Another year comes to an end and a new year begins. We are once again gathered at the home of our Divine Master reliving our golden days recollecting His love for us and offering our gratitude to Him. We could do this every year until eternity and it will never get old. We will never exhaust the stories of His love for His children. We miss Him dearly. Even though our memories of yesteryears are evanescent, the time we spent in His company is vivid and eidetic. This is what draws us every year to His abode. We come to remember Him, remember His form, His smile, His word, His gestures and His message. Of the many things Swami has done for us, He has planted the sapling of love in our hearts and tended to it with divine care. That love has granted us the experience of the divine and helped us erect a fortress of faith to house our dear Swami in our hearts.
The hostel life was like a nursery where Swami tended to each flower sapling with the sunshine of His loving grace. We are now put into this wide world to play our roles as is Bhagawan’s will. The world brings with it experiences good and bad. But through all of this we must realise it is Swami who is directing our lives. Nitin Acharya recollects a telling experience of Swami giving courage to Dr. Safaya when he faced professional challenges. This experience will give us the conviction to offer our difficulties at His lotus feet and sit back as He guides the ship of our lives through choppy waters to safe shores.
Swami expects His students to be leaders in their respective fields. A section of this edition is dedicated to the stories of three of our alumni from three generations who have gone on to become successful entrepreneurs. Anshuman Dass, Ram Ramdas and Sathya Pramod take us through their arduous yet rewarding journeys from ideas to startups, and how Swami’s message was the guiding light throughout.
The alumni profiles present two inspiring examples of our brothers living up to the Sai ideals in their respective professions. Harish Mirpuri is a successful businessman who has taken Swami’s command, “Take Bharath’s Name High” as his life’s mission using a unique medium – the fashion industry. In the second alumni profile, Nirbhay Lumde recollects his journey starting from humble beginnings all the way to his meteoric rise as a seasoned professional in the Corporate Social Responsibility sector. In both these profiles we see the common thread of Swami’s ever present grace guiding and guarding His children.
In this edition’s Gratitude Corner, we have Hari Ranjan Rao, IAS Officer and Additional Secretary at the PMO, share his views on Swami, the Sai Alumni and his experiences in connecting to Swami in everyday life. A Balvikas alumnus, his elder-brotherly advice to the alumni on reaching out and connecting to Swami even in the physical absence of Bhagawan is inspiring.
We conclude with a summary of two seva activities in the healthcare sphere. A new Palliative Care centre has been inaugurated in Parthi which is providing services to the local population. The Hospital Helpline which was started as part of Premabandham 2020 is going strong. Both of these venues provide excellent opportunities for the alumni and their families to engage in seva, in-person and virtually.
We pray this edition brings Swami’s love to you and lights up your life. We pray His message stays with you and guides you through another year into ventures new and promising. We pray you carry His love to your near and dear ones and beyond. We pray you become the message of Sai.
