The call to Bhagawan’s fold
My parents have been in Swami’s fold since the early 1950s. I was fortunate to grow up in a household where the family deity was Swami and we were immersed in Sai organizational activities since childhood. All my siblings and I were Bal Vikas students. I was inspired by my first visit to the Brindavan campus in 1977 when Swami performed my sacred thread ceremony. Watching His students and Swami’s interactions with them created an indelible impression on me. The ardent desire to be His student grew from that point. I joined Sri Sathya Sai Junior College in 1980 (11th grade) and continued my education till 1991 when I graduated with a PhD in Chemistry. I joined as a faculty and left SSSIHL in 1992 for my post-doctoral research at Max-Planck Institute for Biochemistry, Munich, Germany.
Each is protected and guided in the divine presence
Every day at the institution was a learning experience as we had several opportunities to directly interact with Swami. This meant not only imbibing lessons to go deeper in our spiritual quest but also learning to be successful in society. During the very first year in the 11th grade, we were staying in the shed next to the South Indian canteen. This offered a unique opportunity to be part of Mandir’s spiritual activities starting from waking up at 4.00 AM for Suprabhatam till retiring in the night by sleeping under the sky on the pristine white sands in front of the Mandir. Every moment in living with Divinity was transformative. There are innumerable incidents to share.
An incident that is still vivid in my memory occurred during the same year. It helped me in understanding what true Divinity is. I was sitting for Darshan along with the rest of the students inside the portico of the Mandir waiting for Swami. I was suffering from a severe toothache and felt helpless. As Swami walked towards me, I stood up and prayed for His intervention in alleviating my pain. My expectation was that Swami would either ignore me as He would be busy taking care of more important responsibilities or say, “Kucho Dunnapotha” (“Sit down buffalo” as he would lovingly call sometimes his students and devotees).
However, little did I anticipate that Swami’s complete attention would be on me. Even now I cannot forget His divine face full of love and compassion. It was as if He was experiencing my pain. He came closer and materialized Vibhuthi, applied it to my forehead, poured more in my hand and offered His feet for me to take Padanamskaram. It was this blessing that led to my own everlasting understanding that each one of us in this universe is protected and guided by an unimaginable divine presence around us. No matter how significant or insignificant challenges we face, He is around us helping us to face the challenges and giving us what we need rather than what we desire in our journey in this universe.
Swami’s four-pronged guidance
I am privileged to have studied in Swami’s institutions starting as an eleventh-grader and completing a Doctoral program, spanning 12 years. I believe I am still His student and continue to be guided by His presence. I have settled down in the US, have travelled globally and have been exposed to the culture of top tier global educational and research institutions. Looking back at a span of close to three decades of professional experience, it is obvious for me the significant role of Swami in my life and career, in particular. This role can be broadly classified into four categories – inner engineering through spiritual activities, ‘man management’ through discipline and value-based education, rigour in intellectual pursuits, and most importantly to recognize the unseen Divine guidance at every moment.
My three guiding principles
I am currently focusing on my startups, having taken a break from my academic pursuits after managing an Energy Center at Harvard University, USA, as its Managing Director. Prior to that, I was building nanofabrication and nanotechnology programs as its Director at the Center for Advanced MicroStructures and Devices (CAMD), Baton Rouge, USA. I believe the following three qualities I had imbibed over 12 years as a Swami’s student are responsible for my success. The first is faith in Divine guidance at every moment of my life. The second is to strive for excellence in every aspect of life. The third aspect is my strong belief in the concept of unity in diversity.
It is my firm belief that the success of SSSIHL alumni is due to the practice of ethics, human values, having the ability to co-exist in diverse circumstances and the drive for excellence that we had imbibed on a daily basis during our stay in Swami’s institutions. This is the greatest differentiator in comparison with Alumni from other institutions.
Whatever be the challenge, Swami’s grace is with us
As an alumnus, one of the challenges I have faced is a lack of recognition and global standing for the institution that it deserves. The way I have overcome this is by reminding myself that the greatest asset I have is Swami’s grace, blessings, and guidance to elevate myself in order to stand out. A strong and unwavering belief that I am a Sai student and not inferior to anyone else, provides me with opportunities that took me to unimaginable career successes.
Our responsibility as Sai students
Always remember that we are embodiments of Divinity and no less and therefore, we have the power within us to lift ourselves up, be it in our materialistic pursuits or spiritual journey. We can accomplish anything we can set our mind to. Even more important than the excellent academic training we have received, the following are the most critical skills that will make us successful in the world. First, our life experience co-existing in the hostel with brothers of different backgrounds, languages, and ideas. Second, our time management skills with the ability to focus on the task at hand. These two principles in addition to being aware of the Divine presence as our guide will make us attain the heights we aspire to reach.
Another important advice for the Alumni is to come together in doing everything we can in enhancing the global stature of our unique Institute that we are privileged to be part of. This is our duty not only for ourselves as Swami’s students but also for generations of students that follow us. Finally, we have an immense responsibility on the shoulders of each and every alumnus, collaborating closely with the administration, to improve the ranking of SSSIHL among global universities.
Dr. SSR Kumar Challa is based in Boston, MA, USA. He is currently involved with biotech startups having taken a break from his academic pursuits with the most recent assignment as Managing Director at Harvard University managing its Energy Frontier Research Center (EFRC) (2015-2018). Prior to moving to Harvard, he was directing the nanomaterials research program in various capacities at the Center for Advanced Microstructures and Devices (CAMD) at Louisiana State University (LSU) in Baton Rouge, LA, USA (2000-2015). He was a Scientist and Team lead at ICI India Ltd, Mumbai (1995-2000) and a Scientist at VMSRF Research Center in Bangalore (1993-95). He completed his PhD in Chemistry from SSIHL (1991) and Post-doctoral fellowship from Max- Planck Institute for Biochemie. Munich, Germany (1992-93). He founded three startups-Xheme Inc, Millifluidica LLC and Magnano Technologies LLC and was involved in the initial stages of another start-up, Esperance Pharmaceuticals, and as a consultant to Quantum Technology Group (QTG) Inc. He is the winner of the 2006 Nano 50 Technology Award for his work on magnetic nanoparticles for cancer imaging and treatment. His research interests are in developing novel synthetic methods, including those based on microfluidic reactors, for multifunctional nanomaterials tailored for biomedical and energy applications. He has published 35 books, as an editor, in the field of nanoscience and nanotechnologies and was the founding Editor-in-Chief of two international journals – Journal of Biomedical Nanotechnology and Nanotechnology Reviews. He is a co-author on 79 original research publications and a co-inventor on 13 issued patents/ patent applications.
