hall and the photo session went on there. Swami blessed two of the group with clothes and they also received their photos then and there. Moving to the Bhajan Hall where the Bhajans were going on, Bhagawan moved down the aisle in His chair and gave sarees to a lady and three of the bhajan singers there before He accepted Arati at six o'clock.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Since Saturday, when Bhagawan had enquired about the sports events of the students, they have been eagerly awaiting a visit from Him at the Indoor Stadium complex. Today, that visit materialised. Last evening Bhagawan came for darshan at 4.15 pm and this morning at 8.10 am, moving in a full darshan round of Sai Kulwant Hall in His chair. This evening, at four o'clock, Swami went to the Indoor Stadium directly from His residence and watched parts of tennis, volleyball and basketball intra-mural matches there. He returned to Sai Kulwant Hall at five o'clock, and after a brief visit to the interview room, came onstage for a performance by the youth from Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Fifteen minutes of traditional Karma dance from Chhattisgarh was followed by a Hindi adaptation of Bhagawan's play 'Cheppinattu Chestara' (Do you do as you say). The half hour drama was followed by fifteen minutes of songs by Sri Abhas Joshi, a former Balvikas student and a top three finalist of singing competitions on national television. Bhagawan accepted Arati and returned to His residence blessing all the participants with Abhayahasta at 6.30 pm.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Sri Ashok Chavan, the new Maharashtra CM, had an audience with Swami this morning. A couple of days ago, former Union Home Minister Sri Shivraj Patil had also come for Bhagawan's darshan. This evening, the students presented a card detailing their Sports activities as the Bhajans went on, and after Arati Swami had a brief interaction with the students and teachers in the Bhajan hall, enquiring about the different events before returning to His residence in the car at 5.45 pm.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Devotees from Anakapalli had come to Prasanthi Nilayam as a group, and this evening they had the opportunity to sit near the Sai Kulwant hall stage and lead the evening bhajans. They run a Deena Janodharana Pathakam there for orphans and single mothers, and the children were also seated in the front. Bhagawan arrived for darshan in the chair at 4.45 pm, and interacted with some of the group before coming onstage and beginning their bhajans. He sat there while prasadam was distributed and had another short interaction with some group members after Arati at 5.50 pm before retiring for the day.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
This evening, while the Bhajans went on, Bhagawan moved down the Bhajan Hall aisle and went out through the rear door. On the verandah, He blessed the faculty members of the Department of Economics of Sri Sathya Sai University, who presented a card to Him about their upcoming conference. The national conference begins on Thursday, December 4, at the Prasanthi Nilayam campus and has the theme 'Economics and Energy'.
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