Faith in Sai Baba keeps them going

[Guest guest]

Light and Love

 

Below is an article "Chembur devotees celebrate Diwali" in a short form

about Diwali celebration by Pria Nair, published in Mid Day, 10 November 2004.

 

 

Ten-year-old Deepika Patil and Shashank Koli, both Class 5 students, have

gone on a long walk this Diwali.

Both of them have started on a seven-day walk from Chembur to Shirdi.

Devotees of Sai Baba, the two of them started walking with 348 others from

Trombay to Shirdi on Nov 3.

The group will reach Shirdi on Nov 9 and go for Sai Baba’s darshan on

Diwali, after which they will come back by bus.

 

“Our faith is strong so we will not get tired walking,” says

Shashank.

This is the 20th year that members of the Om Shri Sai Seva Samiti from

Trombay, Koliwada, will be walking to Shirdi.

What started with just three members in 1984 has now increased to a group

of 350, says Jayawant Koli, one of the committee members who has been going on

this walk since 1987.

“It takes us seven days to cover the distance from Mumbai to

Shirdi,” adds Koli.

 

Narendra Vaity, another committee member, explains how they cover the

280-km distance, “On the first day we cover 45 km, subsequently it

reduces to 38 and so on.”

While walking, members sing bhajans. “We have many students,

businessmen and working people in our group. We want to attract youngsters

towards spiritualism,” says Koli.

According to Vaity, the helpers are the ones who do the hard work.

“We have a group of 15 women and nine men who accompany us. They travel

in four tempos that carry all our goods, like utensils, items required to cook,

clothes, medicines etc. We just walk; these people do everything else,” he

reveals.

On Nov 18, the Samiti will organise a free meal at Trombay, Koliwada for

devotees with the remaining amount from the donations.

 

The complete article:

http://web.mid-day.com/metro/chembur/2004/november/96664.htm

 

Namaste - Reet

[Guest guest]

Thanks Reetji for the wonderful information. A nice way of

celebrating Diwali and spreading the message of Baba enroute.

Sad Guru Sainath Maharaj Ki Jai