December 2012 EditionQuote

On December 25th, when Jesus was born, three kings. came to his birthplace. These three gave expression to threedifferent views about the new-born babe. One of them, looking at the infant, said: "This child looks like one who willbe a lover of God." A second king said: "God will love his child." The third king declared: "Verily, this child is GodHimself." The first one viewed the child from the physical point of view. The second saw the child from the mentalviewpoint. The third saw from the Aatmic (spiritual) point of view. The three declarations indicate how one canprogress from the human to the divine level. What is needed is the destruction of the animal and demonic qualities inman. Man today worships inanimate idols and images, but makes no attempt to love his fellow human beings in fleshand blood. This was the first message of Jesus. Though one sees his neighbours day after day, he does not choose tolove them. How can one believe that such a person can love an invisible God? If a man cannot love a fellow humanbeing who is visible before his eyes, how can he love what is not visible to him? This is not possible. Only a man wholoves living beings around him can love the invisible Divine. Love must start with love for beings that have form. Itmust be extended to all beings. This is the primary stage in spirituality.

~ Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Events

National Christmas Celebrations 2012

National Youth Conference 2013

Sai Smaran 2013

National Sai Orientation Conference

Articles

Conversations with Dr Samuel and Sharon Sandweiss

Education Wing - Poem: My Sai and I

National Birthday Celebrations – A Perfect Palace in Leicester

Region 1 - Akhanda Bhajan Hosted: Merton Sai Centre

Region 1 - Ladies Day 2012

Region 1 - Narayan Seva

Region 2 - Akhanda Bhajans

Region 2 - Baba's Birthday Celebrations

Region 2 - National Seva Day – Make a Positive Difference

Region 2 - SSE Akhand Bhajans: November 2012

Region 3 - December 2012 Update

Region 3 – Birthday Celebrations at Centres

Region 4 - Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s Birthday Celebrations at Coventry Sai Centre

Region 4 - Coventry Ladies Event

Region 4 - Coventry SSE Diwali Celebrations

Region 4 - Diwali Celebrations in Leicester

Region 4 - Global Akhand Bhajans and Mosque Open Day Visit

Region 5 - Akhanda Bhajans

Region 5 - Birthday Celebrations

Region 5 - Ladies Day

Region 6 - Akhanda Bhajans

Region 6 - Birthday Celebrations 2012

Region 7 - Poem: A Living Love

Region 7 - Service to Man is Service to God

Service Wing - Sathya Sai Cataract Surgery Programme: South Africa

Spiritual Wing - Christmas in the 21st Century: a Christian perspective

Youth Wing - National Youth Satsang with Dr Samuel Sandweiss & Mrs Sharon Sandweiss

Editorial

Dear Love & Light Readers,Sai Ram to you!

I hope that everyone found November a very invigorating and refreshing experience which started with the Akhandbhajans on the 10th and 11th November. The glory of God was sung across the length and breadth of the UK and theworld over. We were blessed to have the rare privilege of being amidst the company of God loving people praising HisGlory. This was followed by the Diwali festivities celebrated by Hindu Communities. Then the Ladies Day which wascelebrated by our sisters across UK in various ways.

The wonderful events culminated with the National Birthday Celebrations to mark the 87th year of the advent of ourLord, Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. About 1300 devotees attended the programme. Dr Samuel and Mrs SharonSandweiss from United States were our Guests who thrilled the audience with their experiences. The programmeconcluded with a musical concert and cake cutting ceremony. As part of Birthday celebrations, a number of events werealso observed by several regions and centres throughout the country.

We were honoured to have Dr and Mrs Sandweiss tour some of the regions of the UK, sharing and spreading Swami’s Loveall around.

As we move into December, there is a scent of festivity in the air with preparations building towards Christmas. It is atime of the year when families and friends get together to share their love and realign their thoughts and prayers ontothose who are in need.

Baba reminds us of the true meaning of Christmas,

"In all religions, birthdays of great personalities are elebrated but the ideals for which they lived are not rememberedand followed. If you do not care to follows their teachings the celebrations lose their meaning and become artificialobservances. It is not doing justice to the good people whose birthdays are being celebrated. Christ taught people tolove all beings and serve all with compassion. It is only by practising these ideals that one can truly celebrate Hisbirthday. The Divinity within should be reflected in every action. The seat of Truth is in your heart. Worship meansloving others with your full heart. You must live in love and lead a life of selfless service based on love. This is the onlyright way of celebrating the birth of Christ." Christmas day, 25 Dec 1992

We look forward to welcoming you to the National Christmas Celebrations on Sunday 16th December which is being heldat the prestigious venue of The Cheltenham Ladies College Hall in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. We have a wonderfulfestive programme to include the traditional Christmas Service, uplifting prayers and music, Christmas Carols andNativity and a sumptuous Christmas lunch. Leonora Van Gils will be our guest speaker who is a long standing devotee ofBaba.

Please register via the UK website.

Finally, 2013 is looking like another fantastic year for the UK. Please be sure to make a note in your diaries of dates:

Sai Smaran Bhajans - Saturday 12th JanuaryNational Orientation & Welcome Day - 2 day conference 19th and 20th Jan for all current and previous office bearersand active membersNational Youth Conference 22nd - 24th FebruaryNational Sai Remembrance Day – Saturday 27th AprilNational Eswaramma Day – Saturday 4th May.National Pilgrimage – Sunday 28th July – Saturday 3rd AugustNational Healthcare Conference - tbaNational Birthday Celebrations – tbaNational Christmas Celebrations – Sunday 15th December 2013

On behalf of the Council and the UK Trust, I pray that you have a wonderful Christmas and a prosperous New Year!

Dr Kiran Patel,National Chair Person

Conversations with Dr Samuel and Sharon SandweissDr Samuel Sandweiss’s first meeting with Swami - Excerpts from talk on 1st of December 2012

The strongest learning I had was when I went to Swami for the first time. I saw Omniscience and Omnipresence. Thatstill didn’t soften my heart. We went to Whitefield during the first Summer School in Culture and Spirituality in 1972. Iwas a little disturbed even though Swami had showed me his Omnipresence and Omniscience. By this time, I should havefallen at His Feet but I still hadn’t.

And then I heard him talking, simple talk. “Why don’t you try to comb your hair and why do you wear tight pants andhave long hair? Not washing. Look like a monkey. “

And I thought I came all the way from California and I just wanted to hear of very complex things and He is telling meabout washing and cutting hair? And I noticed my sideburns were pretty long. Actually I cut them after I had heard this. Iwas feeling terrible! Such simple little trivial teaching. Isn’t that trivial teaching or not?

This was at the old house in Brindavan. At the back there was a thatched roof that they had put up and monkeys werejumping around and Swami used to come out and speak. I was at the front of the house waiting to go. I was waiting forSwami to go upstairs. I was feeling very bad.

I hadn’t slept well. I was eating hot food which I wasn’t used to it and then Swami was telling me don’t be this….I wasfeeling I came all the way to hear this from Swami?

I was also thinking of going back although I had seen His Omnipresence.

He then comes up to me, His eyes sparkling, full of love, full of knowledge and full of understanding and gave me 2pieces of little candy. He was so sweet to me, so very personal. That is what did it to me! First lesson I said to myself,don’t think it is a mere candy and Swami said,”Sweet, Sweet, Sweet”. He came up with a personal contact and a sweet,that filled my heart.

That was what broke me!

That was what made me fall at his feet and I wanted to sing a song. That is what we should do too.

If we just know the background of the type of person we are dealing with and we understand with softness andsweetness, not always so easy to do. Swami has put you there to give love and to learn from projection of your ownselves. Through steadiness, through perseverance and through patience will come your own purity. This is our trainingground. It is Tapas.

Extract from presentation provided by Sharon Sandweiss on the 1st of December 2012

This is an excerpt from a talk given by Sharon Sandweiss to parents of SSE children. It involves an interview that Babahad given to a group of devotees from New Zealand in 2009. Swami loves to converse with His devotees and knows whatis on their minds. He answers them directly:

Devotee: Baba, how do we get close to you? You are so far away.

Baba: Distance is only in your imagination. You are always close to me when we realise that I am in your heart, but untilthat happens I am here and you remain there thousands of miles apart. Your connection is Me. That is what I want youto do. Then I am yours automatically. Eliminate your anger, jealousy, ego. Purify your heart. Have you ever thought ofpractising atleast one idea, one teaching from me? Do it, Do it. Do it! Then surely success will come and Grace will flow.

Devotee: How do we work for Sai’s Mission as true servants of the Lord?

Baba: For this Baba has given you this, the Sai Organisation. Make use of it to the best capacity by doing Service, byDevotion and by being Loving to all. Sometime you are very impatient with the Organisation. I know, I know, I watcheverything. Baba makes rules, regulations for specific purpose. Without rules, without discipline, soon it becomes a zoo.Discipline is the watch word in any spiritual path.

The Sai Organisation is not like a Rotary Lions Club, it isn’t a family club, it is purely a spiritual and service organisation.

The very name SAI stands for ‘S’ Spiritual Transformation, ‘A’ Association or Social Change and ‘I’ IndividualTransformation. All these have to be achieved through the organisation but if you are uninterested in Transformation,then better to stay home and not waste your time. Time is precious, life is speeding fast, make best use of everyminute. Make every minute the best minute for you and all around you. Fix your attention on God only. Focus on God.Do Selfless Service. And be happy.

Excerpts of a conversation between Samuel Sandweiss and John Hislop

Dr John Hislop was an ardent devotee of Bhagawan and a highly spiritual person. He had served the United StatesCouncil and the Organisation for many years. Many may have read his book titled “My Baba and I”, a title that BhagawanHimself had given. When he was near death, Dr Sandweiss had the rare fortune to talk to him. Soon after thisconversation, Dr Hislop passed away. Following is an excerpt of his video conversation that he presented during his tourof the UK.

Sam: Is that something special -- that somebody (Swami) should proclaim that (“I am God”) – or that we believe that Heactually is God -- is that a special event?

John: I think that is a special event Sam -- in all other teachers I have been involved with, none has made that claim.The Claim that God is their Divine preceptor, and that they are travelling with God in the path of spirituality -- but nonehas ever made the claim that “I am God.”

Sam: Does this give a special potency to His Message?

John: I don’t see how it cannot fail to, especially when you look at the companion statement because He says, yes I amGod but so are you. The only difference being that I know it, and you don’t know it. And you can know it because youare God.

Warren (interviewer2): After your long life of spiritual searching, if you can summarise the essence of the wisdom thatyou gained in a sentence or a phrase, could you do that?

John: Yes, it’s very simple. The wisdom that I have gained through my spiritual life with Buddha and with Baba and withothers too -- is that the primary path to spiritual opening is Devotion to God. All the other things, meditation, actionand so on -- have all fallen away in their importance. Devotion is the primary way to God.

Sam: Is that what you are holding onto now?John: Yes.

Sam: In what form does it take?

John: It takes the form of always seeing Swami wherever I am and recognising that He is in me and that if I see Himstanding there, I recognise that I am in Him too. So I visualise Swami a great deal, I see Him.

Education Wing - Poem: My Sai and I

My Sai and I,The one who takes away my sorrow,The one who cares for me, I followSomeone I can talk to that won't judge me,Someone who will teach me values and harmonyHe who brings me happiness and joy,He who has seen me grow, from baby to a boyThe mother who has taught me love and care,The father who has taught me how to be kind and share,A friend who has lent me his hand in studies,A friend who will forever be the best of my buddies,A teacher from whom I learn the lesson of life,A teacher who takes care of me in struggle or strife,My Sai who stays with me from birth till I die,And even after,That is my Sai and I

By: Ian Gordon, SSE studentRegion 7

National Birthday Celebrations – A Perfect Palace in Leicester

It was a cold but crisp Saturday morning in Leicester, but the weather was no dampener to the excitement of Hisdevotees from all over the country gathering together in Leicester to celebrate the Lord’s 87th Advent. The anticipationof the National Birthday Celebrations had been growing over many weeks and the day didn’t disappoint.

As you walked through the door, you were instantly transported to the Hill View Stadium in Prasanthi Nilayam, as theimpressive backdrop on the Stage with the Golden Palace and a beautifully decorated Jhoola in the foreground,enhanced the sacred ambience. Everyone could feel the Divine Presence instantaneously, and the spirits soared higherstill as bhajans started.

Aptly reflecting the theme for the day- The Light in our Hearts- the programme commenced with a beautifullychoreographed traditional Bharatha Natyam dance titled ‘Deepanjali- An Adoration of Light’. Four young students (JhyniRavishankar, Melisa Thulaseetharan, Maduri Satkunabalan, Vaishnavi Mohan Sarma) of the renowned Bharatha Natyamdancer and teacher Mrs. Pramila Ramanan from London,performed this dance with such finesse, poise and verve that every assembled heart could experience the vibrant andcolourful energy of Light. Then followed an offering by our beloved ‘little hearts’, SSE children from all across thecountry, who lovingly presented their Lamps of Love at the Divine Feet of our Bhagawan, even as a group of pilgrimsfrom the recently concluded Sai Jyothi UK pilgrimage sang mellifluously a selection of familiar songs that they hadrendered in Prasanthi Nilayam such as ‘I am the light’ and ‘Master of Light’.

After this uplifting introduction to what promised to be a wonderful day, the National Chair of our Organisation, Dr KiranPatel, formally welcomed everyone and especially our esteemed guests from America, Dr Samuel Sandweiss and his wifeSharon. He reminded all those present of our unique fortune in being the contemporaries of the Sathya Sai Avathar whobestowed His Love constantly and unconditionally on all of us, and who worked all His Life tirelessly towards ourspiritual transformation. For such a loving and divine Master, the ideal Birthday present that we could hope to offer, DrPatel felt, would only be our unflinching commitment to integrate His Message of Love and Human Values in our dailylives.

Dr Samuel and Sharon Sandweiss who need very little introduction amongst Sai devotees then enthralled us, and

enlightened us all by sharing a lifetime’s worth of experiences with the Divine. It was evident from the very start thatthey had a vast amount of love, happiness and wisdom to share with everyone seated in the hall and all those watchingonline from around the world. Stories about their interactions with Bhagawan, personal experiences and working withSai devotees filled everyone’s hearts with limitless joy and at many points laughter. The special feature of theirengaging talks was the accompanying high quality video clips on Swami set to some beautiful music from differentgenres in a very imaginative way by Dr Sandweiss. These videos with music highlighted Bhagawan’s Message and Missionvery vividly to everyone assembled and drenched everyone in beautiful memories, pure joy and devotion.

After a delicious lunch and some lovely bhajans, Dr Samuel and Sharon continued with their wonderful sharing. What awonderful opportunity it was to hear even more from those who have had such close experiences with Bhagawan andwho permeate joy in a way that it becomes infectious! It was clear that their unwavering focus on Swami and HisTeachings had a direct impact in all the activities they undertook, be they simple daily activities or organising largeconcerts in America to share His Love and Message with the wider communities. Flying all the way from America toshare their love, it is difficult to explain just how they uplifted everyone in attendance on the day, in a such a profoundway that we were sitting in His presence celebrating His Advent!

Everyone who has ever been fortunate enough to be in the Divine presence on His birthday (or seen the videos) knowsthat the Jhoola ceremony is an immensely special and unique part of an unforgettable celebration. This event was noexception, and the Jhoola swayed once again to the divine melodies in the form of a beautiful music offering by a groupof 11 extraordinarily talented musicians.

Words cannot describe the offering of supreme devotional vibrations that permeated the hall and sweetened the alreadyfilled the hearts. The musical offering commenced with a vocal rendering by the renowned singers Kaviraj SinghDhadyalla and Deepa Rasiya accompanied by Tabla maestro Manjeet Singh Rasiya. Then followed an elaborate andexpert instrumental rendition of Raag Bhairavi lead by the internationally acclaimed Sitar player Ms Roopa Panesar, andaccompanied on Santoor by Kaviraj Singh and on Tabla by Dharmesh Parmar. Ms Roopa Panesar was also accompanied byher students Jasdeep Singh, Varinder Singh, Akash Parekh, Iksit Gadhia, Nimrata Rasiya and Meera Rasiya. Truly thedivine vibrations created made the Jhoola ceremony a celestial one. There was no doubt that Bhagawan had adornedthe stage to enjoy this awe inspiring performance.

The climax of the programme was still to come though! Accompanied by the smiling faces of enthusiastic children, noless than 4 specially made cakes by devotees around the UK, bejewelled with candles, were brought onto the stage forthe grand finale Birthday song and cake ceremony. A wonderfully memorable way to end a programme in the ‘PalaceSetting’ where Bhagawan’s grand 85th Birthday was celebrated in Prasanthi Nilayam, only to be relived again in all itsglorious splendour in UK two years later. One never to be forgotten!!

Dr Amit PatelLeeds

Region 1 - Akhanda Bhajan Hosted: Merton Sai Centre

Akhand bhajan involves constant contemplation on God in the morning, evening,and even during the night. It is constant contemplation on God during all threestates: the waking, dream, and deep sleep states. It is “sarvada sarvakaleshusarvatra harichintanam”Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba: Akhanda Bhajans 2007

Between Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 November 2012, Merton Sai Centre hostedakhand bhajans (continuous group devotional singing) and began with prayers andVedic chanting.

As per tradition, the bhajan “Akhanda Jyoti Jalaavo” was sung while SSE children lit altar candles that burnedthroughout the 24-hour vigil. This bhajan has a significant meaning which very appropriately links the two concepts ofLove and Light:

"Sai, light the eternal flame within the temple of my heart and illumine my intelligence. Embodiment of love anddivinity, with effulgence equal to that of million suns, light in me the flame of divinity, knowledge and love."

The Region 1 SSE students participated in the devotional singing; and the Region 1 Sai Youth sang with a lot of energyand enthusiasm from midnight to 3am. The continuity of the akhand bhajans was assured by the active participation ofthe Region’s centres and groups with cooperation and love. At 5am on the Sunday, Omkar was chanted 21 times followedby Suprabhaatam. Bhajans continued throughout the day and concluded with Bhagawan singing the last two devotionalsongs followed by aartee at 6pm.

Region 1 - Ladies Day 2012

On 18 November 2012, as part of the Region 1 Ladies’ Day events, Merton Sai Centre organised an afternoon tea andentertainment for South London elderly members. Once again, it proved to be one of the highlights of the year. Andwhat was so special about this day?

As always, every detail of the programme had been planned and carried out meticulously to make our friends feelwelcome and at home – such a very special time for these housebound people who are usually isolated and alone.

Delicious food and drink was in abundance and served with big smiles.

There was much to learn about the Chinese zodiac when the children of the Merton Sai Centre performed a mostentertaining play. A lot of talent was on show: the violin and veena players; the dancers; the singers. In fact, when twogorgeous little girls performed an exquisite dance, Christine, one of our guests whose legs had been injured in anaccident when she was very young, was so excited that she climbed onto her chair and swayed to the tune of the music.The rhythm of the music and the dance were so captivating that Chris nearly fell off! Luckily, no harm came to her; andshe was clearly enjoying the occasion.

It is always much appreciated by our older friends when they are included in the events. The general knowledge quizquestions were stimulating and provoked various debates. And many of the guests were delighted when the talentedbingo comperes remembered their names from previous occasions. It felt as if every helper was an embodiment ofSwami: pouring out constant love.

Food and drink was prepared and lovingly served throughout by devotees. A memorable afternoon came together due tothe unity and love from devotees of all ages who contributed in various ways.

On 19 November, ladies from Region 1 conducted bhajans for one hour, followed by aartee. A short video was thenshown, which included Bhagawan giving a Ladies’ Day discourse and darshan clips, ending with Swami’s student singing,“O Mere Sai Baba.” Prashaad (consecrated food) was shared, which had been prepared by the ladies of the Region.

Region 1 - Narayan Seva

"Service to man is Service to God" ~ Baba

The time has arrived when we all need to engage ourselves in selfless service.

"Hands that serve are holier than lips that pray." ~ Baba

The Lord is pleased when we serve our fellow human beings; it brings people together and we are able to practice Hismessage of Love in Action.

On 18th November 2012, which is the third Sunday of the month, 40 volunteers came together at Central London SaiCentre to participate in the monthly Narayan Seva, where guests many of whom are homeless are provided with a hotlunch. November's Narayan Seva is of particular significance as it falls during the month of Swami's birthday. During thismonth, individuals alongside their lunch are also given a jacket, hat, socks and various different toiletries to supportthem during the winter months.

"Love all men without distinction; know that mankind is a single community." ~ Baba

There were two aims for the day; the first was to provide a cooked meal and the second was to distribute clothes andtoiletries to our fellow beings.

On the previous evening, volunteers came to clean and set up the hall with chairs and tables. On the day itself, the hotdrinks and food areas were set up in preparation to serve the lunch. In the smaller hall volunteers organised the clothesand toiletry items ready for distribution at designated work stations. The needs of our friends was paramount and great

consideration was taken beforehand via feedback and a questionnaire to select items they really needed. The Centrewas given the task of collecting the items in advance.

At 10am, a group meeting was held where a schedule for the day and the tasks left to do were discussed. Theimportance of serving peacefully and with love was emphasized.

"Service is worship. Each act of service is a flower placed at the feet of God." ~ Baba

At 11am, the guests started arriving; they were provided with a drink of their choice and were seated. This gave theman opportunity to meet and chat with friends and volunteers. Each guest was treated just as if the Lord had walkedthrough the door.

"If you lift the hand to serve, to console, to encourage another man, you are lifting it for God, for God is in every man."~ Baba

The atmosphere was wonderful, where many souls had gathered with lots of smiley faces. Our guests were reallyexcited about the gifts, and were very much looking forward to receiving them.

At 12pm, a prayer was recited and then lunch was served. The guests remained seated and waited patiently while thevolunteers lovingly prepared the plates with hot food, which consisted of rice, a few different curries, salad and apopadum. For dessert, they were all given a bowl of fruit salad. All food was served to them at their tables.

We ensured there was a relaxing atmosphere and encouraged individuals to take their time whilst eating. Once all werefinished, we started calling out table numbers. Each table was numbered and a raffle system was used to ensurefairness and equality, so that individuals could to go into the smaller hall to receive their gifts.

135 bags were pre-packed which consisted of a hat, a pair socks and various toiletries. In addition we had a range ofdifferent jacket sizes, enough for all the guests. 135 bags were given out, 27 were given to women; which meant 108were given to men.

It was wonderful to see the guest’s joyous smile when receiving the gifts.

Phil, one of the guests on the day, commented that a friend he had brought (for the first time) was so overwhelmed bythe gift of love she received that she was close to tears. This is the power of God’s Love.

Love was given and received by both the guests and volunteers alike. Each person whether a volunteer or a guest leftwith the gift of Love; this is also the power of God's Love.

God always gives us the opportunities to serve our fellow human beings, and we must be ready to take up thatopportunity. The loving volunteers came together and performed Swami’s message of Love All Serve All. Let us continuewith this message of Love in Action and make our life His Message.

Article submitted by Reshma Shah and Janki Joshi

Region 2 - Akhanda Bhajans10th to 11th November 2012

The Region 2 Akhanda Bhajans this year was full of vibrancy throughout the whole 24 hours!

We were also very lucky because the program brought to the forefront those talented instrumentalists and singers fromour Region whom we had not seen in some time. One of our Brothers played the Thavil (large barrel drum) which gave avery authentic feel of Prashanti Nilayam when played during the program, and another brother played the electricguitar.

The Akhanda Bhajans started with a unique opening procession of Vedam led by the SSE Children from Region 2 , alldressed in their Red Dhothis, just as you would see in Prashanti. Children from the age of 8 to 13 chanted The GaneshAtharvashirsham followed by 9 Gayatri mantras, and carried Swami’s Padukas way over their heads thereafter installingthem under his Divine chair. They then lovingly offered flowers and a Prayer at the Divine Lotus feet that Swami may

watch over and bless the full 24 hour program. The Bhajans started just perfectly, and throughout the night vibrationswere kept very strong and powerful by our dedicated Seva, Spiritual and Youth wings too. They sang soulfully and wholeheartedly with hearts full of love!

It was felt by many that the end of the Program was the best part of the event. We had our SSE Children singing,followed by their Gurus, ending with Unity Bhajans. The SSE children sang English devotional songs and bhajans fornearly two hours continuously! Some of the English songs sang were not especially common or heard often, but all sangmost beautifully and most innocently indeed.

To conclude the program we had a session of popular Bhajans which united all 10 centres across our Region. It is verydifficult to put into words the energy and the power with which all sang throughout this slot. However, we can say thateveryone participated with full hearts and it was an amazing experience, to say the least!

During the short silence at the end of the Bhajans the Divine energy could be felt all around the hall.Our Sister and Regional Chair, Bhadra Patel, very lovingly gave the vote of thanks to everyone for their efforts and lovethroughout the whole 24 hour program.

Lastly, I would like to say thank you, again, to those who gave their precious gift of time, all their loving seva andenergy to make the Akhanda Bhajans this year very, very memorable and so special.We are already looking forward to next year’s Akhanda Bhajans, as it is definitely a favourite event for many of us. It isa time in which the entire region 2 Sai family come together, pray together and connect to our dearest Bhagavan. Maythis tradition continue always and forever!

Yours Lovingly,Article submitted by Suresh Sajnani, R2 Spiritual Co-ordinator

Region 2 - Baba's Birthday CelebrationsSri Sathya Sai Baba Centre of Greenford

Greenford Sai Centre celebrated Swami's advent day on the 25th November withthe morning starting off with Ganapati Athirvashirsham and Narayan Upanishad.This was followed by a short Paduka pooja and some melodious bhajans.

The Balvikas children took turns to talk about what they felt Swami would wantfrom us as a present on His birthday.

The youth continued on a similar note and performed a play based on constantintegrated awareness - which was a combined drama and presentation reflectingon how one should incorporate Swami's teachings on a daily basis and how weshould see God everywhere, in everything, all the time. It showed how living His message is not actually that difficult asSwami does not demand much from us. This was followed by Aarthi and maha prashadam.

The 23rd November is known all over the world for one reason – the day the world welcomed the Almighty in humanform. This is not just a day of celebration for us; it is a period of reflection to assess how far we have progressedspiritually and how much we have transformed over the past year which was the basis of the theme of the whole day.

Sri Sathya Sai Baba Centre of Harrow East

The Sri Sathya Sai Centre of Harrow East celebrated Swami’s birthday on Sunday18th November. Around 300 devotees enjoyed the programme which began withVedam Chanting creating an atmosphere reverberating with divine vibrations.Bhajans then followed which transported the gathering into the Sai Kulwant Hall.The highlight of the programme was a thought provoking and uplifting talk byBrother Divij Desai from the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning.

Brother Divij studied Physics as an undergraduate and was then instructed bySwami to study for an MBA. He is now working in London on a project forCitibank. Many devotees recognised Brother Divij as one of the uniquelyprivileged boys who pushed Swami’s chair during Darshan.

Brother Divij shared many experiences of the tender Love and care with which Swami had guided him and how throughhis intensity of devotion Swami had allowed him proximity as a personal attendant. He recounted numerous personalinteractions which all carried some message or another. He also shared Swami’s guidance to all of us about beingfearless and experiencing the divine presence at all times and all places.

The Birthday Song then followed and one final (surprise) bhajan sung by Swami himself (with his delightful form seen viathe projector screen which the IT team had set up). The programme concluded with Aarthi and distribution of thebirthday cake whilst devotees left with smiles on their faces feeling uplifted with divine vibrations and looking forward

to the big week ahead.

Sri Sathya Sai Baba Centre of Harrow West

Our beloved Swami’s Birthday celebration began with prayers to Lord Ganesh, theremover of obstacles. The altar was beautifully decorated in Prashanthi colours andthe Oxhey wood hall was filled with ardent devotees.

The unified sound of the voices chanting the complete Sri Rudram filled the hallwith such vibration that we all felt transported to Prashanthi Nilayam. WithSwami’s physical presence no longer on this Earth, his last instructions forhumankind to recite the Sri Rudram to cleanse Mother Earth was undertaken byHarrow West devotees as the beautiful Vedic chanting heard from children andadults alike was a joy.

After the prayers were chanted including the powerful Gayathri mantra, themelodious bhajans began from the lead singers supported by a strong choruswhich uplifted and energised all the devotees. The bhajans ended with a songdedicated to Swami’s birthday, where we wished Him with all our hearts.

The birthday programme continued with the SSE children’s rendition of Swami’splay that He performed as a child, with the central theme ‘practice what youpreach’. The excellent performance by the children provoked many a thoughtabout the actions that we as devotees are taking to ensure that Swami’smessages lives through our own thoughts, words and deeds.

Following this was a Youth musical item where they expertly sang Westlife’s ‘Youraise me up’ and ‘Armiti Anahita’ with such devotion that the entire audience wasmoved by the love that the youth, our leaders of tomorrow, displayed for all tofeel. Their heartfelt songs were followed by a bhajan medley where all thedevotees joined in.

Harrow West was greatly privileged to havethe distinguished speaker Dr Upadhyaysharing Swami’s Birthday celebrations fromPrashanthi with us. He had flown from Indiato London the day before and was suffering

from a sore throat and thus was unable to speak. However, when listening to theYouth musical recital, he experienced such devotion that he felt this throat hadhealed and he spoke to us with no difficulty. We were blessed to hear him tell usSwami’s message, his account of the story of Jay and Vijay, Narayan’s twoinseparable companions and the love and devotion Meera had for Lord Krishna,moved us all.

Dr Upadhyay explained that we should pray to the Lord to come to this Earth not togrant us protection from evil, but for purity of love for the divine. His insightfultalk provided all the devotees much inspiration to continue our journey towardsdivinity.

The birthday celebration ended with Mangala Aarthi followed by Maha Prasadham.Dr Upadhyay had kindly kept a rose from Swami’s Samadhi so that we could makeour salutations to the Lord. This special day was both enjoyable and memorable asthere were lessons for us to learn from.

Most importantly we were reminded of our mission to practice the five humanvalues that we had seen demonstrated by our loving Swami in his physical body. We must remember that Swami livesamong us, with us and inside us and through these celebrations we were reminded of this eternal truth.

Sri Sathya Sai Baba Centre of Heston

Sunday 25th November we had started the joyful celebrations by chanting theGayatri Mantra 108 times for the welfare of the whole world followed by Bhajans inpraise of our Beloved Lord.

After offering the Aarti and seeking Bhagwans Divine blessings we welcomed all thedevotees to our Centre. Our SSE Children read stories from Swami’s life that hasbrought great delight in all as they showed Swami's message of Love.

Later we had hosted a quiz to find out how much we really know about the life ofSwami and events that occurred in Prashanthi Nilayam which was both insightful

and great fun.

We were privileged to have Uncle Selva Kumar as the special guest speaker who highlighted to us the significance ofcelebrating the auspicious occasion as a step to analyse the growth within us in union with God, and share pure selflesslove with all.

The Celebrations concluded with cake cutting from the Children and offering of Maha Prasadam. Overall at the end wespent the evening in a love-filled exhilaration as we all cried out in joy

"Our Dear Swami, here is my Love, Happy Birthday to you!!"

Jai Sai Ram

Sri Sathya Sai Baba Centre of London West

Mother Sai’s 87th birthday celebrations will be a memorable day of happiness anddivine joy for the SSE children, parents and devotees present at the London WestSai Centre. Each and everyone could feel swami’s presence as we all believed thatHE was verily sitting on the chair and enjoying the events.

The celebrations started with the light meditation followed by Ganesh prayer,Gayatri prayer and Sai Gayatri chanting. A girl and a boy amongst the SSE childrenwere chosen to do the offering of flowers during the chanting of ashtotram.

The SSE programme commenced withhumble salutations to Mother Sai. As the narrator was offering the pranams, theyoungest children of the batch offered roses at Swami’s padukas followed bybirthday cards and chanting of the Slokas where the hall vibrated with thechanting of Sivopasana Mantram by all the SSE children.

Our young and enthusiastic SSE girls aged between 4 and 5 performed a verybeautiful dance for the Anamacharya's Brahmammokate song, which emphasisedour Swami's message that God is one but HIS forms and names are many.

Swami has always stressed parents shouldlead an exemplary life if they want their children to be good and come up in life,as they will follow their role models actions. Therefore, parents should tread theright path and set an ideal so that their children can emulate them. To bring outthe above statement into reality, our SSE Boys staged a small skit named"Cheppinattu Chesthara?" with a flavour of wit and humour.

The skit had two scenes where in the first scene the son tells lies and the motherpreaches to the child not to do so. Later the son finds that the mother too is tellinglies and is totally confused with his mother’s behaviour. Before we teach ourchildren to adhere to truth, we should practice it in our daily life. Only then can

the children emulate us and become ideal.

The second scene was about not wasting food. The father stands out as an example to the son for not wasting food eventhough the food had no salt in it. The child later agrees that food is God, God is food and so we should not waste it. Atthe end all the SSE children promised to Swami that "Our Deeds would follow our Words" (Manamantha CheppinatuChesthamu).

All the tender and innocent hearts offered a musical treat to Swami by singing "Tumhi Ho Mata Pita Tumhi Ho". As theyunderstood the meaning of the song so it was filled with devotion and love for the Lord. This was followed by a dance ofthe Gopikas in remembrance of Lord Krishna and his leelas by the SSE girls aged between 7 and 9 to a melodious KrishnaBhajan.

The children ended the programme with a thank you note to Swami for the wonderful opportunity and to all the parentsand elders for their support and guidance. Bhajans were sung immediately and everyone joined the children in singingthe very happy and joyful birthday song while the cake was being cut.

The whole celebrations ended with Arathi, Vibhuthi and the distribution of Prasad. It had been a day of bliss and innerpeace to all who gathered for the special occasion.

Sri Sathya Sai Baba Centre of Pinner

Unity in Diversity, the life and times of Sri Sathya Sai BabaIn celebrating Swami’s birth anniversary, we wanted to rekindle the mission andmessage of Sai, to really remember how to make our lives His message. For thisreason, everything for the programme resounded and reflected the life andtimes of Baba, for instance instead of blowing out candles on Swami’s Birthday,our wonderful SSE Students lit candles, one for each of the 9 points in the codeof conduct before cutting the cake, reminding us to cut ego out of our lives.

Bhakti YogaThree Aumkars and powerful prayers were recited followed by heartfelt bhajanssung with such devotion and the icing on the cake was that all of the bhajans sung were those which Swami Himself hadsung.

Emotions were further stirred by three guest speakers who shared some wonderfulexperiences in which Swami showed His omnipresence and His ever present helpinghand.

Karma YogaContinuing the vein of the message and mission, the young adults and the Group 4students launched the Go Greener project, inviting our centre members to practiseceiling on desires. Each month we will be collecting clothes to be re-cycled andfocusing on better care for ourselves, those in need, and our environment.

Gyan YogaThe morning concluded with a beautiful most aptly named and thought-provoking video entitled “Who Am I”, reminding each of us as to why Swami hadcome on this earth and to cause pause for reflection on whether we each arepractising his teachings

Region 2 - National Seva Day – Make a Positive Difference

True Seva occurs when one carries out an act without expecting anything inreturn. Whilst doing this, one is serving God himself.

"If you lift the hand to save, to help, to console, to encourage another man you are lifting it for God, because in everyman is god."- Sri Sathya Sai Baba-

This year 07th October designated as National Seva Day. Events are being organised by participating organisations upand down the country where members of all communities regardless of age, screed and cast join together to offer theirvaluable time, love and perseverance for the betterment of their local community.

Each event is being organised is based on bringing joy where none exists, to improve the environment and relievinghardship.

Projects being undertaken by some organisations on this day, include tree planting in local parks, building garden in ancitizens advice centre, cleaning communal areas and removing graffiti from walls, painting murals in schools, oldpeople’s home etc;The list is not exhaustive or in fact particularly innovative but importantly it is volunteers giving something back to thecommunity.

From Region 2 various centres/groups participated in the following activities:

• "Giving Joy & quality time to Senior Citizens in London Borough of Brent”Entertaining elders of the community with Musical entertainment performed by the children from Alperton Centre andserving all with delicious lunch and entertaining with Games and sing along session and presenting everyone with a giftin the spirit of "LOVE ALL & SERVE ALL".

• Hara Krishna Farm Service in Watford: 10.00am - 13.00pm.Over 100 SSE children, parents and teachers participatedfrom Pinner, London West and Slough Sai Centres. It was a glorious sunshine day and all joined forces in various tasksfrom ploughing, potato picking and weeding. At the end of seva volunteers were treated to a special Hare Krishnaprashad.

• London West Sai centre was Collecting clothes for West Middlesex University Hospital for patients who would not behaving any clothes at the time of discharge also few devotees offered their time in repainting part of the communityarea at Belvedere House in Feltham which is used for classes and other activities for the local community.

• 35 volunteers were took part from Green Ford Sai Centre in organising Age Link seva day for elderly and people withspecial needs. Collecting elderly people from their homes and providing entertainment, refreshments, one to onecompany and dropping them back. Approximately 60 guests were attended and they enjoyed through and spend awonderful time.

• Nearly 35volunteers from Harrow West Sai centre joined together to pack shoebox gifts for adults & children in need.With Swami’s grace and blessing they managed to pack 108 shoe boxes.

• Heston Sai Centre visited Norwood Green Care Home. Devotees experienced love and happiness in their heart whileserving the elderly at the Care home. The seva started with unity Bhajans followed by small speech on kindness and aflute play. The highlight was the dance program that made all the members present to get up dance with a smile that issimply unforgettable. Afterwards devotees visited the rooms of the residents and shared their love as you could see inthe photos.

• Devotees from Wembley Sai centre prepared and served food at Mother Theresa Home in Southall for 40 homeless.

• Harrow East Sai centre attended Meera old people’s nursing Home in providing companionship, devotional singing,food and flowers for their enjoyment.

This wonderful seva experience ended with all of us thanking our Dearest Swami.

A small helping hand makes such a large difference and can be an inspiration to thousands. Therefore, as the part of Saiorganisation we are encouraging all Sai devotees across the UK to partake in an act of sewa on this day in coming years.

T.Sivalingam (Siva)Region -2 Service Wing Co-ordinator.

Region 2 - SSE Akhand Bhajans: November 2012

In unison with the Lord....singing His Glory.

The patter of shoes being removed, the anticipation and thrill of excitement for the first rehearsal of the AkhandBhajan could be clearly heard and felt, as children and parents from across the region lovingly gathered for practice...And exactly where had HE orchestrated to hold it? Sai Prema!

What was to unfold over the three weekends, over a total of nine hours, was indeed pure love rendered through songs!

The first rehearsal saw the whole programme unravel as each child put forward their special bhajan through which theyconnect with Swami as their singing key was established and each one them showed their love for Swami. Somerendered very softly and sweetly and some with absolute gusto raising the roof of Sai Prema leaving vibrations toperfuse through the walls and reach neighbours’ homes!

Seeing the effort that these children put in was just amazing and was certainly a lesson learned. What was so evidentwas their discipline and dedication in parallel to the wonderful support and love given by their parents. Additionally, theencouragement provided by the SSE teachers who sacrificed their Saturday afternoons in an expression of love to Swamithrough assisting bhajans to ensure they were sung at the highest standards and infused with Bhav (love).

After such a great effort, filled with moments of fun and laughter as three year olds sung with sweet innocence andsometimes even using their own beats and tunes, it was time for a small snack to recharge their batteries and alloweveryone to stretch their weary legs....

The remaining time was valuably spent practicing a most wondrous medley of some soul stirring songs including avarious mix of mellow and upbeat styles invoking the presence of the Lord.

By the end of the first rehearsal everyone had a beautiful picture in their hearts as to how the SSE slot would be finelytuned over the next two sessions with Swami having helped to portray a framework of the bhajans and medley. It trulywas a glorious and fruitful afternoon!

The next two sessions saw the effort and concentration increase leaps and bounds. The children’s confidence grew andgrew as did the level of enjoyment. Melodious intros were created using the talent of guitar and flute players amongstthe children and harmonies were practiced. Swami’s presence was ever felt and the preparation was most certainly infull swing.

As the actual Akhand Bhajan weekend approached, the children put further practice in at home with guidance fromtheir parents and this effort definitely produced results as was seen and heard during the final loving rendition duringthe SSE slot.

The little angels walked into the hall, immaculately dressed in their whites and sung their hearts out to Swami. Theheart just melted as it was filled with joy and bliss. Although the light in the hall was low, it still shining brightly as thelittle angels filled everyone’s heart with a beautiful glow. What an amazing journey to be finally in unison with theLord....singing His Glory.

Article written by An uplifted Devotee.

SSE Students, Parents and Teachers coming together fromRegion 2 centres as "FAMILY OF SAI"

Region 3 - December 2012 UpdateLet's Come Together… Unity of Faiths 2012 at Hatfield Sai Centre

"Let’s Come together" was a landmark event where Hatfield Sai Centre offered a platform for around 100 people fromvarious practising faiths to share and experience the Divine through music and songs on Sunday the 14 October 2012.

How did the event come about?The first small steps were taken in 2009 when a human values workshop was conducted for the local community by atthe Hatfield Sai Centre. This community event was attended by various faith groups from the local area, who plantedthe seeds of working together to promote harmony and Unity. During question time, Cllr Tony Skottowe, from Welwyn &Hatfield district council asked a very pertinent question:

"How do different religions break barriers and come together to prevent different religions from disliking each other andusing it as an excuse for destroying each other?” This engaging discussion from various members of local multi-faithforums, stressed the need to focus on the similarities and not the differences within our society: Unity in the diversityof all faiths."Let the different faiths exist, let them flourish, and let the glory of God be sung in all the languages and a variety oftunes. That should be the ideal. Respect the differences between the faiths and recognize them as valid as long as theydo not extinguish the flame of unity." ~ Sathya Sai Baba

Over a period of time, a liaison person from Hatfield Sai Centre, began to form meaningful links with the WelwynHatfield Interfaith Group. Hatfield Sai Centre members were subsequently invited by this group to deliver apresentation on the “Teachings of Sathya Sai Baba and His Mission” on 11 September 2012. We presented Swami’sMessage of Unity of Faiths, Love and selfless service, giving examples of Sai activities. This was well received, manyquestions were raised and our presentation opened up a unique opportunity for Hatfield Centre to work together withthe Welwyn Interfaith Group.

Let’s come together: The event The event was planned jointly with the Welwyn Hatfield Interfaith Group, under theleadership of Mr Reynold Rosenberg, the Chair of this group, who liaised for many weeks prior to the event with Hatfieldcentre members.

The Sunday afternoon of 14 October 2012 came alive with people from various faiths full of joy and enthusiasm comingtogether at the Hatfield Centre. Dr. Daksha Trivedi was the presenter on behalf of Hatfield Sai Centre. She opened herwelcome address, offering our salutations to the indweller in all of us and by highlighting that “ This day is a landmarkevent for our local area, where we have come together to experience the Divine through music and songs from variousfaiths. In every street of this world, people of different faiths live, therefore we are all neighbours. We have cometogether to light the lamp of understanding – we are not only lighting a lamp in our own homes and places of worship,but also spreading the light in others, our friends and neighbours. As spiritual aspirants, no matter what faith ortradition we come from, we pursue the path of Truth and Love, embracing non violence, and endeavour to live our livesrighteously, serving those in need, for peace and harmony.

The Rosetta stone of two languages and three scripts changed everything, opening up vast possibilities of understandingancient beliefs, customs and practices. Today we will experience the one language of the heart uniting all our variousfaiths – so Let’s come together…."

The afternoon became exuberant with live music and songs by the Welwyn Hatfield Faith groups, beginning with thespiritual rhythms of Africa, the Zimbabwe choir, (led by Upenyu Chioko) who danced and sang of their Christian faithand devotion in Shona language energising the whole congregation through a soul stirring experience in praise of theLord.

Then followed the message of ‘Adon Olam’ in a metrical Hebrew hymn that summarised the understanding of God fromthe Jewish faith by the Welwyn Garden City Synagogue, Mr Reynold Rosenberg. This profound rendition gave us all apowerful reflective energy. Father Philip Knights gave a moving rendition in Latin celebrating the resurrection of Christ,through the ‘Exsultet’ an ancient hymn associated with the Easter Vigil in Catholic practice. The Focolare Movement,inspired by the gospel, share the aim of building a united world. Paul Gateshill provided a very befitting musicalexperience bringing us all together in One World. We then embraced the beauty of nature and God’s creation throughthe Digswell Village Church Choir, led by Rev. Nicholas Young, on "Look at the World" by John Rutter. Nature’s creationsometimes appears to be a secret garden but it really is open to all of us!

"The best place to seek God is in a garden. You can dig for him there." ~George Bernard Shaw

Filling us with the vibrant chants that reached our consciousness, were the devotees from the International Society forKrishna Consciousness who inspired the congregation to join in the Hindu chanting of experiencing the Divine, led byKrishna Kishor dasa who conveyed the meaning and significance of Hare Rama, Hare Krishna.

Swami’s message was blissfully sung by Hatfield Sai devotees through Sai songs of Love, Peace and Unity of faiths.

Daksha Trivedi expounded further on the teachings of Sai Baba, to ensure that our lives are governed by the principles ofTruth, Right Conduct, Peace, Love and Non-violence, which depict the underlying unity of all these great faiths treatingthem as different sacred paths leading to the same goal: realising the inherent divinity within one's self.

Not surprisingly, the Zimbabwe group were brought back once again energising the congregation with more songs anddance, but this time they were joined by musicians from Hatfield as well as from other faith groups, united in a musicalfinale!

Our penultimate item was a Universal song sung by everyone from Andrew Lloyd Weber’s musical aspects of love "Lovechanges everything", reflecting Swami’s message of the ONE religion of Love for in that lies our togetherness.

The Bahá’í teachings emphasize that all of us, as creations of one God, are part of one human family. We concluded ourprogramme with a universal prayer from the Bahai faith, presented by Mr Rosenberg from the Welwyn Hatfield interfaithGroup.

"I bear witness, O my God, that Thou hast created me to know Thee and to worship Thee. I testify, at this moment, tomy powerlessness and to Thy might, to my poverty and to Thy wealth. There is none other God but Thee, the Help inPeril, the Self-subsisting."

The joy of togetherness filled the congregation and we thanked everyone who had brought this Oneness in everyway.The presenter conveyed that Helen Keller who had lost her sight and senses had said

"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart."

Not only did we all come together in our hearts and minds but we experienced a powerful vision of future possibilities.We celebrated unity of faiths but also unity in diversity, celebrating difference, where everyone has something to bringfrom his or her faith and tradition. We sang in various languages – English, Hebrew, African, Latin, Sanskrit – through theOne language of the heart! We brought a spirit of ONENESS, towards a unity of purpose, to love and to serve, and indoing so enrich our own spiritual journey. The day ended with a ‘meet and greet’ session sharing food, refreshments andDivine moments! It was a beautiful sight to behold.

What next?The interfaith groups look forward to working with the Sai community. Hatfield Centre has been invited by the Focolaregroup to render Sai songs at their Centre of Unity in Welwyn Garden City on the 22nd November 2012. We continue toserve on the Welwyn Hatfield Interfaith Group and Swami’s Divine legacy of the Unity of Faiths continues to be realisedthrough our actions, as we learn to recognise the Divine in all.

Dr Daksha Trivedi

Akhanda Bhajan 2012 - Milton Keynes

With the blessings of Swami, The Annual Akhanda Bhajan for Universal Peace was conducted in Milton Keynes onSaturday 10th and Sunday 11th November 2012. This was hosted by the Sai Centres of Milton Keynes, Luton and Bedford.Simultaneously thousands of Sai Centres across the world also conducted the Akhanda Bhajan, as has been the practiceover the years.

The peaceful surroundings of the Nipponzan Myohoji Buddhist Temple near the Peace Pagoda at Willen Lake in Milton

Keynes provided a wonderful serene setting for the event. The programme was held in the prayer hall of the Temple.

The event was publicized in the local newspapers and radio. The local radio station, BBC Three Counties Radio, alsosupported the event by inviting representatives to their studio to speak about the event, reporting on the AkhandaBhajan in their News Bulletins, and conducting a live telephone interview on the Sunday morning. For the first timeever, the entire event was streamed on the internet, allowing devotees to join us all through the 24 hours, fromdifferent parts of the globe.

In addition to the Akhanda Bhajan programme, there was a lovely, informative exhibition, set up by the Youth Wing in anadjoining hall. The theme of the exhibition was the effects of music on the body and mind. There was a display, andindividual CD players playing music from different religions that one could listen to…an innovative and interactive wayto show the unity of religions from a musical standpoint.

The Exhibition put up by the Youth Wing – Milton Keynes Sai Centre

The Honourable Mayor of Milton Keynes attended the function and expressed her joy and appreciation of the conceptand the organization of the event. Members of the Luton Council of Faiths also attended the event.

The programme began at 17.45 hours on 10 November with the chanting of the sacred Vedas. Bhajans by the MiltonKeynes and Luton Sai Centres, which started at 18.00 hours, followed this. Thus began a melodious journey, whichcontinued till the next evening at 18.00 hours. One after another, each religious group sang their tuneful prayers,sending warm, pure vibrations all around the area. The devotees from the Kiln Farm Gurdwara and the Christian groupfrom ‘The Well’ in Milton Keynes lent a mixed cultural flair to the rest of the evening, exemplifying the multi-faithnature of the event. ‘Into Self’ and the Foster Hill Sai Centre took us through to the early hours of Sunday, whereBaluBhai thrilled us with his bhajans.

Omkar Suprabhatham and Vedic chanting greeted the Sunday morning, followed by Buddhist prayers by Sister Marutagiving a peaceful and refreshing start to Sunday’s events. The rest of the morning was taken over by the younger

generation – the youth team from Luton, the SSE children of Milton Keynes, and the Bal Ambika Bhajan Group who, withtheir melodious singing, showed their love and commitment towards the event.

There were prayers by the Hare Krishna Group, Islamic prayers, Jewish prayers, Baha’i prayers, and singing by theQuaker Community and St Mary’s Choir from Wavendon, all happening in a Buddhist Temple, reflecting the true spirit ofbrotherhood of humanity and the fatherhood of the one God.

The Youth Group from the Milton Keynes Sai Centre and the SSE children from Luton provided the perfect launch pad forthe final hour of bhajans provided by the Milton Keynes and Luton Sai Centres, which lifted the spirits of all present to athrilling crescendo, with Swami’s love embracing every heart and touching the soul. The event concluded with Aarthi at18.05 hours.

Aarthi, by Mr. Richard King, a long-time Sai devotee of Milton Keynes. Here are some comments received during theevent:

"We felt welcomed from the moment we walked in. The atmosphere was vibrant and we felt that all of us were one bigfamily"

"We enjoyed the fact that all the people joined with us during our prayers, irrespective of their own religion""One can sense the mutual respect and the eagerness to unite with each other. Such events will drive social cohesion.We hope to have more of these events in other areas also, e.g.in Social Service, Education, etc".By Dr. Kumar Subramanian

Akhanda Bhajan - Sri Sathya Sai Centre of Mill Hill

Sri Sathya Sai Centre of Mill Hill held Akhanda Bhajans from 6 PM on the 10th of Nov to 6 PM on the 11th of Nov. Bhajangroups from different parts of London participated in this event. Each Bhajan group was allotted a slot which theyattended as per schedule and offered their devotional music to Swami. The groups who participated were Sri Sathya SaiCentre of Mill Hill, Hare Krishna Temple, Pinner Sai Centre, London East, Mila Group, Hendon Sai Group, Hatfield SaiCentre, Arkley Sai Centre, Wembley Sai Centre, Soda Group, Harrow Sai School, Alperton Sai Centre, Harrow East SaiCentre and Watford Group.

The Bhajans were enjoyed and appreciated by all who visited the Centre. They also admired the beautiful andcaptivating altar which created an ambience conducive for contemplation on Swami. Approximately 500 devotees musthave visited the Sai Centre at various points of time during the 24-hour period. The programme concluded with amedley of songs in the last 30 minutes by Bhajan singers from Sri Sathya Sai Centre of Mill Hill, followed by Arati.Prasadam was prepared and served by volunteers during the entire course of the programme.

Traditionally, this event is also seen as an opportunity for devotees from different parts of London to meet one anotherin the Sai Family. One could feel the love of devotees for Swami and the spirit of brotherliness amongst members of theSai Family.

We owe special thanks to all the organizers and volunteers for the smooth conduct of this event.

Krishna Subrahmanian

Akhanda Bhajan – at East London

Baba said "Akhanda Bhajans is unbroken Bliss - This day You have resolved to imbibe Divine Bliss by reciting the Glow ofGod in chorus with music continuously for twenty-four hours" - Sathya Sai Speaks - volume 13.

Region 3 East London Sai family celebrated the Global 24 hours Akhanda Bhajans with so much love, devotion anddedication with the Sai Centres joining hands to unite in BABA's Divine mission to spread Love and Peace throughout thewhole world.

Two of the key highlights of the East London Akhanda Bhajans is the appearance of Vibhuti in Swami's altar and theelongation of Swami's garland. These two miracles in the early hours of Sunday filled the devotees with heavenly bliss,serenity and tranquillity.

This whole event would not have been made possible if it wasn't for all the devotees and many who worked relentlesslyaround the clock.

The program concluded with vibrant and spiritually uplifting devotional songs from devotees from the Sai centres in theregion. It was a truly auspicious occasion whereby Beloved Bhagawan Baba blessed all the devotees with his divinemiracle.

Ashok Panchabakesan

Serving Man, Serving God: Region 3 Ladies Day – Saturday 17th November 2012

The Lady of Lourdes Church in Wanstead and the ladies from Region 3 once again hosted the annual Ladies Day onSaturday 17th November. Despite the cold weather and their busy schedules, the ladies still got busy with their culturalofferings and culinary delights – to recognise this special day in the Sai Calendar and offer their eternal love andgratitude to our Swami.

The day started with a workshop on "Stress Management" techniques, with reference to ceiling on desires as a way touncomplicate our daily living – thereby bringing peace and happiness to ourselves, our families and all those around us.This was followed by a practical session on Pranayam (breathing techniques) and how with a few simple exercises, wecan all increase our energy levels to deal with the stresses and strains of daily life.Following this, a delicious cooked lunch kept everyone satisfied and refreshed for the afternoon programme.

After a few rousing bhajans, there was a short presentation entitled LOOKING BACK, LOOKING FORWARDS highlightingthe small service projects completed this year by the Ladies and most importantly, what they had learnt aboutthemselves whilst participating in these monthly workshops and how this activity had brought them closer to Swami andassisted in their own personal transformation. The presentation also confirmed that these workshops would continueinto 2013 and samples of the finished garments were also displayed around the hall; significantly, the loving attention todetail in each case was apparent for all to appreciate.

Then, the guest speaker – Mrs Nadia Eley (Chairperson, Region 6) gave a delightful talk on her journey with Swami andhow HE had lovingly trained her to embrace Sai work – right from her infancy, and as an SSE student. With colourful andpractical examples, Mrs Eley kept the audience enthralled as she demonstrated the endless possibilities once you allowSAI into your life. Her touching account of how Swami had guided and guarded through every stage of her “journey”,indeed every single moment of her life – aptly illustrated the theme, SERVING MAN, SERVING GOD – and touched all ourhearts.

The ladies of Walthamstow Sai Centre then presented a poetic drama entitled – SUNDARAKANDAM (Awakening Within)which was very entertaining and uplifting, followed by some heartfelt, devotional singing to our Beloved Swami by theladies of Thurrock Sai Centre.

The afternoon programme concluded with the Vote of Thanks to our Beloved Swami ,the real “doer” in all things, theoffering of an exquisite birthday cake to HIM, some rousing bhajans and Mangala Aarti. Swami’s presence was feltthroughout the day and everyone left the Church feeling energised and uplifted.

Jai Sai RamSutopa SenRegion 3 Ladies Co-ordinator

"Service to man is Service to God" at Central London Sai Centre

The time has arrived when we all need to engage ourselves in selfless service.Hands that serve are holier than lips that pray ~Baba

The Lord is pleased when we serve our fellow human beings; it brings people together and we are able to practice Hismessage of Love in Action.

On 18th November 2012, which is the third Sunday of the month, 40 volunteers came together at Central London SaiCentre to participate in the monthly Narayan Seva, where guests, many of whom are homeless are provided with a hotlunch. November's Narayan Seva is of particular significance as it falls during the month of Swami's birthday. During thismonth, individuals alongside their lunch are also given a jacket, hat, socks and various different toiletries to supportthem during the winter months.

Love all men without distinction; know that mandkind is a single community (Baba).

There were two aims for the day; the first was to provide a cooked meal and the second was to distribute clothes andtoiletries to our fellow beings.

On the previous evening, volunteers came to clean and set up the hall with chairs and tables. On the day itself, the hotdrinks and food areas were set up in preparation to serve the lunch. In the smaller hall volunteers organised the clothesand toiletry items ready for distribution at designated work stations. The needs of our friends was paramount and greatconsideration was taken beforehand via feedback and a questionnaire to select items they really needed. The Centre

was given the task of collecting the items in advance.

At 10am, a group meeting was held where a schedule for the day and the tasks left to do were discussed. Theimportance of serving peacefully and with love was emphasized.

Service is worship. Each act of service is a flower placed at the feet of God (Baba).

At 11am, the guests started arriving; they were provided with a drink of their choice and were seated. This gave theman opportunity to meet and chat with friends and volunteers. Each guest was treated just as if the Lord had walkedthrough the door.

If you lift the hand to serve, to console, to encourage another man, you are lifting it for God, for God is in every man(Baba).

The atmosphere was wonderful, where many souls had gathered with lots of smiley faces. Our guests were reallyexcited about the gifts, and were very much looking forward to receiving them.

At 12pm, a prayer was recited and then lunch was served. The guests remained seated and waited patiently while thevolunteers lovingly prepared the plates with hot food, which consisted of rice, a few different curries, salad and apopadum. For dessert, they were all given a bowl of fruit salad. All food was served to them at their tables.

We ensured there was a relaxing atmosphere and encouraged individuals to take their time whilst eating. Once all werefinished, we started calling out table numbers. Each table was numbered and a raffle system was used to ensurefairness and equality, so that individuals could to go into the smaller hall to receive their gifts.

135 bags were pre-packed which consisted of a hat, a pair socks and various toiletries. In addition we had a range ofdifferent jacket sizes, enough for all the guests. 135 bags were given out, 27 were given to women; which meant 108were given to men.

It was wonderful to see the guest’s joyous smile when receiving the gifts.

Phil, one of the guests on the day, commented that a friend he had brought (for the first time) was so overwhelmed bythe gift of love she received that she was close to tears. This is the power of God’s Love.

Love was given and received by both the guests and volunteers alike. Each person whether a volunteer or a guest leftwith the gift of Love; this is also the power of God's Love.

God always gives us the opportunities to serve our fellow human beings, and we must be ready to take up thatopportunity. The loving volunteers came together and performed Swami’s message of Love All Serve All. Let us continuewith this message of Love in Action and make our life His message.

Reshma Shah and Janki Joshi

Region 3 Swami’s Birthday Celebration – Sunday 25th November

Walking into the school at 7.30am on Sunday morning with the PA gear I had brought from the car, I stopped briefly tosurvey the hall. Active workers from Region 3 were congregated into small groups of two or three, some discussing thestage décor, others floor arrangement. We were against the clock as we had to vacate by 9:00am to make way for aregular church group. It’s an amazing example of Swami’s Love in Action (a presiding theme of the 80th Birthday) whenordinary people through their own journey of transformation and awareness, come together from different strands ofthe community, working together in adoration for Sathya Sai and in their own individual ways contributing their timeand effort in Service to celebrate His Message.

Today’s Regional birthday programme was full of enchantment. The programme began with Vedic chanting followed bybhajan singing then a short but very moving video of Swami’s discourse followed by an introduction by Sam uncle,Region 3 Vice- Chair.

Walthamstow Sai Centre children then presented a drama about the Mughal Emperor Akbar and his courtier Birbal. The

drama illustrated how Birbal demonstrated to the Emperor why God takes the form of an Avatar to rescue Humanity (inthe story Birbal throws a doll overboard the Emperor’s boat purposely calling out that the prince had fallen into the sea.The Emperor immediately dives in after his ‘son’. Birbal used this example to explain the intensity of Love that Godfeels for man and why He chose to send no one other than Himself) Coupled with sound effects and an on-stage visual ofwaves, it was an excellent effort.

Mill Hill Sai Centre children followed with a fantastic recital of "Gananayakaya Ganadaivataya," which is a song praisingLord Ganesha and "Achyutam Keshavam," which is a song about Lord Krishna in a light classical style.

This was followed by a beautiful, heartfelt talk by brother Sri Devij Desai an ex-student of the Sathya Sai Institute ofHigher learning narrating his experiences in the presence of Swami. Especially he narrated one incident that involved ayoung girl who had aspirations to join Swami’s primary school. Sri Devij explained that admission into the primary schoolwas more difficult than admission into the university. This young girl did not possess the knowledge required to pass theadmission entrance assessment, only her deep love for Swami and determination to succeed.

The School admissions team were confounded as to what questions they should ask and asked Swami how they couldadmit her when she did not possess any academic knowledge. Swami simply replied you accept her into our school basedon her faith and love of Swami. Sri Devij then went on to explain that at the time of her admission to the school shecould not speak English, but in one year she could speak fluently. Such was her example of determination and love forSwami.

We were then treated to excellent singing by members of Region 3 school choir who sang three songs and instrumentalmusic on Veena by one of the students.

This was then followed by a bharatanatyam dance by two girls. Full of life and colourful vibrancy, their synchronisedmovements were sublime and seemingly effortless. Their performance greatly appreciated by the audience.

We were blessed with the presence of Dr & Mrs Sandweiss our guest speakers. They had the previous day attended theNational Birthday function in Leicester and despite an arduous schedule had kindly agreed to attend our Regionalfunction. The talk focused on transformation through the awareness and development of Love (seewww.pathoftransformation.org). They presented their talk in an enjoyable way, each taking turns to lead the discussion.Dr Samuel Sandweiss would provide a deep and purposeful philosophical and often psychological interpretation ofSwami’s teachings in a language that was easily accessible and inherently powerful, interwoven with narrative by SharonSandweiss which was full of emotional expression of the impact that Swami’s Teachings had on their family life, theupbringing of their children and their lifestyle. Dr Sandweiss provided numerous examples of how ego and individual willinterrupts the flow of Divine Will and Swami’s patience to allow one to undergo that individual Karma. However, themost important illustration that stuck with me, was when Mrs Sandweiss spoke of how her husband decided one day thathe wanted to journey to India to see this Holy Man Sai Baba. She explained that there was no internet or Google in thosedays and few individuals with first-hand experience. As a wife she had to act on faith and duty to her husband (one hasto appreciate that they were a Jewish family based in the US) in supporting his wish to travel to this remote part ofIndia to see Sathya Sai. Upon his return a month later, she found him overjoyed with his experience of Baba and talkingendlessly of Swami’s Teachings. But it was the transformation of Dr Sandweiss’ character and his actions, more than therecollection of the teachings that convinced her that Swami was good and that His teachings were important andrelevant to their family. They concluded their talk with a video of Swami.

A brief question and answer session followed by bhajan singing by the youth and cake cutting by the children. Theprogramme concluded with Aarthi.

As we began to pack up at 7.30pm that evening, we all felt tired but jubilant. Lifting up the PA gear to take back to thecar, I stopped briefly to look at the now empty hall, grateful for the efforts of all who attended, thankful of Swami’spresence through each and every one.

Jai Sai RamGanesh Yoganathan

Region 3 – Birthday Celebrations at CentresMill Hill Sai Centre

Ilford Sai Centre Swami’s Birthday celebration24th November 2012 at St Peter’s & Paul church

More than 100 ardent devotees from Ilford Sai centre gathered on this auspicious occasion at this holy venue at St Petersand St Pauls’ church hall to celebrate Swami’s birthday. Within minutes the venue was transformed from an empty hallto a wonderful ‘Mandir’ with Baba’s picture adorning the centre of the altar. The program started with Vedam chanting,prayers, and devotional songs.

The programme continued with the artistic performance and talent of the SSE children after endless practices. The firstplay depicted the mother’s role and love where Lord Krishna explains to queen Gandhari that the Pandavas have alwayshad the love, blessing and affection of queen Kunti. But queen Gandhari chose to remain blind-folded for her husbandsake.

The second drama was a scene from the ‘Mahabharata’ where sage Durvasa visited Draupadi and the Akshaya Patra hadalready been cleaned. Lord Krishna comes to the rescue of Draupadi and Duryodhana does not succeed with his evilplan. Lord Krishna eats one grain of rice and the sage with all his disciples feel satisfied and are no longer hungry. TheLord is always there when his true devotees are in need of him.

The third play was titled ‘Love gives and gives’ where Lord Rama gives his wealth and love to the poor before going toexile.The children did not just demonstratetheir talent but also their lovely sense of humour. Last but not least,thewonderful story of Bhasmasura and Shiva was displayed in the modern age. The devotees were left in fits of laughterand the children were overjoyed.

The programme continued with a Bharat Nathyam dance with music by Ravi Shankar followed by uplifting and beautifuldevotional songs including a medley which created a true vibration which energised all the devotees. Awards and giftswere presented to the SSE children and Vibhuti and prasadam were distributed to devotees on their way home.

This was a truly moving evening which touched hearts and souls of everyone present and left a loving smile oneveryone’s face.

Sheila RingSpiritual Convenor, Ilford Sai Centre

Region 4 - Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s Birthday Celebrations at Coventry Sai Centre

Upon arrival, devotees walked into a heavenly atmosphere as they were presented with a beautiful altar set up. Manycentre members had dedicated hours and hours into creating the wonderful backdrop and decorations, and it certainlyinstilled a sense of peace before the Birthday celebrations began.

The programme commenced with three Aums and the Sathya Sai Ashtottarashata Nama Ratnamala – 108 names ofBhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba – whilst the SSE children went to Swami’s chair to offer flowers at His Lotus feet. Afterthis, the SSE children confidently sang the Sarva Devata Gayatri Mantra, followed by the powerful chanting of PurushaSuktam by the large congregation of devotees.

At this point, the first part of the musical offering began with devotees joining together to sing the Sri Sathya SaiNavaratna Mala followed by 3 bhajans, giving everybody the opportunity to sing the glory of the Lord. The SSE childrenthen presented a garland of multi-faith prayers which wonderfully displayed the “One religion” message that Swamiemphasised his entire life and which also forms the very symbol of the Sri Sathya Sai Service Organisation. The childrenthen proceeded to sing a medley of short songs which tied in with the theme of the programme: “I am the Light, theLight is in me”. The songs were sung so brilliantly by the SSE children, especially considering the limited amount of timethey had to prepare, that the entire hall applauded them once they had finished.

This led perfectly to the next item – a talk by Perdeepbhai Asi on the theme for the day. He started by mentioning thatmuch of what he was about to share with us, he had learnt from Dr. Dhirubhai Gadhia. He demonstrated how theconcept "I am the Light" could be applied when chanting the Gayatri Mantra, as initially taught by Dr. Gadhia.Perdeepbhai then explained the significance behind the three statements "I am in the light", "The light is in me" and "Iam the light". The "light" that is referred to in these statements refer to God’s light and love, and therefore these threestatements reflect three different levels of awareness. He explained how these levels are represented by Jesus’progress through the levels when he made the following statements during his life: "I am the Messenger of God", "I amthe son of God" and finally, "My Father and I are one". Perdeepbhai emphasised how Swami has told us this repeatedlyand has even given us the prayer “I am God, I am God, I am not different from God”. This helped everyone rememberthat there is no better way to celebrate Swami’s birthday than by following His primary message.

Perdeepbhai’s inspirational talk certainly provided many points to reflect on as well as giving practical applications ofthis teaching. Devotees were able to sit and soak in these words with the start of the second part of the day’s musicaloffering. More melodious bhajans were sung with love and light, followed by three final group songs. These songs wererendered beautifully and the final song reached a crescendo, which flowed seamlessly into the birthday song that wassung whole-heartedly by every person in the hall.

This brought an end to what was a thoroughly enjoyable programme and devotees left the hall filled with joy, love...and cake too!

By Mukund PrajapatiYouth Coordinator, Coventry Sai Centre

Region 4 - Coventry Ladies Event17th November 2012

The afternoon commenced with prayers and beautiful bhajans. Sister Zina, Sai Youth, welcomed the sisters andreminded everyone there the pertinent message of Sathya Sai Baba on the role and responsibility of Women in Society.She also informed everyone that our beloved Swami had initiated the Global Ladies Day in November 1995.

Sheena Harratt, a devotee of Sai Baba and guest speaker for the event was warmly introduced. Sheena, a CertifiedLaughter Yoga teacher, gave a brief introduction of herself and her background into how she came to know Sai Baba andher interest in developing workshops based on Eastern Philosophy, including yoga and meditation. She was also veryfortunate to have trained in Haridwar with Swami Ramdev. We learnt that Sheena had gone through some hard timeswith her son’s illness. She further spoke about her voluntary work both in the UK and India, the issues arising withmental illness and the support available to people who suffer with this illness.

We then began with Sheena’s practical laughter Yoga workshop and she spoke about the health benefits and its spiritualbenefits too. This session was conducted for an hour and a half and every participant there were literally rolling aroundlaughing on the floor like little children. Some of the older ladies who live alone enjoyed it too as they often do nothave the opportunity to laugh in this manner. The session was thoroughly enjoyed by all and they came away invigoratedand felt very light hearted.

We learnt that laughing for 10 minutes daily was beneficial to our bodies as doing 30 minutes of aerobic exercise.Sheena had used many different techniques to keep us all laughing throughout the session. It is important to laugh andenjoy the moments in life.

Our next guest speaker was Bhanuben Dhabhi, also a devotee of Bhagawan. She set up the Asian Blind Association inCoventry many years ago and had also received a special award from the Queen for her commitment and dedication toher voluntary work in Coventry. Bhanuben was selected to carry the Olympic Torch through the City of Coventry in July2012. She brought this torch with her as a symbol of strength to all women and her message was clear and profound – allWomen have inner strength and can achieve what they want in life as long as they believe in themselves. She is a trueinspirational figure to all women.

The afternoon ended with a beautiful song in Hindi by Vinaben and finishing off by offering a special bhajan - 'Mother OMother Sai Maa' to our dear Mother Sai followed by Aarthi.

Zina thanked everyone there and also our loving Swami for making this event successful, blissful and full of laughter. Wethen shared some food that everyone had so kindly brought in and mingled with each other. The atmosphere was lightand happy.

"Change the world with a laugh" - Baba

Jaymatiben Lad, Coventry Sai Centre

Region 4 - Coventry SSE Diwali Celebrations

The celebration commenced with Universal Prayers and Bhajans led by the SSE children. Krishan, Group 1 childintroduced the item, ‘Ten Incarnations of Lord Vishnu’ from his Year Group. Each child held a picture of the Vishnuincarnation as they spoke which was also displayed on the screen. Krishan then described the glories of Hanuman.

Group 2 presented a very informative item on the characters of Lord Ram, Sita, Lakshman and Hanuman followed by acombined presentation by the Group 3 children on the differences between the brothers in the Ramayana story. Theydescribed the different characteristics of Ram, Lakshman and Bharat, Sugriva and Vali and finally Ravan and Vibhishan.The final presentation by Group 3 included reciting prayers to Lord Ram and informing the audience of the innersignificance of Diwali and Ramayana.

The programme concluded with a Lord Ram bhajan and recitation of Ram Stuti followed by the children holding atea-light as an offering of Aarti.

Coventry SSERegion 4

Region 4 - Diwali Celebrations in Leicester

Diwali & New Year celebrations in Leicester have always been special, and this year was no exception. We started withmulti-faith prayers, vedam chanting and then some beautiful bhajans which were appropriate for the Festival of Lights!Great vibrations and a lovely atmosphere! And this year we had invited our esteemed guest, Dr Jaydeep Joshi to talkabout Diwali festival – its significance and its relevance in Hindu religion.

Dr Jaydeep explained that Diwali or Deepavali, popularly known as the "festival of lights," is primarily a five day Hindufestival which starts on Dhanteras, celebrated on the thirteenth lunar day of KrishnaPaksha (dark fortnight) of the Hinducalendar month Ashwin and ends on Bhaubeej, celebrated on the second lunar day of ShuklaPaksha (bright fortnight) ofthe Hindu calendar month Kartik.

Diwali involves the lighting of small clay lamps filled with oil to signify the triumph of good over evil. These lampscleanse one's house, and welcome goddess Lakshmi. Firecrackers are also lit because it is believed that they drive awayevil spirits.

Dr Jaydeep further explained the reason for the New Year celebration. The festival starts with Dhanteras on which mostIndian business communities begin their financial year. The second day of the festival is called the Naraka Chaturdasi.Amavasya, the third day of Diwali, marks the worship of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. The fourth day of Diwali isknown as Kartika Shudda Padyami. The fifth day is referred to as Yama Dvitiya (also called Bhai Dooj), and on this daysisters invite their brothers to their homes. The devotees were all enthralled by the talk, and could have listened to DrJaydeep for much longer.

On this special day, we had also prepared Ankut – rows & rows of mouth-watering dishes, cooked with love and offeredto Swami by the devotees to celebrate the Gujarati New Year. And the dishes were wonderfully displayed for everyoneto enjoy. The hall was filled with the delicious aroma of the many different dishes on display for Swami!

After the Aarti, the Ankut Mahaprashadam was served to the devotees – all lovingly served and enjoyed by all!

Vinod Patel.

Region 4 - Global Akhand Bhajans and Mosque Open Day VisitFaith Groups Join Global Akhand Bhajans in Leicester

The Leicester Global Akhand Bhajans were held at the Ram Mandir in Leicester between 12:30pm on Saturday 10thNovember 2012 to 12:30pm on Sunday 11th November 2012.

This year the Leicester centres reached out to the local faith groups and invited them to join the event. Each group wasoffered a one hour slot convenient to them and they were able to sing their traditional prayers, hymns or songs. Thefirst group to join the event was a Children’s Gospel Choir who sang a number of beautiful hymns and songs praising theglory of God. The children were in perfect harmony which was an amazing feat as they had no instrumentalaccompaniment, and they delighted the audience with their singing. They even presented their version of a popularsong that is sung in our centres “This Little Light of Mine”.

The next group that joined us was a group of children and youth from the Clarendon Park Mosque in Leicester. Thisgroup sang some traditional Nazms in praise of Allah and the Prophets. Nazm is an Urdu word which means ‘Poetry’ andagain the children sang beautifully with no instrumental accompaniment. There was total stillness in their singing whichmesmerised us all and provided the whole congregation with an immense sense of peace.

Following this, a group from the local Jain temple joined us and sang some traditional bhajans with great devotion andenthusiasm. We were also joined later in the event by a member of the Sikh community who led some kirtans (a form ofbhajans).

The overall vibrations created at the Akhand Bahjans were lifted by the various groups that joined us. We sincerely prayto Swami that more groups will join us next year and make this an even more uplifting event to help promote peace andharmony in our communities.

Leicester Centre Members Attend Clarendon Park Mosque Open Day

As part of the outreach to local faith groups and communities when inviting them to participate in the Leicester GlobalAkhand Bhajans, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, based at Clarendon Park Mosque, invited members of ourOrganisation to attend a special open day celebrating the life of Prophet Mohammad.

During the open day we learnt more about the core beliefs and work of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in the UK andWorldwide. Very much like our Organisation, this community recognises the noble teachings of the great religions of theworld and is also involved in various service activities helping the poor and distressed.

A number of speakers spoke about the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and the life and teachings of Prophet Mohammad.We also had an opportunity to ask questions to the guest panel. This event was also attended by members representingother faith groups and the co-ordinators of a local Inter-faith group based in the area. Over a delicious meal that wasserved, we were able to learn more about the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and interact with the other invited guests.

This event highlighted to us that we have so much in common, and believe in the same universal teachings of Love andService as many other faith groups in our community. It also showed us how one small outreach on our part can lead tomany more doors opening and bridges being built with our local community.

Region 5 - Akhanda Bhajans

This Year the Akhand Bhajan event was hosted by our Bradford centre and as usual their hospitality was fantastic. Thealtar decoration which included pictures of all the 5 religious gurus was extremely apt for the occasion. The Bhajanswere collated in advance and all the bhajans were projected on the screen. All singers were also given an approximatetime for their bhajans.

Akhand Bhajan 2012 was a very wonderful and a unique experience as it not only gave the pleasure of listening andsinging the glory of our beloved Bhagwan through sai bhajans but also listen to performances by the Ahamadiyacommunity and the Sikh group. This event was represented by delegates from the multi-faith conference that took placein Bradford in September 2012. We had representation from the Bahai , Muslim, Christian and Sikh faiths and alsoreceived fantastic feedback emails from them after the event. We in turn received invitation to attend a programme inthe mosque and our brothers from the region represented on behalf of the sai organisation. On that day we could see allthe faith groups united and have prasadam under the same roof. We could really feel the true meaning of ‘Vasudevakutumbakam’ on that auspicious day.

Praveena Srikantan

Region 5 - Birthday Celebrations

November has been an eventful month and a busy month culminating in the most auspicious festival of the entire yearwhich is our dear Swami’s 87th birthday.

In Region 5, this year, the Divine Birthday was hosted by the Warrington Sai family on the 25th of November, Sunday.Keeping in line with the theme of the year the day has been named as The Divine Light.

The alter was beautifully and tastefully decorated and all the devotees who walked in felt the vibrations as soon as theywalked in.

The day began with the enchanting dance performance by the SSE children of Warrington. They looked bright andbeautiful in their red attires, as they evoked the blessings of Lord Ganesha.

The region 5 spiritual coordinator, Dr. Vijayan and Nadella, gave the welcome address and reassured everyone presentthat swami is everywhere and that we need to feel his presence and welcome Him into our lives with conviction. Everyhuman being has four birthdays. The first one is on the day he is born, being neither holy nor unholy, craves only forfood and shelter. The second, when he begins his spiritual study to lead him from darkness to light. The third, when hegains wisdom and the fourth is when he realises his true identity and merges with the divine light, Brahman.

This was followed by the introduction to the Good values club, a very successful after school and holiday club run by Mr.Deepak Kumar from Leicester. The children from this club performed fabulous dances, recited admirable poetry andnarrated their positive experiences of this unique club which has left an indelible mark in the lives of many, manychildren. Mr. Deepak Kumar himself was very enthusiastic and kept the crowd entertained with his humour and friendlybanter.

The speaker for the day was Mrs. Bharathi Sanghani, Who studied in Sri Sathya Sai Womens college in Ananthapur andwho now resides in Derby where she an active member of the sai organisation.

Bharathi straight away, transported us to Parthi, with her nostalgic experiences of the divine love and the wholeaudience was overwhelmed by a bevy of emotions. Time stood still while she narrated few fantastic experiences whichexemplify the pure and unconditional love showered by swami. It left the devotees spellbound and wanting for more.

The next thing on the agenda was a melodious song sung by the SSE children of region 5. This Telugu song was sung welland the accompaniments added to the melody. This was followed by the poetry recital by Prahalad, an SSE child fromHalifax. The poem was very apt as it conveyed the principles laid down by swami and his continued blessings to all of usinspite of his physical exit.

The SSE teachers and children of region 5 presented an incredible dance drama about the Goddess Durga and the slayingof the demon king, Narakaasura. The play was very well executed and the costumes were unbelievably real and thecrowd was filled with awe and wonder. All the characters looked real and magnificent.

Brother Sanjay vaja’s uplifting and energizing poetry was the next in the agenda. Brother Sanjay, who is a master ofpoetry, added a different dimension to it this time by a unique but apt selection of slides depicting swamis’ differentmoods and moments. It was absolutely amazing and very creative indeed!!!!

The compeer for the day was Aditi Puri of Warrington and she did an excellentjob, enthusing and entertaining the audience with her effusive personality and her amazing anecdotes.

The eventful day came to an end with a lovely musical organised by the region 5 youth. The youngsters of the regiondedicated their time and effort to put their soul into making this offering. The gorgeous cake was cut amidst cheer andmerriment by kids and adults alike.

The Birthday song was sung beautifully and it brought back the memories of Prasanthi and its grandeur. The food thatfollowed was tasty and nourishing.Everyone felt absolutely elated and uplifted after the days programme and left the place feeling the presence of ourbeloved Lord.

Mrs Gayathri Anand NadellaR5 SSE Co-ordinator

Region 5 - Ladies Day

With the Divine grace of our beloved Bhagawan, region 5 Mahila day event for 2012 was successfully celebrated on 18 thNovember at Hudawi centre, Huddersfield.With in a year of its existence, Bhagawan graced the Halifax sai group withan opportunity to host a regional event. Our salutations at His lotus feet and our sincere thanks to region 5 Sai familyand one and all in the Halifax community for their support.

As with any other event in SSSSO this event was organised with lots of planning from the team and sincere efforts fromall the devotees involved. The day was a typical wintery day with lots of chill and mist. Fortunately there wereintermittent sunny spells to add to the event. All the Bhajans and cultural activities of this event were performed byLadies and children of region 5 and were well supported by the men of the region.

The programme started off at 10.45 am with Vedic chanting while the candles were lit by ladies from Halifax. DurgaSukhtam was recited by the devotees and I am sure all those who attended this event would agree with me that GoddessDurga removed all the obstacles on the day to make it a grand success. This was followed by melodious bhajans by ourladies.

As the Halifax group chair, I welcomed all the guests and devotees from various places of region 5, SSSSO. The

significance of Ladies day and the declaration of Ladies day on 19 th November 1995 by Swami was remembered. Swamilaid great emphasis on the role of women in the society and their obligation to change themselves and help to changethe men and the children.

The cultural events of the day started with prayers from Halifax SSE kids. It clearly showed their dedication and Love forSwami.In celebrating the glory of womanhood Halifax community women presented a Dance Drama dedicated to theDivine Mother Durga, choreographed to the melodious Mahishasura Mardini stotram composed by Sri Adi Sankaracharya.The artistes who performed were all amateurs. The dance drama was presented to perfection reflecting their effortsand hard work.

Music is divine. Swami loves to listen to melodious songs. The ladies of Manchester Sai center presented beautiful,heartfelt songs, which they humbly offered at the divine lotus feet. Following the melodious songs, Sandbach grouppresented a wonderful piece of poetry dedicated to every woman. Performance by Bolton Sai center sisters on the fivemothers was uplifting. The five mothers, bhoomata, deshamata, dehamata, vedamata and gomata symbolize s thestrength and beauty of the female form. This presentation by the Bolton Ladies in Gujarati and English languagesshowed us how all these unite to inspire and guide us in our lives.

After a few cultural activities we had a wonderful and spiritually uplifting opportunity to listen to our guest speaker SmtPraveena Srikantan, Alumnus, SSSIHL. Smt Praveena shared with us her experiences with Swami during her studies atAnantapur campus of SSSIHL.She described the vastness of Swamis love on His children, in particular on His students andhow they were looked after by Swami as a Mother. She narrated personal experiences where Swami helped her getthrough very difficult times of her life.

The talk was followed by some more cultural activities such as a dance ballet based on the wonderful life of LordKrishna. The first part show cased Mother Yashoda s immense love for her son and the second part showed theeverlasting love of Radha and Krishna. The concluding part depicted the divinity of Krishna and the realization of thesame by one and all. This vibrant item was presented by the Bal vikas children of Halifax. Again, we were able toperceive the discipline, efforts, and dedication of Bal vikas kids to present this wonderful item to show their love toSwami.

Then followed "who wants to be a Mahillionaire" event by Warrington Sai Sisters which was very unique. It was a quizwith questions on Great epics, puranas and sacred religious books reflecting the multifaith theme of our events inSSSSO. All the devotees actively participated, with brothers supporting one team and sisters supporting the other team.Interestingly there was a’ tie’ with the quiz scores towards the end.

The Halifax ladies then presented two lovely songs, one in Telugu and the other in Hindi praising the glory of the sweetlord and his love and compassion. The songs were sung with intense devotion, dedication to our master. The Bradfordladies then presented the famous Garbo dance item. The Garbo dance is an offering to goddess Durga during the dusserafestival in Gujarat. It is a graceful dance involving bright clothes, rhythmic steps and beautiful music. This dance wasvery well coordinated indicating their practice, efforts to present this beautiful item in the event.

Vote of thanks was rendered by Smt Meena from the Halifax group and the support from every group in making thisevent a successful one was appreciated. Bhajans and Aarthi concluded the event. Prasadam was served to all followingthe Aarthi. The devotees went home thoroughly uplifted through the experience of divinity by celebrating the glory ofwomanhood.

Dr. Shankar Srinivas KuchibatlaChair, Halifax Group

Region 6 - Akhanda Bhajans

Regional akhand bhajans were held in Basingstoke this year on Sunday 11 November. Centre bhajans also took place thisweekend in Folkstone and Southampton.

Each devotee, upon entering the bhajan hall, was instantly drawn to the beautiful altar that had been lovinglydecorated and assembled. The day started with 3 Aums and the bhajans commenced thereafter until 6pm with closingprayers and aartee. The day went by so quickly with each and every devotional song being sung from the heart and withlove.

Everyone came together beautifully and, throughout the day, devotees not only came with beautiful voices but alsoprashaadam to share. The energy and vibrations from the day were felt by all and people left the day on a high. It was atruly uplifting day for the soul.

Sai Ram

Region 6 - Birthday Celebrations 2012

The Regional Birthday celebrations were celebrated in Farnborough on Friday 23 November. Over 150 devotees attendedthe function.

Devotees were inspired by the SSE programme called, ‘A Garland of Love,’ consisting of a drama including Veda chantingin which even the youngest child (aged four) took part. They then went on to recite multifaith prayers associated withthe values. The children were showered with blessings from one of the respected elders of our Region, Dr MahendraPatel, as they were presented with SSE attendance certificates.

The evening continued with vibrant music and songs performed by the well known Sapan Raii, who enchanted thedevotees with his musical offering. The Regional Chair then said a few words and was followed by Brother Selvakumarwho gave us all much food for thought. Devotional singing finally energised the congregation with so much love andallowed all to leave with regained peace.

During the programme, many of the helpers were busy preparing the prashaadam (consecrated food) and also busypreparing for the Region’s small offering at the National Birthday celebrations.

Vibhooti and prashaadam were distributed to all devotees who also enjoyed the most delicious Birthday cake. We leftfeeling uplifted, taking with us the following message: What present can we offer Swami? – Answer: To Be; aided by thetools of reflection and self-audit.

Region 7 - Poem: A Living LoveA Living Love.

Living in this world I’ve founda living love in you,With honour to be shared aroundon globe of hope we all are bound.

The air is changing fast right nowIn ready for the ways ahead,to turn the eyes from dark to lightfrom head to heart start seeing there,a throne in all it’s splendoured care.

For in the darkness none can seewho lodges there in silent love,the seat is always occupiedawaiting hearts to wake and find,to live in heart …and not so mind!

The heart will feed the throne of loveIt carries all your burdens there,Put all aside and look withinA heart that’s full and loved by Him.

A message rides within your heartyou’ll know it all one day,of simply waking up the spaceto enter now with given grace,This chamber offers all who seeka love so strong… a fear so weak!

With growth this world will enter ina wonderful arranging day.With heart so open to the joysof all the gifts, unused till nowor cornered till another time.

So march right in, and all this worldshall start again with you.So drink the cup, and see the heartbegin to change, as change it must,or wither in the winds that blow.Don’t tell me then you didn’t know!I’m finding life within my love,A world where all will love to grow,A World in Love with Love…. Just so!

Deborah Bullen

Marazion - R7

Region 7 - Service to Man is Service to God

"Service to Man is Service to God"

Sai Spiritual Education instils in children the importance of respecting one’s elders and working for the well-being of thesociety from which we have ourselves benefited.

Swami has said, "This world is our society, and we should reach the society".

The children of the SSE Class, in Royal Wootton Bassett commenced a new service project to commemorate the 87thBirthday Celebrations of our Beloved Bhagawan. The children, supported by their parents and teachers arranged a teaparty at the local Civic Hall for elderly members of the community who we were told lived alone and would appreciatesome loving care and company.

These are some of the children’s thoughts and experiences:

SSE has taught me a lot about service to others, without expecting anything back from it. We remember when servingsomeone, that we are serving Swami.

We baked cakes, with all our heart to show how much we cared. When I sang, I tried to imagine that I was singing infront of Swami.

I felt that the tea party went really well and it made us happy to see our guests smiling. Some of them told us that theydon’t have much company or many people to talk to. They said they enjoyed the afternoon and felt loved and wantedto come again.

The lesson I learnt, was that service is very important and we should always help others feel happy and loved. It alsomakes you feel happy when you see others happy.

Marina Fortune, Group2 Year2

On 17th Nov 2012 our SSE class hosted a tea party for a few elderly residents of Royal Wootton Bassett. The idea of atea party came about during a discussion about Swami's teachings and how we could put them into practice.

On the day, the hall, was decorated with banners and balloons to welcome our guests and we met and spoke with ourguests as they arrived. It felt like we all knew each other very well, though this was our first meeting.

One of the older SSE students welcomed everyone and gave a short talk on Swami’s teachings on the importance ofserving our community and respecting our elders.

Sandwiches and cakes were served with lots of hot cups of tea and there was a lot of laughter around the room. Wehelped our guests to play a game of Bingo and presented prizes afterwards.

Finally, we ended with a few songs that got our guests clapping and singing along.

All our guests enjoyed themselves and we were humbled by our experience.

One guest said that she had never been so loved before. Someone else asked for some literature about Swami; hewanted to know who had inspired us. They all left saying they would definitely come back again.

We are really looking forward to our special Christmas tea party at which we will be singing carols.

Personally this experience taught me how good it feels to share, and make others happy.

Dhanisha Patel – Group2 Year2

I have been attending SSE (Sai Spiritual Education) for the past 2 years. At SSE I have learnt about Swami’s life and

teachings. Swami taught us the importance of helping others. I got to experience this at our tea party with our elderlyguests.

I felt that we would please Swami by helping others in our community. This experience made me want to help evenmore people in the future.

Urvika Patel, Group2 Year2

Service Wing - Sathya Sai Cataract Surgery Programme: South Africa

This year’s Sai Ideal Healthcare Seminar focussed our minds on the delivery of Sai Ideal Healthcare through SustainedPartnerships.

At the seminar, we heard of an opportunity to engage in a much needed Service activity, performing free cataractsurgeries for the people of South Africa. By Bhagawan’s Grace this project will shortly commence, in partnership withour brothers and sisters of the Sai Organisation of South Africa and The South African National Council for the Blind.

Background

Within the African continent, South Africa is in many ways a first world country offering high standards of medical care,much of which remains inaccessible to the poorest of its citizens. There remain significant socio-economic differencesand there are millions who continue to live without access to clean drinking water, basic sanitation and free healthcarefacilities.

At present, it is estimated that 35,000 South African people are awaiting life changing Cataract surgeries. These peoplehave no means of accessing the care they need outside of the state run healthcare services. These services are oftenoverwhelmed and many people face waiting times of up to 2 – 3 years.

Sathya Sai Cataract Surgery Programme

The Sai Organisation, in partnership with the South African National Council for the Blind (SANCB) has responded to thisneed, by providing free Cataract surgeries to people on the state hospital waiting lists. The government of South Africahas acknowledged this outpouring of Love, and provided access to state hospital theatres and facilities to facilitate thisprogramme.

The Sathya Sai Healthcare National Coordinating Committee UK is delighted to announce that the first team ofOphthalmologists from UK will be joining this sacred project between the 2nd – 9th February 2013. We will thereafter becoordinating a regular rota through which Ophthalmologists in the UK can participate in this service project. Each teamwill fly to South Africa and undertake cataract surgeries for one week.

We invite the participation of all Consultant Ophthalmologists. If you require more information or to volunteer for thisproject please email your details to saihealthcare@srisathyasai.org.uk

We sincerely pray for Bhagawan’s blessings for the success of this Project.

Jai Sai Ram

Kumi PillayOn behalf of SSHNCC

Spiritual Wing - Christmas in the 21st Century: a Christian perspective

"He was created of a mother whom He created. He was carried by hands that He formed. He cried in the manger inwordless infancy. He, the Word, without whom all human eloquence is mute." – St. Augustine

‘Deck the halls with boughs of holly’, put up the ‘Christmas tree, O Christmas tree’ and perhaps spend a ‘silent night,holy night’, remembering the true meaning to Christmas, but for many people today the Christmas message is easily lostamidst the shopping, family commitments and children’s parties. So what does Christmas mean to me? Perhaps not whatit does to Stevie Wonder, even though it is a great song!

Christmas to a Christian is the start of something wonderful. The waiting period of advent is full of expectation…thehype grows as another day is burnt off the advent candle or with each Sunday’s advent service. The lights appear, justas the star appeared in the sky to lead the magi towards the baby Jesus, the long awaited King of the Jews; the Messiahwho would offer humans the chance to repair their relationship with God – the relationship bruised and injured by theOriginal Sin way back in the Garden of Eden. Our ‘wait’ of just 24 days reminds us of the thousands of years of historywhen people waited and kept faith that God would return.

Christmas is a chance to know the personal nature of God, to become one of the characters we know so well; to become

Mary who was chosen by God to be His mother, to become Joseph who had to surrender to God and trust that all wouldbe well, to become the humble shepherds who waited so desperately for the news of a saviour who would bring themfreedom at last. It’s a chance for us to confront our own fear and jealousy as we hear about Herod’s massacre of thebabies, a chance for us to consider how far we are prepared to travel in the hope of seeing our dreams come true as thewise men did.

And, perhaps above all, Christmas is a time for us to realise how much God loves us. To be born as a baby whose life wasin danger before he’d even taken his first breath and who was chosen to bear the weight of humanity, to live his lifesolely to show people the unconditional love of God and then to die in the most excruciatingly painful and humiliatingway – what a sacrifice to make for us. He was perfect, and he took the pain of the world before he was even born.

So as we look at the baby in the manger we are called to remember: this tiny child was born to die, and that is why theangels sing his glory as he lies in the stable, the lowest of the low. Jesus wasn’t born to be rich or to parade his powerto those he met. He was born to show us that he understands what it is like to be human: the good and the bad, the joyand the pain that make us who we are. He was born to love us and to invite us to love him in return.

Kathryn Crosweller

Youth Wing - National Youth Satsang with Dr Samuel Sandweiss & Mrs Sharon Sandweiss

On Sunday 2nd December, the youth of UK were blessed to have a youth satsang with the highly respected, energeticand renowned Dr Samuel Sandweiss and Mrs Sharon Sandweiss.

The morning began with uplifting Bhajans by the youth followed by a welcome address by Shyam Jamnadas (NationalYouth Coordinator) who went through the format for the day and reminded us all of how we are fortunate as youth tohave been born during the time the Avatar walked the Earth.

Shitubhai Chudasama (International Youth Coordinator) then followed, with a motivational talk setting the vision for theyouth globally and setting the scene. He asked us to reflect how our lives were before Swami had impacted our lives andalso how our lives would be without His teachings to guide. Shitubhai then introduced our guests, Dr Samuel Sandweissand Mrs Sharon Sandweiss to address the youth.

This couple reminded me of two very different peas from the same pod both with immense love for Swami but withalternative ways to demonstrate it. Dr Samuel Sadweiss is a global visionary who has big ideas on how to spread Swami’smessage referring to Swami’s thoughts on the youth and how they should be courageous like lions taking his missionforward, and living by His message. He explained how we live in a time where technology enables us to reach out topeople all over the world and we should use such platforms for “expansion” – expand Swami’s message to every cornerof the globe. He explained how we must translate Swami’s teachings and message in a way that the world willunderstand and showed many examples of this being done with videos of concerts for example.

Later, Mrs Sharon Sandweis reflected on the importance of the smaller things in life such as the development of thefamily and the home, sharing stories of the upbringing of their four daughters. She even shared stories of interviewswhere Swami showed concern for the welfare of their children. She emphasized strongly the role of the woman and thepressures they can face but it is a woman who carries a home.

During the question and answer session the couple shared techniques of meditation and ways to connect with Swami andinteracted with the youth on topics such as marriage, explaining how a couple are “one” and united. They also talkedabout how we all are messengers of Swami’s love and instruments in carrying out His mission.

This couple are very blessed having numerous experiences to share and of particular importance, Dr and Mrs Sandwiesswere guest speakers at the 2009 convocation and Ladies day receptively and the youth of UK were very appreciative oftheir guidance.

The satsang ended with Bhajans followed by Aarti and the youth left energized and inspired from the infectious energythat the Sandweiss couple carry.

We thank Swami for sending His wonderful messengers to uplift us and pray the youth have more opportunities tointeract with Dr Sandweiss and Mrs Sharon Sandweiss again.

Gobika MohandasRegion 1 Vice-Youth Co-ordinator

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