Love in Action - The story of Liquid Love

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<vsvasan99 >Sai Ram beloved Uncle,Here is a letter written by our Bro J

Jegatheesan for your attention. Sad to say I was in no position toparticipate in

the said Blood Donation campaign.Love Bala

Penang........................................................My Dear Sai

family,Just for info! Please consider this as an informal JNN News Flash, THAT

I PRAY WILL BRING JOY AND PRIDE TO THE HEARTS OF ALL SAI DEVOTEES. THAIPUSAM is

one of the great events for LordSubramaniam, that took place on the10th and 11th

Feb at the world famous ( virtually for all who haveactive interest in Gods

world events) Batu Caves near K.L. By the way Lord Subramaniam is considered in

Vedic Records as the Kali Yuga Avathar and for many South Indian Sai devotees,

Bhagavan Baba is the Physical Manifestation of this Divine Consciousness.Over

the years the SAI Council has organized blood donation and Bhajan sessions at

this

event.But this Year, something spectacular took place.The SAI Council organi zed

a huge festival of devotional songs with some of the top Malaysian

IndianProfessional singing talents, singing non stop for 36 hours, in

conjuntion with a "Donation of liquid love"programme, where devotees were urged

to offer 'LIQUID LOVE" TO SAVE LIVES AS THEY PRAY TO LORD MURUGA.The Malaysian

Blood Bank had put up MORE than 80 odd beds.The target was 2006 pints (i.e

bottles... they call it pints but they mean this plastic bolltle, which ithink

is less than a pint) of blood and, if we achieve this, the Blood Bank say this

will enter the MALAYSIAN BOOK OF RECORDS AS THE LONGEST NON STOP BLOOD DONATION

DRIVE (33 HOURS) In a single event by one NGO and definitly the largest single

Blood Donation offferingby any NGO in a one event. By the way there is a new

_expression going around i.e. FAITH BASED ORGANIZATIONS (FBO), but that is

another story.Some of

our Youth and adults were there for more than 48 hours. As for old guys like me

, i went to the caves at about 3.30pm on 10th and came back home at 5am on 11th

and collapsed in sleep.Similar Liquid Love events were undertaken by SAI groups

in 3 other cities, Ipoh, Penang and JohoreBharu where major Thaipusam festivals

dedicated to Lord Subramaniam were being held.A leading Radio station that was a

cosponsor of the event, linked all 4 Centers with a running commentary of e

vents as they unfolded.Malaysia has just come through 5 days of Holidays where

Chinese New Year was celebrated at the same time as a Major Islamic festival.

Every body goes on leave and road accidents go throughthe roof with many deaths

and hundreds of injuries that need blood transfusion.During these periods the

Blood Banks run dry and there is a desperate need for blood at all hospitals

and the majority in need will be the Muslims and Chinese who form 90% of

Malaysai's

population.This desperate need is what prompted the National Blood Bank of the

General Hospital ,with majorityMuslim staff, t o come to one of the Biggest

Hindu events outside of India and to set up their beds withteams of doctors and

nurses and work in shifts collecting the Liquid Love offerd for close to 35

hours.It was fascinating to see Muslim nurses, and doctors amidst a sea of

Hindus, all hot and tired and queing up to offer blood as devotional songs were

sung urging the highest form of Charity...to save lives.It was an extraordinary

sight of UNITY, PURITY AND DIVINITY in this location, at a time in the

world,when the Musim community all over the world, is "in arms" and angered by

many events and seen sonegatively by some.And here is a SAI Vision of long ago

being fulfilled, by uniting 2 great Religous Traditions ( which ,on theface of

it, have totally contr adictory practices) in a SEVA OF LOVE.Here there is this

throbbing mass of Humanity, carrying Kavadi (Penance), beat of drums,

crowdspushing and moving froward in a mass of uncontrolled humanity, yet

controlled by a divine will so that nountoward events took place.The media

quoted 1.3 million people having come...but i did not count and thus cannot

verify the figure.There amidst this seething mass of moving Humanity was a huge

stage, with a huge picture of Bhgavan Baba with Malaysia's leading Tamil singers

offering their service through Devotional songs.There was one blind singer (

also well known) who sat on the stage with his Keyboard and sang

devotionalsongs fo r close to 8 or more hours, without getting up to go to

toilet or food and all he had was the Onecup of MILO which i had to persuade

him to take and sips of water. He brought many to tears by the poignancy of the

songs he sang to God, pleading for Grace.For me this whole event reminded me of

the extarordinary events at Sai's Hill

ViewStadium withthousands of devotees yearning for Darshan of the Kali Yuga

Avathar and Indias Top singers offeringdevotional songs.The only difference was

the total discpline among the masses of devotees and the magificient "PHYSICAL

presence" of the Kali Yuga Avathar at Hill View.But here in Batu Caves, the

"Physical presence" was not there, but the Divine Invisible presence of

LordMuruga, the Kali Yuga Avatha r and His Manifestaion as Sathya SAI Avathra

was felt by all and darshan was received by all through their pictures and

images.I have received an sms message from the Sai Organizing team, saying that

the donations of LOVE were as follows:Batu Caves: 2330 pints of liquid

love.Ipoh: 56Johore Bharu : 66Penang : 242.Total Malaysia for Thaipusam Sai

Seva of Love for theNation:...2694.This event is so vast and moving it is

unimaginable.The Radio station, the professional singers all kept

talking about what the SAI Baba people are doing tosave lives of all

communities.Our Sai Young adults have taken this to an incredible level, since

the days in early 1980s when i had to go there with about 5 or 6 youth ( maybe

10), and my car was the only transport vehicle, build our own shed, sold Sai

Bhajan tapes sang songs, slept in the car when exhausted etc... for 3 days . (

and let me not talk of Toilet Facilities.)Now the event has gone to supramental

proportions with support coming from all sides. The MunicipalAuthorities who

rent the space gave us a vast concourse of area free of charge. Many VIPs came

andwent back amazed and asking how they cou ld support our effort. The event

was co-sponsored by a local news station, that kept news going about this event

all the time.I came home after 13 hours and nursing a very painful knee but many

of our totally exhausted Youth, Young adults and adults dedicating themselves to

a point beyond

exhaustion, spent many, many more hours from beginning to end. As usual i am

sure i will receive some "reflected glory" on the human level as some may

attribute thesuccess of this event, quite "undeservedly" , to me. However on a

Divine Level, God will know who did what and will reward accordingly.By the way

THE WORLDS BIGGEST MURUGAN STATUE IS WHAT YOU SEE NOW IN FRONT OF BATU CAVES.ON

SUNDAY12th the Leading Malaysian English Newspaper the STAR had a full page on

this Thaipusam festival.Many NGOs ( FGOs?) were doing all sorts of Seva during

this festival, however the only one that got special mention read as

follows:The HEADLINE: "2,330 blood donations collected in just a day"The first

para of the article read as follows:"Kuala Lumpur: The National Blood Bank and

the Sathya Sai Council of Malaysia could have achieved a record by collecting

2330 blood donations in a single day at the Thaipusam Celebrati ons

in Batu Caves".... and thusthe story goes on.I am sure the details will be

eventually forwarded officially through the proper channels.However i wanted to

share the THRILL & JOY and Pride that i felt for the SAI Sevaks and all who took

part in this mammoth event of selfless Service and where once again the SAI name

became recognised in this nation as synonymous with LOVE ALL SERVE ALL. It would

have been a great thrill for all those who were at Thaipusam to have seen our

Brother Billy Fong, the SAI Council President officiating at the closing

ceremony of the event. This event manifested an ideal of SAI.Here was Sai Seva

in a totally HINDU event, manifest ing Unity of Faiths ( Chinese Buddhists,

Muslims and Hindus), for the common goal of helping humanity by saving

lives.Many who came and donated were first time doners who were so moved by the

amazing confluence of Prayers, Devotional Songs

and Service that they offered Liquid Love as their Service to God and Man.They

were moved by the devotion invoked to save lives. They came forth and gave with

Devotion and LOVE and as the blood drained from their bodies to save a life,

they were being re-charged by the Devotional songs being sung continuously.I

share this event with you as a SAI brother, a devotee (or aspirant for

devotion) of the LORD,sharing some joy.LOVEJEGACC: For the Malaysians who are

receiving this and where names may mean something, there were too many to

mention, who dedicated themselves to a point beyond duty, but within bonds of

Divine Love.But among those who led the programme from before it began till the

end would include:Our Dr.Ganesh (aka Ramesh), Bro. Sugu, Bro.Saravanan

(Coordinator) , Bro. Ravi (Bangsar Centre chairman), Bro Muthu and others,

(youth & Adults) whose names must be now on the 2nd list of the angel who spoke

to Abu Bin Adam.None expect

their names to be mentioned, but on behalf of all Malaysian SAI devotees, i

thank them all for this great Seva of LOVE.JJBro. J Jagadeesan

(sai)Official:Dato' J.Jegathesan24 Jalan Abdullah, Bangsar59000 Kuala Lumpur,

Malaysia Tel:®603-2282 5558 (O)603-6201 2220 Fax:(O)603-6201 2223 e-mail:

jegaj ________ With

Love & Regards,Bombay Srinivasan,C-1, Silver Valley -2,Shivaji Nagar,Vakola,

Santacruz East,Mumbai-400055Tel: 022-26684021Cel: 093229 47473