| National President's Welcome |
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Dearest Brothers and Sisters,
I pray that you are all keeping well with Bhagawan’s Grace.
We have just passed one of my favourite months of the calendar, November, when we had several auspicious occasions including Akhand Bhajans, Ladies' Day and of course the 97th Birthday of our dearest Lord Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. Many events took place throughout all of our eight Regions, at Centre/Group, Regional and National levels.
December leads on to a special festival close to the the hearts of our dear children, Christmas. As in years gone by, we have the opportunity to attend Christmas events and take part in local service projects, such as supporting local food banks, feeding the homeless, and Christmas parties for the elderly. Let us pray to Bhagawan to continue to show us opportunities to serve our brothers and sisters in need.
This Saturday, 10th December, I look forward to seeing you all at the National Christmas Celebrations at Southborough High School in Surbiton from 11am to 4pm.
In the Bible it is recorded that Jesus washed the feet of His disciples. When they asked Him why He was doing so. Jesus answered: “I am washing your feet as your servant, so that you may learn to serve the world.”
Sri Sathya Sai Speaks Vol. 17 Ch. 30, 25th December 1984
Jai Sai Ram
Ketan Gokani
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Arrive in Prasanthi in time for the start on 31st July.
More details coming soon!
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| Final call... |
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| National Christmas Celebrations 2022 |
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Note: Please use the stated postcode to use the rear car park, not the main entrance.
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| Items for the homeless in this time of need |
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| Christmas Service Opportunity |
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On the occasion of our National Christmas Celebrations, we are supporting “The Passage”, a charity in Central London that strives to end homelessness and that assists people who have experienced homelessness to realise their own potential to transform their lives.
We invite all devotees to make a voluntary offering, through the practice of Ceiling on Desires, of any of the following items for distribution to our brothers and sisters, who find themselves in less fortunate circumstances during this festive period:
- Winter coats
- Winter jumpers
- Underwear
- Socks
- Hats
- Scarves
- Gloves
- Towels
- Thermos flasks
- Water bottles
- Notebooks/pens
- Shaving sets
- Chocolate biscuits
- Herbal teas
- Coffee
The items will need to be suitable for males or females 14 years old and over.
The items you donate will make a huge difference to those in need, as always, we humbly request that all items are new and unused.
Please arrange to have your donated items brought to this week's National Christmas Celebrations, if possible.
Should you have any questions, please contact your Centre or Regional Service Coordinator or email the Service Wing via the link further below.
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| Gifts from devotees on their way to children |
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| Sharing the gift of joy in a shoe box |
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We thank devotees for the gift boxes lovingly offered at the Lotus Feet of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba at the National Birthday Celebrations. More than 504 gift boxes have been donated!
The charity TEECH has taken these gifts and will distribute them to children in Romania and Moldova. We pray that these gifts of essential items will bring joy to the children.
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| Continuing the series of personal stories from SSSO UK Young Adults |
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| True surrender |
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mūkaṃ karoti vācālaṃ paṃguṃ laṃghayate giri
yat kṛpā tamahaṃ vaṃde paramānaṃda mādhavam
I salute that supreme bliss, Madhava,
by whose mercy the dumb become most eloquent
and the lame are able to jump over the mountains.
If there is one unmistakable characteristic that singles out our dearest Bhagawan as the Lord incarnate, it is His ability to transform the hearts and minds of those individuals that have had the good fortune to know Him. Indeed, Swami Himself has said: “Transformation of society must start with transformation of individuals.” (Sri Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol 31, Ch 1: 1 January 1998)
This is the sixth in a series of articles showcasing the personal journeys of Young Adults from across the United Kingdom, as they share with us how Swami has transformed their lives in a very deep and lasting way. In this issue, we hear from Sister Akshita Canchi, Regional Young Adult Coordinator for Region 7.
O Lord, take my love and let it flow in fullness of devotion to Thee
O Lord, take my hands and let them work incessantly for Thee
O Lord, take my soul and let it be merged in one with Thee
O Lord, take my mind and thoughts and let them be in tune with Thee
O Lord, take my everything and let me be an instrument to work for Thee.
– Sri Sathya Sai Baba
To give yourself entirely, unconditionally and absolutely to God is surrender. Bhagawan Baba says the best way to be happy is to always believe sincerely that whatever happens is for our own good. The outcome is not in our hands, so enjoy the journey!
I moved to the UK in 2017 to study electrical engineering at university. At the time, the prospects for international students after graduation were few and far between. Only 2% of international students were sponsored and hired to work in the UK. While this was a daunting statistic to grapple with, Swami’s words were ringing in my head: “You do your work, and I’ll take care of the rest.” I knew I had to do everything I could to strengthen my employability skills. I signed up for societies which pushed me out of my comfort zone and applied for internships that would expose me to new experiences. As my last year of university approached, I landed one interview after many rejections. The golden ticket from Swami. I felt His grace and knew I had to hold on tight.
As part of the interview process, I had to submit a video about my values and interest in the role. The deadline approached and I was swamped with university coursework. It was the night before the deadline, I was returning back home from London after having exams earlier that day. I was travelling by train and the journey was about 3 hours. Next to me, there was a young man editing a video. I went back and forth in my mind on whether I should say anything about the big task waiting for me later that night. I introduced myself and asked him what software he was using, he answered and that was the end of the conversation.
I was planning the layout and script of the video in my mind and decided that I’d head to the library, film the video, edit it and send it off. With just hours until the deadline, I prayed and hoped Swami would show me a way. I had little to no experience of editing a video so I started off using a free software program online and spent the entire night perfecting it. At 6am, just as I tried to save my video, the program crashed and I lost everything I had worked on. I was exhausted and dejected. I took a moment to reflect and thought to myself, Swami is the doer and started chanting Sai Ram till I couldn’t hear my thoughts. It was then that I remembered the video editing tool that the young man on the train mentioned. Without skipping a beat, I got access to the software and completed the video with only minutes to spare before the deadline. Swami got me through it!
The assessors were very impressed with the video and decided to interview me for the role. With Swami’s hand every step of the way, I can undoubtedly say that my life and my journey are as a result of His grace and His miracles. I passed the interviews and went on to spend the next 3 years working at that company. Swami says, “Every pain has an expiry date and so it is with pleasure too”. But when we surrender every moment of our life to Him and accept every event of our life, there will never be a moment of despair or anxiety, as He knows best.
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Region 1 (London South East & South West)
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On Saturday 19th November, over 30 members of the senior community were entertained by children at Wimbledon Sai Centre, who performed dances and played instruments. The elders were served food by the many volunteers of the Centre and played bingo and participated in quizzes.
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Tooting Sai Centre supported Wandsworth Food Bank, with Centre members making a large contribution of required food items, hygiene products, blankets and hot water bottles for those in need in the borough. Tooting also served 67 hot meals of pasta, 70 bags of fruit and water, and 40 boxes of cereal and milk to homeless people in central London.
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Lewisham Sai Centre celebrated Bhagawan’s birthday on Wednesday 23rd November.
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Merton Sai Centre celebrated Bhagawan’s birthday on Wednesday 23rd November. Around 400 devotees attended the event across three halls at the Sai Mandir.
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Wimbledon Sai Centre celebrated Bhagawan’s birthday on Sunday 27th November.
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Region 2 (London North West and nearby Home Counties)
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With the grace of Swami, Harrow West Sai Centre had the privilege of hosting Region 2’s Akhanda Bhajans for 24 hours. The blissful weekend was attended by over 500 people. We extend our gratitude to all the centres that participated and for all the volunteers who supported the event.
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Earlier this year, during our 25+1 anniversary celebrations, members from Slough Sai Centre pledged to plant 25+1 trees to help save the planet. We were very pleased to have been able to carry out this activity on Saturday 26th November, the day before Swami's Birthday Celebrations at the Centre. We carried out this event in coordination with the Trees for Cities charity. With the help and support of our members and our Bal Vikas children, we planted 130 trees.
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Wembley Sai Centre held a Birthday celebration bhajan programme on Wednesday 23rd November, the first full session held since the onset of the pandemic. After an extended and inclusive bhajan and prayer session, all attendees offered candles and flowers to Swami in celebration of His birthday, thanksgiving for being present and remembrance of those whom we lost in recent years. There was a truly exceptional violin recital by Sister Dwarka. Cake cutting, Aarti and distribution of prashadam packs followed. The Region 2 President, Anitaben, concluded the event with a vote of thanks, and encouragement to use this event as a platform for more devotional meetings and activities.
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With the grace of Swami, the devotees of Alperton Sai Centre celebrated Swami's 97th birthday on Saturday 26th November, where elderly ladies of the Centre offered the cake to Swami.
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Slough Sai Centre organised its 97th birthday event on Sunday 27th November. The event was very well organised and the Bal Vikas children's performance was outstanding.
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Harrow West Sai Centre celebrated Swami’s birthday with bhajans, followed by a wonderful programme consisting of a Bal Vikas play about the churning of the ocean; a beautiful Young Adults musical item; and guest speaker, Divij Desai, giving us his insightful experiences of his time with Swami. Mahaprashadam was lovingly prepared and served by volunteers afterwards.
Upcoming events:
- Harrow West Sai Centre
- Sunday 18th December, 4-6pm: Christmas celebrations at Oxhey Wood Primary School, Oxhey Drive, Watford WD19 7SL
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Region 3 (London North, East & Central and nearby Home Counties)
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Region 3 Akhand Bhajans were held for 24 hours, hosted at both Central London Sai Centre and Milton Keynes Sai Centre. Mill Hill Sai Centre also had held bhajans for 6 hours whilst also participating in the Regional programme. There were nearly 200 devotees during the Aarti at Central London and the bhajans were broadcast live online.
19 different faith groups (13 of them non-Sai) participated in the Akhand Bhajans at Milton Keynes Sai Centre. Devotees from Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, Sikh, and Hindu faith groups attended.
Ladies' Day was celebrated both regionally and in several Centres. For the Region 3 celebrations, Sister Yvonne Sai enlightened us with her miraculous Sai experiences since being in the Sai fold and Sister Harini Vickneswaran gave an inspiring talk on the multiple roles of women in society. Many devotees attended this Zoom talk and left feeling uplifted and appreciative of the impact women have on our lives.
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Cambridge Sai Centre held a combined Birthday and Ladies' Day event.
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Mill Hill Sai Centre celebrated Ladies' Day with a wonderful programme, including a musical offering by Dr. Niranjana Mahalingam, an alumna of the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, accompanied by Vaishali, Ahrani, Luckshi, Fram, Himal, Sahil, Sawan and Sister Chandima. Bhajans were sung by ladies from the Service Wing in the centre, enjoyed by the 120 devotees who attended the programme.
Around 40 devotees attended Ladies' Day at Central London Sai Centre. The programme started with Lalita Stotram, followed by all our aunties and sisters reciting the Rudram and singing beautiful Bhajans, then a speech by Swami on the importance of women. Sister Sushma sang a beautiful rendition of Asato Maa, followed by an amazing speech by sister Christine on her experience at Prasanthi. The day was concluded with the Aarti.
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Bedford Sai Centre celebrated Ladies' Day with an event attended by a vibrant group of eleven ladies. A range of activities were organised such as flower conditioning and a workshop on IT fraud prevention, as well as a talk on the many facets of ‘maya’. A devotee, who had spent several months with Phyllis Krystal, gave a talk on cutting ties.
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Bedford Sai Centre celebrated Bhagawan's Birthday.
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Palmers Green Sai Centre also celebrated Bhagawan's Birthday.
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Thurrock Sai Centre celebrated Baba’s 97th Birthday on Sunday 20th November in Bulphan, Essex. The theme of the programme was “Life is a Game, Play it” with devotees encouraged to reflect throughout the day on how best to play the game of life. The congregation presented musical items, played a quiz and had a fantastic talk from our keynote speaker who reflected on how to play the game of life using football analogies. Touching reference was also made to how the speaker had attended Bal Vikas (SSE) in his childhood and was an active Young Adult, had been coached by some fantastic teachers and mentors and was now looking to instil the same solid grounding that SSE had given him in his young son. After Prashadam, as part of our annual birthday activity, the congregation packed Christmas hampers for the Salvation Army. Some 65 hampers containing various food and toiletries were donated lovingly and graciously accepted by the Salvation Army. Thank you dearest Swami for accepting our humble Birthday offering.
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Walthamstow Sai Centre celebrated Bhagawan's Birthday.
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On Wednesday 23rd November, uplifting Bhajans, a skit by Bal Vikas children, and a takeaway box packed with no fewer than four different delicacies, marked Bhagawan’s Birthday in Milton Keynes Sai Centre. The delight in the audience can be seen in the above photos.
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Over 80 devotees gathered to celebrate our beloved Bhagawan’s 97th Birthday on 27th November at Chelmsford Sai Centre. The celebrations started with the Sri Sathya Sai Baba Ashtotram and Sai Chalisa, followed by uplifting bhajans. Then we had a wonderful cultural offering by both the Young Adults and other adults; and the programme concluded with the Aarti and distribution of Mahaprashadam.
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Mill Hill Sai Centre celebrated Bhagawan’s birthday on Sunday 27th November with a fantastic programme led by the Young Adults and Bal Vikas. The programme took the format of a musical, assembled by the Young Adults who shared their individual personal expressions of devotion through speeches and carefully selected songs to accompany them. The Bal Vikas joined in by sharing their video messages and live songs. The programme was followed by Aarti, cake cutting and Mahaprashadam.
Upcoming events:
- Bedford Sai Centre
- Sunday 25th December, 10-11am: Christmas celebration at 71 Foster Hill Road, Bedford, MK40 2EX
- Chelmsford Sai Centre
- Sunday 1st January, 3-5pm: New Year's celebration at Great Baddow Millennium Community Centre, Great Baddow, CM2 9RL
- Edmonton Sai Centre
- Sunday 18th December, 11am-1pm: Christmas celebration at Houndsfield Primary School, Ripon Road, London N9 7RE
- Manor Park Sai Centre
- Saturday 17th December, 7.30-8.45pm: Christmas celebration at St John’s Hall, Pretoria Road, Romford RM7 7BB
- Saturday 31st December, 10.30pm - Sunday 1st January, 12am: New Year's Eve programme at St John's Hall
- Mill Hill Sai Centre
- Sunday 18th December, 9-10.45am: Christmas celebration at Deansbrook Primary School, Church Close, off Dean’s Lane, London HA8 9NS
- Saturday 31st December, 9pm - Sunday 1st January, 12.30am: New Year's celebration at Deansbrook Primary School
- Milton Keynes Sai Centre
- Sunday 11 December, 9-10.30am: Christmas celebration at Jubilee Wood Primary School, 1 Fishermead Boulevard, Fishermead, Milton Keynes MK6 2LB
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On Sunday 25th September, Leicester Sai Centre celebrated its 50th anniversary with a spectacular event to mark this significant milestone in the Centre’s history.
The day started with Nagarsankirtan around the large school grounds which has been the home of the Sai Centre for many years. Before entering the main doors, devotees were greeted by a specially constructed gate replicating the beautiful gates which greet you when you enter Prasanthi Nilayam.
The Bal Vikas (SSE) children started the programme with a procession marching to the traditional song of ‘Sai Sai Japta Chalo’ which brought back memories to their parents who were once Bal Vikas students themselves. This was followed by a video presentation showcasing the many pictures gathered over the years of the Centre’s activities.
Many old devotees from the Centre had travelled from around the country to join us for the programme, which was filled with short talks (live and pre-recorded) from various devotees, students, teachers and office-bearers recollecting their memories of how the Centre started and evolved into what it is today.
During the breaks, guests were able to wander around a photo exhibition of the Centre’s history. One of the most touching elements was a beautiful display honouring the devotees who are no longer with us but who played an important role in the Centre’s history.
The Bal Vikas alumni from the 1970s, 80s and 90s also shared their emotional and spiritual journey through Bal Vikas, each of them stressing how much the experience shaped their lives.
In-between these stories, there was a quiz about our Sai Centre’s history, beautifully hosted by two of our Group 1 Year 3 students. To finish off the programme, the male service team members recollected the various pantomimes they had staged over the years, from Cinderella to Snow White!
After offering Aarti and the food prayer, we were all invited into the dining hall for a mouth-watering homemade lunch. The Centre's chefs had put on a magnificent selection of traditional dishes and tables with self-service snacks, savouries and nibbles. To top it all off, there was a dessert table with a spectacular array of sweet dishes and fruit.
Thank you Swami for all your love and grace over the last 50 years of our Centre and we pray for your continued blessings for the years to come!
To see the behind-the-scenes set-up, watch the video here: https://youtu.be/CxpgsnTKeXI
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Leicester Central Sai Centre have been busy collecting food for Leicester South Food Bank as part of their fortnightly service activity.
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Members of Narborough Road Sai Centre served over 30 homeless people in the city centre.
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Rugby Sai Centre have been contributing to their local food bank by donating shoeboxes for Christmas.
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Wolverhampton Sai Centre attended Interfaith Wolverhampton's annual conference on Saturday 26th November. Spiritual Coordinator Sister Manisha participated by giving a presentation on 'Healthy Faith' - how the messages from the Sai Centre can complement healthy well-being.
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Region 4 held 24 hours of bhajans at the Shree Lohana Centre in Leicester. Interfaith groups such as Sikh, ISKCON, and Swami Narayan thoroughly enjoyed attending and participating in the event, “Sing for Harmony”. Many volunteers helped set up the hall beforehand. Bhajans commenced at 12.30pm on Saturday 12th November with all of Region 4’s centres' talented singers creating spirited vibrations, followed by the wonderful Bal Vikas children. Wolverhampton, Birmingham, Rugby, Coventry, Leicester Central and Narborough all filled slots till midnight, when we had a feast of qawali by our own talented singer, Chirag from Leicester. Early Sunday morning, we chanted Suprabhatam and continued with the same vibrancy till 12.30pm. All Region 4 centres helped prepare the food throughout the 24 hours and Mahaprashadam was given before we left for our own homes, taking with us the divine vibrations till next year.
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On Saturday 19th November, sisters from across Region 4 attended a special Ladies' Day programme in Leicester. A variety of items were offered to one and all, starting and ending with bhajans dedicated to our Lord. Everyone was able to indulge themselves in inspirational satsangs (some planned and some unplanned!); and fun games, such as guessing a bhajan according to the tune of a given line, piecing together a quote with the help of some pictures, or even pass the parcel where the sisters had to sing a line, share an anecdote or make a joke. It goes without saying that the lunch, made with love by devotees, was delicious. Altogether, it was a lovely day spent in lovely company, where the sisters were able to bathe in an environment filled with spirituality, love and joy.
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Leicester Sai Centre celebrated Bhagawan's 97th Birthday by starting off Wednesday 23rd November with a Paduka Puja at 6am. The evening programme included reciting of the 108 names, a video message from Brother Bishu Prusty (SSSIHL alumnus), bhajans and cake cutting.
The birthday celebrations continued on the 24th at Narborough Road Sai Centre with a talk from Brother Ketan Gokani, our National President, who shared his experiences with Bhagawan. The programme followed with bhajans, cake and Aarti.
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Wolverhampton Sai Centre’s birthday celebrations on Sunday 27th November saw 150 people attending the programme, which consisted of presentations, music and quizzes from the Service and Young Adults Wing, followed by cake cutting and Mahaprashadam.
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Celebrating Bhagawan’s birthday on Sunday 27th November, Birmingham Sai Centre held a programme for devotees to enjoy a musical offering from the Young Adults; a drama offering from Bal Vikas (SSE) children; Amrit Uncle enlightening us with the history of Birmingham Sai Centre and its 40th anniversary; and Brother Sridhar, an alumnus from Swami's institutions, sharing some amazing stories of his experience with Swami. We definitely pray that Bhagawan continues to hold our hands throughout our life.
Upcoming events:
- Narborough Sai Centre
- Thursday 15th December, 7.30pm: Christmas celebration
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Region 5 (North England and Northern Ireland)
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Region 5 celebrated Ladies' Day and Bhagawan's 97th Birthday at Rainhill Village Hall on Saturday 19th November – Ladies' Day itself. The day began with a Bal Vikas procession accompanied by multifaith prayers, during which faith symbols and love hearts were offered to Bhagawan, setting the theme for the day, ‘Sathya Sai - King of Our Hearts’. Bhajans were offered to Bhagavan by devotees from across Region 5 – it was heartening to hear familiar voices of our Sai brothers and sisters after over two years. During the course of the day, Mr Dipak Fakey engaged the younger children in a number of values-based crafts and activities.
Bal Vikas children offered a bouquet of wonderful plays to Bhagawan: Halifax focussed on ‘Hrudaynivasi - Indweller in our hearts’; Leeds reminded us of Bhagawan’s words about ‘WATCH’; Bradford narrated ‘Easwaramma’s three wishes’; and Warrington shared Bhagawan’s message on ‘Shravanam – listening to the Divine glories of the Lord’. Seeing the children perform on stage after the pandemic was wonderful.
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Guest speakers for the day included Mrs Karunes Ratnasingham who spoke via live stream, Sister Renu Gidoomal and Brother Kapil Dev Prasher, who all shared their personal experiences with Bhagawan through story, song and poetry. Each gave us a point of reflection to consider, a message to take home with us and work on.
Our Regional Young Adults offered a beautiful musical item to Bhagawan that transported us to a place of contemplation and gratitude to our beloved King of Our Hearts. Our Regional Service Coordinator, Sister Priti Chouhan provided an update of the service activities in the region, and our Regional Spiritual Coordinator Brother Ketan Parmar shared Bhagawan’s words on ‘trust my uncertainty’ through his own personal experiences. The programme ended with closing prayers and Aarti, the birthday song and cake cutting. It was a truly heart-warming day, where the love of a Sai family was shared in coming together to celebrate both Ladies' Day and Bhagawan’s birthday.
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As a result of centres and groups being geographically spread out, and to enable as many devotees to take part in Akhand Bhajans as possible, multiple events were held across the region.
Approximately 100 devotees from Bolton, Warrington and Greater Manchester Sai Centres came together on Saturday 12th November in Bolton.
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Around 85 devotees from Bradford and Leeds Sai Centres and Halifax Sai Group came together on Sunday 13th November in Bradford.
Akhand bhajans were also held in Newcastle Sai Group and Preston Sai Group.
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Over 50 devotees celebrated Swami’s birthday at Bradford Sai Centre on Wednesday 23rd November, where the programme included Paduka Pooja, bhajans, the birthday song and readings by both Bal Vikas children and adults.
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Leeds Sai Centre celebrated Bhagawan’s 97th Birthday at the Leeds Hindu Mandir hall on 23rd November, with a large number of local devotees attending the event. The programme started with Vedam and a floral archana to Baba’s Paduka with chanting of Sai Ashtothram. The Bal Vikas children and the Young Adults then gave a scintillating musical performance offering a bouquet of songs and instrumental pieces to Swami. Bhajans were followed by the birthday cake being offered to Swami at the end. All the Sai devotees were very pleased to come together and celebrate this auspicious day together after a gap of three years.
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Bhagawan’s birthday was celebrated at Newcastle Sai Centre on Friday 25th November. It started off with Rudram chanting by the devotees, including children, who had learned Rudram and offered it to Swami. This was followed by a beautiful dance recital, by sisters Aditi and Hashruthi. The theme for the evening was “Anyatha Sharanam Nasthi - You are my sole refuge”. Brother Kailash spoke eloquently on the topic including his life experiences where Baba has been His only refuge and how to keep Baba as the central point in life. Following the talk was Mandala Meditation with fruits. This group activity, where all devotees worked together to make beautiful designs using fruits, was loved by all. The Young Adult musical item and bhajans took us to Prasanthi itself. The evening ended with cake cutting, Aarti and Prashadam. All thanks to our beloved Bhagawan. Swami filled the place with His love.
Upcoming events:
- Joint New Year's Day
- Sunday 1st January, 4.30pm-7pm: Joint event by Bolton Sai Centre, Greater Manchester Sai Centre and Warrington Sai Group, at Gita Bhavan Hindu Temple, 231 Withington Road, Whalley Range, Manchester M16 8LU
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Region 6 (South & South East England)
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Farnborough Sai Centre held Akhanda bhajans from 6pm on 12th November to 6pm on 13th November. About 50 devotees attended.
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Farnborough Sai Centre hosted an Ekadashi Rudram on Saturday 19th November.
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With Swami's grace, as a small token for the occasion of Swami's birthday, £430.44 worth of food and other items was contributed by Rochester Sai Centre members to Medway Food Bank and £10 to the homeless.
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Rochester Sai Centre celebrated both Bhagawan's birthday along with Ladies' Day on Saturday 19th November. The theme was “We are One in Spirit”. There were about 45 devotees gathered. We had lovely chanting, Bhajans, devotional songs, hymns, special talks given by Sister Ann Williams and Brother Roni Ramdin, and adorable performances and presentations by the Bal Vikas children. We also had Swami’s Jhoola Darshan and the cake cutting ceremony followed by Mangala Aarti and Mahaprashadam. It was the first official in-person gathering of the Rochester Sai family after the pandemic. Hence, it was even more special for all of us present on the day.
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Folkestone Sai Group celebrated Bhagawan's birthday on Sunday 20th November, where around 35 devotees attended. The programme included chanting and bhajans, followed by an insightful talk by Brother Roni Ramdin.
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Basingstoke Sai Group celebrated Bhagawan's birthday on Wednesday 23rd November.
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Eastbourne Sai Group also celebrated Bhagawan's birthday on Wednesday 23rd November. There were 14 attendees and the program included Rudram chanting followed by bhajans.
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Farnborough Sai Centre celebrated Bhagawan's birthday on the same day. Around 100 devotees attended. The programme included Vedam chanting by Bal Vikas (SSE) children; flowers and birthday cards offered to Bhagawan by the children; a dance offering by a Bal Vikas student to Swami; and bhajans by both the Bal Vikas children in the first part of the programme and adults in the second part. Lastly, of course, there was the cake cutting by the children.
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Tunbridge Wells Sai Group gathered to celebrate the 97th year of the advent of the Poornavatar. The Bal Vikas children's offerings of Vedam chanting, bhajans, dance and drama were verily curated by Bhagawan Himself and the children shone through with His brilliance. Brother Mahesh Narayan spoke on the theme 'Manava Seva is Madhava Seva', where he stated that all work done in the name of God is an offering that reaches Him. Swami's message for transformation of the Kaliyuga into Satyuga is to connect with the inner Swami within us and in each person around us. Cake cutting, Aarti and prashadam ended this divine experience with bliss and peace in the minds of all 150 people present.
Upcoming events:
- Rochester Sai Centre
- Saturday 24th December, 6pm: Christmas celebrations at Quaker Meeting House, Rochester ME1 1LS
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Region 7 (West & South West England and Wales)
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18 members of Cheltenham Sai Group, along with members of the local council, planted 200 trees in two hours. Although it had been forecast to rain, with Baba’s grace the sun shone brightly! The Queen's Green Canopy is an initiative that began in May 2021 in honour of the late Queen's Platinum Jubilee, to increase and protect native tree cover.
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On 12th November, Region 7 Akhanda Bhajans were held at Yatton Keynell Village Hall in Chippenham. Devotees from Cheltenham, Bath and various towns across the South West gathered to rejoice in the glory of our beloved Bhagawan Baba.
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Region 8 celebrated Bhagawan's 97th Birthday in Perth, attended by over 120 people.
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Individual centres also marked the occasion. Dundee Sai Group and Aberdeen Sai Centre held a joint celebration on Wednesday 23rd November.
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Over 25 people celebrated at Edinburgh Sai Centre on the 23rd...
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...as well as around 45 people at Glasgow Sai Centre.
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