Annual Sports and Cultural Meet 2005

[Guest guest]

Sports and Cultural Meet – 2005

It was that time of the year again, when the Sri Sathya Sai Hill View stadium

comes alive with a grand display of grit and gumption blended with harmony and

elegance. The Annual Sports and Cultural Meet of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of

Higher Learning and Sri Sathya Sai Higher Secondary School was inaugurated on

January 11th with a spectacular ceremony presided over by the Divine

Chancellor, Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba.

Bhagawan entered the stadium at 7.30 a.m. escorted by a team of students on

motorbikes and led by a cavalry of students on horseback. After ascending the

Shanti Vedika dais, Bhagawan lit the ceremonial lamp and thus inaugurated the

proceedings of the day, which commenced with a march past by students of all

the campuses to the accompaniment of the university brass band. A special

marching squad then presented the official flag to Bhagawan. After the flag

hoisting ceremony, the students were administered the oath by the Institute

captain, where they undertook to participate in the events in the “proper

spirit of sportsmanship for the greater glory of sport, and for the honour of

the country and our beloved Mother Sai”.

The ceremonial torch that was lit by Bhagawan this year had a special

significance, as it was the same torch as was used to light the ceremonial

flame at the inaugural ceremony of the Athens Olympics last year. The torch was

offered to Bhagawan by Greek gymnast, Dimitri Tambakos, the gold medallist in

the Roman Rings event at the Athens Olympics. Two runners carried the torch

around the stadium and then to the torch vehicle of this year’s meet, the

Garuda. The torch was taken by Garuda to the ceremonial altar, and the altar

was lit, inaugurating the Sports and Cultural Meet - 2005. The students of the

Anantapur campus of the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning began the

presentation with a demonstration of various forms of combat such as Kalari

Payattu (the traditional martial arts form of Kerala), sword fighting and

fencing. The students then thrilled the audience with such daring feats on

motorbikes as scissor cross, a ramp jump through a ring of fire, and a

breathtaking jump over 16 students lying side-by-side on the ground.The

presentation by the Anantapur campus was followed by a programme by the

children of the “Deena Janoddharana Pathakamu”, the scheme set up by Bhagawan

for destitute children belonging to the weaker sections of society. Performing

magic tricks on a float in front of the Shanti Vedika dais they sought to

demonstrate how the Lord’s name can save man from even the most calamitous

misfortunes. On the sides of the float were frescoes depicting the various

projects that Bhagawan has undertaken for the benefit of humanity.Then it was

the turn of the students of the Brindavan campus of the Institute to present

their offering to Bhagawan. The highlight of their presentation was the

programme entitled “Celestial Rhythms”, in which students performed acrobatic

manoeuvres on a grid that hung 80 feet above the ground. Their beautiful

formations laid against the background of a clear blue sky made for a grand

visual treat. Their next item illustrated the power of simplicity. Assembling a

pyramid from cubes made of steel rods, they displayed various yogasana postures

such as Chakrasana and Sarvangasana using only the thin rods as supports. At

the conclusion of the programme, all the participating students assembled in

front of the dais and expressed their feelings of happiness and gratitude to

Bhagawan in the form of a song, thus bringing the morning session to a

close.The afternoon session that began at 3.00 p.m., saw the students of the

Sri Sathya Sai Primary School take to the ground in their colourful costumes

and present various dance drills that were well appreciated for the precise

coordination of the movements and the aesthetically pleasing formations. This

was followed by the programme presented by the students of the Prasanthi

Nilayam campus of the Institute and Sri Sathya Sai Higher Secondary School that

was entitled “The Cosmic Dance”.The programme commenced with the traditional

Shiva Tandavam dance performed on a grand stage that was erected in the center

of the stadium, with a 20 feet high figure of Nataraja serving as a backdrop.

The gymnasts with their trampouline ramps then took over and thrilled the

gathering with some truly spectacular stunts, one featuring two gymnasts

leaping in tandem through hoops held 6 feet above the ground. They then turned

their attention to a basketball board in front of the dais and presented novel

ways of plunging the basketball through the hoop. Some somersaulted and

cartwheeled and then put the ball in, while others performed a sideways

somersault and bounced the ball off the frame for their partner to complete the

formalities. The roller skates team, calling themselves “Roller Jam”, performed

on a U-Ramp, not only on roller skates but also on skateboards. Then, taking a

cue from the gymnasts, the roller-skaters too performed ramp jumps. A high

somersault with a picture perfect landing, and a jump over a Maruti Omni, took

the audience’s breath away. As the roller skaters bowed to Bhagawan, and raced

away in formation, they waved to Bhagawan, who was so pleased with their

performance that He too waved back, His face radiant with a beaming smile.The

scene then shifted to the face of the hill just above the statue of Lord

Mahavira. From that giddy height of about 90 feet, a team of students performed

the daredevil feat of carabining down to the ground on special guide ropes

relying purely on the strength of their arms. Not content with the unalloyed

thrill of sailing through the air in this manner, they even carabined while

sitting in the Padmasana (The Lotus Posture) and then picked tent hooks off the

ground. Even as the audience recovered from the mind-boggling display they had

just seen, the students of the Brindavan campus were preparing to catapult a

student into the air in what is called a “reverse bungee”. While bungee jumping

involves plunging down from a great height while being strapped to a flexible

rope, in the reverse bungee, the rope is stretched and then released, yanking

the performer several feet into the air. What crowned the performance, was the

sight of the students saluting their beloved Bhagawan while being airborne high

up in the sky. At the end of the event, when the students were asked to describe

those exhilarating moments, they said that they did not feel any fear at all

because they felt safe in the knowledge that Bhagawan was always with them,

protecting them from all dangers.

The students of the Prasanthi Nilayam campus then assembled in front of the dais

and Bhagawan blessed all the participants. Arati was offered to Bhagawan and

thus a memorable day full of excitement and adventure came to a conclusion.

Coming as the event did, in the 80th year of the advent of the Avatar, it was

perhaps a fitting tribute to the Divine Chancellor, Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai

Baba, who has nurtured and nourished these educational institutions to where

they stand today as paragons for others to emulate. Rarely do we find

university students who endeavour to excel not only in the academic field, but

also in the cultural and sports arenas. The dedication and the devotion of the

students and the teachers was very much in evidence on this day, as was the

toil and the hours of practice that went into making the event a grand success.

We can only express our gratitude to Bhagawan for this chance of being His

contemporaries and being able to witness the grandeur and glory of His majestic

sojourn on earth.

Jai Sai Ram!

sourced:

http://www.srisathyasai.org.in/pages/sportsmeet_05_Report.htm

 

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