Prema bandham 2019, Tamil Nadu: the bond of love.
Love in Thought is Truth. Love in Action is Righteous Conduct. Love in Feeling is Peace. Love in Understanding is Non-Violence. Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol.5, Chapter 38
It is this common thread of love that binds every alumnus of the Sri Sathya Sai Institutions to Swami. Tamil Nadu had the great fortune to celebrate this love, Prema Bandham, yet again this year on Sunday, March 10, 2019 at the Divine lotus feet of Bhagawan at the Shirdi Sai Temple, Guindy. The temple offered the best venue as it is unique in its own right. Nothing could have been more auspicious and divine than the abode chosen by Swami himself for the congregation of the alumni.
The proceedings started with a Vedam procession with offering of Purnakumbham at 9.15am as is the order of the day. The retinue of alumni and family members moved from Ganesha Sannidhi to the main hall of the temple where the Purnakumbham was placed at the Lotus Feet. What
followed was a soulful rendering of Sai Ashtothram in which every alumnus and family member placed a rose flower at the Divine lotus feet of Bhagawan – a unique opportunity indeed! This was followed by soulful and invigorating Bhajans.
A palate-touching note here. What gathering of Sai alumni could be considered complete without mouthwatering food? The organizing brothers had arranged for delicious breakfast and lunch at the venue, which was offered to Bhagawan and then partaken as His prasad by all participants.
Showcasing seva
Another unique feature added to this PremaBandham was the guided tour of the different Seva initiatives in which TN alumni are involved at the state and national levels. Each Seva activity was represented by a standee detailing its features. There were 12 standees in total with the respective Seva coordinator explaining details to the enthusiastic audience. Platforms, such as PremaBandham offer the best opportunity to share this love expressed through Seva to the larger audience. Of course, there is also a target: To get more alumni brothers involved in the plethora of Seva opportunities. This is one thing that our dearest Bhagawan always emphasised – Service to Man is Service to God. Ours is a unique organisation which has Spirituality and Seva at the core of its purpose and structure.
Medicine covers – a unique seva opportunity
Brother Sai Mahesh offered to the alumni and their family practical insight into another wonderful Seva – making medicine covers of multiple sizes exclusively for the Super Speciality Hospital at Parthi. He offered a detailed demonstration on how to prepare the covers from pieces of paper. It is worth noting that this silent Seva is being done by a Sevadal at the Central PUC stall. These paper covers are exclusively used when handing over medicines to patients at the hospital. Sai Mahesh demonstrated the technique and urged the alumni and especially their families to support in this silent and noble activity. His effort bore almost instantaneous fruit. Many brothers and their families immediately enrolled themselves for this Seva.
Next it was time for a group photo session. Posing to the camera in close order reminded the alumni of the golden days when everyone eagerly sought a photo opportunity with Bhagawan in our student days. The programme ended with offering of two favorite songs of Bhagawan, HumkoTumsePyaarKitna and MadhuraMohanaGhanashyama, and MangalaAarathi. The rendering brought tears in many eyes. How could one not recollect Bhagawan’s gentle sway and happiness when these songs were
sung by His students.
The silent force
Such beautiful moments are made possible by the silent Seva of alumni volunteers to strive to make such programmes successful. The 2019 PremaBandham at the Guindy temple was indeed a success story – as have all the earlier editions of this beautiful series. The alumni of Tamil Nadu are indeed fortunate for having celebrated Bhagawan’s love in His divine presence at PrashanthiNilayam in 2011. Let us pray that this bond of love only strengthens the collective resolve to participate in His mission and spread the message of love and Seva to the society at large.
Aradhanamahotsavam: unity, purity and divinity The idea of celebrating Aaradhana Day is to reflect upon the teachings of Swami and relive the best moments spent with divinity.
Aaradhana Day is a unique and solemn occasion that has no precedence of a celebration format. It was with the immense grace of the Lord a befitting and unique format was conceived by the alumni under the guidance of the Trustees, Sri Prasad Rao and Sri Ratnakar. The program involved a drama on the theme “Unity, Purity and Divinity” on the evening of 23rd April and a Navavidha Bhakti Aradhana the next evening.
It was a first-of-its kind drama that included wide participation of alumni and the current students of the five campuses (Brindavan, Puttaparthi, Muddenahalli, Primary and Higher Secondary schools) and support from Anantapur sisters. Close to 300 – 350 alumni participated directly or indirectly – the preparation of which started two months before Aradhana Day. Thanks to brothers Ranganatha Raju and KVSK Ganesh and other senior alumni for their efforts. Great saints have their Aaradhan Day observed in unique ways.
Navavidha Bhakti or the nine forms of devotion was conceived as an expression of Aaradhana for our Lord who is the Jagadguru. This divine divine garland of the nine forms of worship was represented in the following ways.
Shravanam. This was depicted by chanting Vedic hymns by 94 students.
Keerthanam. A newly composed song was dedicated at the lotus feet by the 94 students to depict Keerthanam.
Vishnu Smaranam and PadaSevanam. Performed not only by the students, but also by all the devotees seated in Kulwant Hall. This was depicted by way of offering rice at the Lotus Feet while chanting Ashtothram. Devotees were given a bowl of rice and a picture of Swami to facilitate participation in this. Vandanam.Twenty-one boys paid obeisance to Swami through a dance performance.
Archanam. Poems were offered in nive different languages including Telugu, English, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, Oriya, Nepali, Gujarati and Tulu.
Dasyam. Burrakatha was played by three students to describe how one can become closer to the Lord by service.
Sakhyam. Harikatha (Story of the Lord in the form of a song) was sung by brother Ananth, an alumnus.
AtmaNivedanam. Aarathis were given by 108 students.
