Navinchandra Patel
These incidents that I would like to share with you all occurred in July 1968 when Bhagawan visited Kampala, Uganda, East Africa.
One early morning at around 4.00AM, I was drawing a Rangoli on a walk path from Swami’s residence to a marquee that was outside the compound. As we were a very small group of volunteers we were assigned to as many duties as was physically possible. I was assigned to the main gate and other similar places. That morning, as usual, I did not have anyone to guide me on the patterns to be made on the walk path, but I had plenty of flowers and petals. Due to lack of ideas, I thought of decorating the foot path with the five Sarva Dharma symbols as Swami had talked about it extensively.
I started drawing the Rangoli and probably did the Aum symbol of Hinduism (?) followed by the Cross that signifies Christianity (✝️) and was proceeding to do the Cresent Moon and Star symbolizing Islam (☪️). I had my head facing the ground. Suddenly I felt as if Swami was standing in front of me. Now the dilemma was that Swami was not expected outside at such early hours. He would still be in His quarters and hence I carried on with my drawing. Next moment I felt a light kick. I turned around and saw Swami standing. I quickly stood up with folded hands. I was wondering how to greet Swami, would you say “Sai Ram”? Sai Himself is standing in front of you! I was lost for words and I just stood with folded hands. This was my very first, very close, face-to-face meeting with Swami. He asked me my name and in a very low tone and with a timid voice, I replied, “Navin”. Swami immediately responded, “What?”, as if He had not heard me. By this time the host Dr CG Patel had come out and ran to where we were and overheard Swami asking my name again. So he repeated and said, “Navin” spelling it for Swami. But Swami immediately stopped him stating “I have asked him not you. Let him reply”. The lesson for us all is that when the Lord wants to have a conversation with you, no one else ought to interfere in that.
He was admiring beautiful roses that were planted on the side of this footpath. He asked me what I was doing and I explained that I was preparing this Rangoli with the five religious symbols. He then asked me what the purpose of it was to which I stated that when Swami comes out later in the day to give Darshan to devotees in the marquee, He would walk over this Rangoli when He makes His way to the marquee.
Swami then looked at me and stated that no Divinity would ever walk over religious symbols and that He would rather walk over thorny rose bushes instead. I was quite shocked and immediately planned to change the plan of the Rangoli. How can I let my Lord get injured? This was my first of the many direct lessons from Swami.
The lesson for me was that we should never leave religious symbols or artefacts in such a way that one can tread over it. They have to be venerated. This also raises issues in terms of deities being depicted on calendars or books or greeting cards, one has to give these due reverence and prevent it from abuse or misuse.
The next question that Swami asked was what I was studying to which I replied that I was studying for Cambridge O-Level Exams (12th year secondary school exam). He then asked me what my plans were for further studies. I stated that I was going to London. Swami looked at me for a moment and then He took a 360-degree turn around Himself (which probably was the turning point in my life!) and looked at me and said, “Come to My college. I’ll give you admission now.” After stating this, He returned to His quarters. It looked as though He came out for me only! After two weeks Swami returned to India.
During festivals Dr CG Patel and his wife would travel to Puttaparthi. Whenever they were about to return, Swami would inform them to tell me to join to His college. (Perhaps this was because I had not fully accepted Swami as God. I was still in doubt that here is this person called Sai Baba, who is offering me a seat in His college and as yet He does not have a college or any plans – or so I thought). But to keep everyone concerned happy, after completing my exams in December 1969, in May 1970 I decided to go to Swami and join His college on the condition that if I was not happy, I would go to the UK. But once one is at His Feet, one never leaves and that’s exactly what happened to me.
Navinchandra Patel B.Sc, 1970-1974, Brindavan. He lives in Leicester, UK. After an illustrious career of 44 years as a Biomedical Scientist and Biochemist, he retired in January 2020.
