Parthi Update 9th, 10th & 11th Jan 2005

[Guest guest]

Parthi Update

09-01-2005

 

Dear Brother

Sairam. This evening the practice slot in the Shanti Vedika Grounds for the

Parthi Campus was already over in the morning. The afternoon was free for us

and hence most of us were present in the Mandir to catch a glimpse of our Lord

before returning for our in-hostel practice sessions.

Bhagawan came for Darshan at around 3.00 p.m. and as He reached the Gents side

where the boys sit, He asked Sri Padmanabhan to take an abrupt turn there

itself between the students and the Mandir Staff. The Golf Cart reached the

dais, and Bhagawan got down and sat on the sofa. Vedam was going on and after a

while Swami called brother Prusty and gave him some instructions. Brother Prusty

took a few boys with him and disappeared somewhere! We were wondering what it

could be. After some time, boys started getting bundles and bundles of cloth

packets onto the dais. Bhagawan asked them to leave all the packets on the

dais, spread out in front of Ganeshaji!

When the whole place was full of cloth packs, Bhagawan called Prof. Anil Kumar

and asked him to make an announcement. Prof. Anil Kumar went over to the mike

with a beaming smile and with all gusto announced that Bhagawan was going to

Bless all the Post Graduate students with Safari Cloth! Swami was not satisfied

with the announcement. He indicated something and then Prof. Anil Kumar

mentioned all the classes of the I and II PG – M.Sc., M.A., MBA, MBA(F),

M.Tech….

Still Bhagawan wanted something more. He called the Parthi Hostel Warden, Dr.

Siva Sankar Sai and gave him some instructions. Accordingly, the Warden went

over to the mike and addressed the gathering with a brief talk. He offered his

Pranams to Bhagawan and spoke about how Swami was the inspiration behind all

the activities of the Sports Meet. Bhagawan, inspite of all His discomfort was

coming to the grounds to charge the students and pump them up with enthusiasm!

The Warden expressed gratitude on behalf of all the students for all the Love

and Grace being showered by the Lord. And then he added that above all this,

today Bhagawan had decided to Bless all the students with Safari Cloth. He

announced that all the I and II Year PG students may come one by one and

receive the tokens of His Love.

What followed was an amazing event. Swami asked the Warden to call out the

names. All the boys were seated in a random order. So there came the acid test

for the Warden! Would he remember all the names in a random order and the class

too? Well, he scored a fantastic O Grade!! He kept calling name after name and

even mentioned the class of the boy! As the name was called out, the student

would come over to the dais and receive the Safari cloth from brother Prusty

who was sitting next to the sofa hidden from our view. We could just see a hand

coming out near the sofa and our student coolecting the Safari! Bhagawan would

look at the student and also Bless at times!! Well, this was a very unique way

of distributing the Safari cloth pieces. Every student had

the rarest opportunity of his name being called out in front of the Lord Himself

and drawing the vision of Beloved Swami towards him!! A lifetime chance!!

Slowly, the speed increased as there were so many boys. Some senior students

were smart enough to stand behind the Warden and assist him in calling out the

names like the ‘Prompter’ in a drama. After the I and II PG students were

through, Swami asked the Warden to continue. So then came the III UG students.

They too were Blessed. Then came the II UG followed by the I UG boys. My!! It

appeared as though there was an Akshay Patram hidden in the dais. They kept

taking and the Safaris kept appearing!! How could we forget that we were seated

right in the presence of the Infinite and the Cosmic Kalpavriksha!

As the distribution was in progress, word reached the Hostel and the grounds

and all the boys came running and panting to receive their drops of Love. When

our campus was about to come to a close, Mr. Narasimhamoorthy came in and took

his seat next to Bhagawan. The Brindavan students too were assembling inside

the Kulwant Hall. Swami then asked the Brindavan Hostel Warden to continue the

innings! Sri Narasimhamoorthy Garu too scored very well in calling out the

names of all students impromptu!

The entire proceedings were over by 4.30 p.m. Hearts full and mind overjoyed,

the boys moved out towards the Hostel for their individual practice sessions.

What an _expression of Love and what a timing for the distribution of these

tokens of Grace! This brought in an additional surge of energy and power in all

the students inspiring them to give in their last bit too, as an offering at the

Lotus Feet. We discovered how Bhagawan, through all these events was teaching us

the art of manifesting all our hidden potential gifted to us by the Lord and

yes"> making an offering of the same back to Him. As Prof. G. Venkataraman puts

it, it is the P-N cycle. All talents and skills that we possess are gifts of God

bestowed on us. They are like the Prasadam given to us by the Lord. This

Prasadam should in turn be offered as Naivedyam back unto Him. Only then will

the cycle of Love be complete!

 

10-01-2005

This morning, we were going to have a combined March Past practice with all the

three Campuses participating. We had assembled by 7.00 a.m. on the grounds and

were eagerly awaiting the arrival of Bhagawan. There were different thoughts in

different minds. Some felt that Swami may not come because just the previous

day, His body had experienced a lot of difficulty in walking. Some felt that He

would come for He had always come the previous day to personally supervise all

the events and make sure that everything was in place.

All these were just our fantasies. Bhagawan follows His own schedule at His

Will. Around 8.00 a.m., He came to the grounds in the Silver Benz car driven by

brother Satyajit. The car was parked and Bhagawan continued to remain seated

inside. The command was given for the March Past to begin. Swami sat in the car

and watched the entire proceedings right from Marching, Flag Hoisting, Oath

taking to the lighting of the Torch and the Mascot – Garuda going up the hill!

It took about half an hour. As this came to a close, The Anantapur sisters

zoomed in with their bikes to present a few stunts in His Divine Presence.

Swami watched the Bike stunts for a few minutes before He asked brother

Satyajit to start the return journey to the

Mandir.

 

 

11-01-2005

The Great Day finally dawned! Early in the morning, soothing music and holy

chants were being played on the stadium stacks (speakers) and were charging the

entire place with their holy vibrations. We woke up to that wonderful music.

Some got up at 4.30 a.m. while some boys like the Maintenance boys came in to

catch some sleep at that early hour!

This time the backdrop for the entire programme was a huge Nataraja 2D – 22 feet

tall and 16 feet wide, on a base that was 6 feet high. Since the last two or

three days, work had been going on for this mega project which has now become

an annual feature in every Sports Meet. The boys were working day and night to

meet the tight schedules! Besides this, they were also charged with

responsibility of fabricating the U-shaped ramp for the Roller Blades event –

an equally challenging task. Then there was the 6 feet high platform (20’ x

16’) for the Shiva Tandava dance……

The Band team was of course putting in every possible effort every morning and

evening, untiringly, to play novel tunes for the Marching. This time, they

played popular Bhajans on their band to the beat of the March. The Costumes

boys were at their best especially preparing to deck up the Shiva Tandava dance

boys and above all Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati! The kitchen staff and

in-charge were equally putting in their best to cater to the ever increasing

demand for food at all times and with all possible variety!

Sports Meet is an experience by itself, in which all of us learn so many things.

There were so many coaches literally staying and moving along with us becoming

part of our family. They too were struck by the commitment and dedication shown

by all the students in preparing this grand offering to the Lord!!

Well, coming back to the 11th morning celebrations, powerful Vedic Chants from

the Anant CD (a CD brought out by the Parthi students containing Vedic Chants

by students of different batches compiled together) were enveloping the entire

stadium! The whole ground was pulsating with the intonations of the chants

piercing the cool morning air! At 7.35 a.m. Bhagawan made a royal entry into

the grounds in the Lamborghini, driven by brother Satyajit seated behind Swami.

As you may know, the Lamborghini has Bhagawan’s sofa in front with the

Chauffeur’s seat fixed behind. That enabled all the devotees to have a lovely

Darshan of Swami and that too in His White Robe!! That was a bonus!!

Swami’s vehicle was of course led by the Escorts team comprising of students

from all the campuses, the Anantapur and Prasanthinilayam bands, the Brindavan

boys on horses, the Slow March boys and even Sai Gita who had taken a short cut

and just come in from the side of the stage.

Swami ascended the dais standing on the lift. He sat on the sofa placed at the

centre. A beautiful floral arch adorned the centre of the backdrop on the

stage, with a beautifully carved Nataraja (in thermocol) on the top of the

floral arch. Seated on the dais along with Bhagawan were, Sri S.V. Giri, Prof.

G. Venkataraman, Sri V. Srinivasan. Sri Naganand, Dr. Geeta Reddy and others.

But most importantly and what will interest all of us most, was Major

Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore – the winner of the Silver Medal in Shooting in the

recently held

Olympics, seated in the first row. Wow! That really surprised all of us. How

lucky he was to reach such great heights in sports and then come to the Lotus

Feet of the Highest One who made all that possible for him!!

The March Past began and our tiny toddlers in their most colorful dresses,

shining and bright, filled the ground with cheer and delight. Marching in

perfect coordination and harmony, these colourful toddlers looked like hundreds

of multi-coloured roses in the Divine Garden, blossoming with joy and happiness!

This was followed by the Anantapur sisters, the School boys and then the

Brindavan Campus finally concluding with the Parthi campus and the last squad

being the Athletic squad. They marched with a lovely black hat on their heads.

This was followed by the Oath taking ceremony and then the Torch was lit. Well

here’s a piece of great news for you. The torch that was used to mark the

beginning of the Sports Meet this time was presented by the Olympic Champions

of Greece and it is a copy of the same Torch that was used to commence the

Olympic Games this year in Athens. They had offered this torch to Bhagawan to

be used by the students on the Sports Meet Day! It’s a lovely sleek silver

coloured torch that is fired with gas.

The Torch song was played. The Music Group as usual had been slogging out from

more than a week, with continuous night-outs to give shape and birth to the

Torch Song, Closing Ceremony song and this time even the song for the Shiva

Tandavam Dance. The final outcome was needless to say - par excellence!

The Garuda Mascot took off, gliding up the hill and with scientific precision

triggered off the spark at the end of the rope that in turn lights the huge

Torch Cup on the top of the Hill. Subsequently the Marching squads dispersed

and the Anantapur Sisters took up the grounds for their presentation.

Their presentation was titled “Dharma Margame Sai Margamu” – “The path of

Dharama is the Path of Sai”. They had a mix of several items that included

Martial Arts, Sword Fighting, Fencing, etc…and concluded with stunts on Bikes –

both TVS Bikes and Bullets. In between, they had some cultural dances etc. The

stunts on bikes had Criss-crosses, Ramp Jumps, Human Ramp Jump, Jumps through

Fire and several formations on the bikes. The highlight was the bike jump over

a human ramp of 16 girls lying next to each other!! It was very spectacular

display of courage and adventure!

Coming in after the Anantapur Campus were the children from Deenajanodarana

Pathakam, who were stationed on a moving vehicle platform. Their play was

staged on this platform as it stood in front of the dais. The presentation was

a series of usual stage magic tricks but portrayed to communicate the teachings

of Bhagawan, through the lyrics of the accompanying song and pre-recorded

commentary by our Institute boys.

Meanwhile, a Micro-light aircraft flew across the light blue sky with a long

banner trailing behind it and written on it was “Happy 80th Birthday”. The

Brindavan Campus as it normally does, had made its grand entry in the high

skies. We are sure our Brindavan brothers would have several stories to share

about the efforts that went in to make all these wonders happen. Their events

included Celestial Rhythms, Creative Expressions, Plankrobatics and Reverse

Bungee Jumping.

The Brindavan Presentation was titled “A Journey from i to we…. And we to He”.

Human life is a journey which begins with i, the Vyashti; finds meaning and joy

when it graduates to We, the Samashti and ultimately finds fulfillment in merger

with He, the Parameshti. The fusion of individual talent with enthusiastic

teamwork, found _expression in a display of beauty and symmetry taken to lofty

heights by the spirit of adventure raised on the bedrock of faith and

surrender!

The Celestial Rhythms was a breathtaking display of grit and grandeur at an

awesome height of 80 feet, on a metal grid suspended at that height by a crane.

In the words of the Celestials, “Where the mind is without fear, the head is

held high; Where the eyes are on the creator, all obstacles we defy; Where the

hand of Sai is near, the sky is never too high.” The students, as they were

raised into the sky by the huge crane, formed a beautiful pattern of 80,

welcoming the 80th year of the advent of the Avataar! The formations on the

aerial grid were interspersed with the other events. Several attractive

patterns were created by the students dressed in bright contrast colors!

The Creative Expressions involved various formations on small hollow metal cubes

that were independent entities but were arranged together in different

permutations and combinations to deliver an enchanting display of beauty and

symmetry.

Plankrobatics was a medley of exercises on wooden planks by the united effort of

120 gymnasts. Unity is Divinity; Purity is enlightenment – was their punch-line.

These planks were used to create different effects and also served as a seesaw

at one point throwing a boy from one side to the other – very nice to watch.

The Brindavan programme came to a close at around 9.30 a.m. They have yet one

more programme – a cultural presentation – a drama on Saint Annamacharya’s

life. They will be presenting this drama in the Sai Kulwant Hall on the 13th

evening. Bhagawan retired for the morning. In the evening, Swami was back again

in the silver Benz Car by around 3.00 p.m. The stadium was packed to its full.

The evening presentation began with the Primary School children who were at

their best as usual! They started their presentation with a Shiva Tandava

dance. A grand mix of bright colours, dances, gymnastics….. Suddenly different

colours would spring up from nowhere and various objects would emerge from

their hidden places, making the dances so thrilling and exciting - giving

delight to one and all!!

The Primary School presentation was over by 4.00 p.m. Immediately, we took our

positions and our sets made their entry into the grounds. The limelight was the

22 feet Nataraja 2-D idol, wheeled on a 16’ x 16’ trolley, into its position on

the ground. As the trolley turned, bringing the brilliantly shining, golden

coloured, Nataraja into the view of all those seated in the grounds, there was

a thunderous applause! As the trolley was moved into its position, the stage

for the Shiva Tandava dance that was to mark our opening ceremony, was brought

in its place. By 4.05 p.m. all were ready to begin.

The Theme (as delivered in the commentary)

Nataraja, the Cosmic Dancer is the confluence of eternity in existence, infinity

in sustenance and harmony in _expression! He dances as every rustle, He laughs

as every wave, He roars as every thunder, He sways as every creeper. He is the

Grace of Shiva Tandava, the command of Roller Skates, the agility of the

Gymnasts, the courage of the Carabiners and the harmony of the Waves. Today as

all our efforts, emotions and feelings converge into a stream of _expression,

the mighty Nataraja stands on and Gracefully awaits us into His own existence.

Each one has a Nataraja in him who is limited by time, subdued by desire, and

bounded by duality. As the tunes of understanding and

harmony pierce this sheath of ignorance and limitedness, the glorious Nataraja

will arise and shall dance to the tune of perfection!!

The presentation began with the Opening Ceremony boys running in with their

flags and a team of Vedic Pundits moving in, in a ceremonious way chanting

Vedic hymns. This set the mood for the Shiva Tandava dance. The dancers sprung

onto the ground from behind the Nataraja and took their positions. What

followed was a beautiful dance, the highlight of which was Lord Shiva and

Parvati dancing on a 6 feet high stage, in front of the massive golden

Nataraja. It was a sight to see! The costumes boys had spared no effort in

dressing them up so well that many people later were asking whether Parvati was

a boy or a girl student!

Event after event followed in clockwork precision. We’ll give you a brief about

each event in the order of their performance:

Hawks

This was the Carabining event, which was performed from about 20 feet above the

Zoroaster statue on the hill. Carabining is an event where ropes are suspended

from a high point and held tight on the ground, forming an incline by which

boys came down while performing various stunts at tremendous speeds. Some of

these were – yoga postures, cycling while coming down, carton crash, tent

pegging, etc. The total height from the ground was 80 feet and the carabiners

would come gliding down from 80 feet to zero point through a span of 180 meters

(600 feet) of ropeway!

To draw attention of the entire audience, they started with a colourful

explosion up on the hill. As all eyes turned towards them, the carabiners began

their descent! Swami was very appreciative of this program. There was a lot of

excitement on the stage with the VIP’s sharing their thrill with Swami and

Swami giving them an account of what all our boys are capable of performing!

Gymnastics on Trampoline

They called themselves Trampo-lions. These boys used the trampoline to perform

various somersaults. The highlight of this program was a sequence where the

boys tried to dunk basketballs into a loop after performing a complex

trampoline jump / somersault. Simple but yet so catchy! All were gripped with

attention and sat at the edge of their seats waiting for the gymnasts to score

a basket!

The Moving Marvels

This event consisted of a set of German wheels (rechristened Prashanti wheels a

few years back when it was performed for the first time) and boys from the

Higher Secondary School performed synchronized movements on these. Six pairs of

boys took turns to perform various stunts like the shoulder stand, split, etc on

top of these wheels. Marvelously maneuvering themselves on the wheels they left

the grounds leaving the audience with a sense of marvel!

Gun Drill

An army drill performed for the first time in India by non-army personnel. This

drill is performed in Singapore by the army men during their ‘Beating the

Retreat’. We had a coach who had come from Singapore to train the boys in this

drill. The drill focused on perfect synchronization as the boys performed

various movements with their guns. As the boys made their movements one after

the other in rapid succession,

a lovely wave effect was produced which was very well appreciated.

Terrestrial Champions

Combining speed, dexterity, power and style, the terrestrial champions was a

fusion of the Ancient oriental and Indian martial art forms of stick fighting.

On display was a synchronized set of moves by over 70 boys of the Higher

Secondary School, which was followed by a mock fight.

Roller Jam

For the first time in India, U-ramp stunts on roller blades and skateboards were

attempted. The U-ramp measuring 24 feet by 10 feet was designed and fabricated

by our maintenance crew in record time! The highlights of this program were a

16 foot drop into the ramp, a front somersault on the quarter pipe and a

stupendous leap over a Maruti Van off a ramp. The jump was fantastic and even

drew applause from Bhagawan Himself!

Waves in the Valley

This was a School mass event. It was set to wonderful music and the boys made

various wave formations. The best one was where we had students standing on the

shoulders of others and creating a first floor wave – like a Tsunami! The

costumes were beautiful and this event with all its grace and finesse drew the

curtains on the Prasanthinilayam presentation!

Well, here was a surprise for the audience. The Brindavan students were back

again with their mighty crane to perform what is called a reverse Bungee

jumping! They were not able to perform this feat in the morning because of the

set up time required. In this event, a student is tied to the end of the rope

at ground level and is released into the air. The boy is thrown up – up in the

sky and from there he starts swinging like a pendulum thrown from one end to

the other. Up and then down and then up and then down!! You need to have guts

and nerves of steel to do that!

Bhagawan was sharing the thrill that all the VIP’s had on the stage! He was

telling them about the event and how it works. The performers went over to

Bhagawan to offer their gratitude in the form of a bouquet. Swami Blessed all

of them.

Finally, the flowers of the Garden of Sai from the Prasanthinilayam Campus,

gathered on the grounds in the shape of a huge semicircle, as a wondrous

bouquet to be offered with love to their beloved Bhagawan!

The Closing Ceremony song was played. Swami sat throughout the song. As it was

coming to a close, the dancers who played the role of Shiva, Parvati and

Karthikeya ascended the steps right at the front of the dais and came over to

Bhagawan to offer the Card of Gratitude on behalf of the Prasanthinilayam

Campus! Swami lovingly welcomed them, received the Card and gave them a

beautiful photograph! Bhagawan got up and proceeded to the lift. At this point,

the Closing Ceremony song came to a close. Immediately, Swami asked for the song

to be played again! Wow! What a Blessing for the composers and singers of this

song – to be sought to be heard by Bhagawan Himself again!

Swami got into the Benz Car and proceeded to the Mandir. At the Mandir, several

boys had gathered to witness the car glide away into the Poornachandra

premises.

The Annual Sports and Cultural Meet – 2005 thus came to a close, leaving all of

us with a sense of fulfillment and joy! As the thousands of devotees, like huge

waves, moved out of the Shanti Vedika Grounds, the Golden Nataraja stood there

blazing in the evening sun, as proof of the unchanging, eternal reality! All

may come and go, but He remains!!

The 80th year of “Love in Action” had finally begun in a grand way! May the rest

of the year witness several such spectacular and soul stirring events that hail

the advent of the Lord and spread His Glory far and wide!!

Sairam

A Anantha VijayaManager (Sales & Mktg.) Dhara Vegetable Oil & Foods Company

LtdC/o National Dairy Development BoardNear Mahananda DairyWestern Express

HighwayGoregaon (East)Mumbai - 400 063Ph: (off) 26850459 (res)

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