38th weekly report on Saudi SAI centers- Nov 9 2007

[Guest guest]

Sai-Satsang in 4 centers continued

(week ending 9th Nov, Friday)

 

Sairam to all Children, Sisters and Sai Brothers

in all 4 Sai SatSanghs in Dammam, Jubail, Jeddah and

Riyadh.

 

We continue with the Thirty eighth (38) posting of the

activities of all 4 centers.

Summary:

1) Total Attendance all over Saudi at a new record

above 150

2) Happy Diwali to all

3) Akanda Bhajans in Riyadh and Khobar

 

Details:

In Dammam the weekly satsangh was held on the

afternoon of Friday 9th Nov at SAFCO compound in

Khobar. It was an Akanda Bhajan for 6 hours from 2 pm

to 8 pm for 6 hours. The attendance was by about 50

members. After the Bhajan, for about 4 hours, there

was a Katha Kalakshebam on Swamy prepared and

delivered by Sister Janaki Kannan and subsequent

spiritual discussions. Kananns are now living in

Bahrain and made a special trip for this purpose.

Riyadh members recall her being an excellent

presenter. Other centers would like to benefit from

seeing the 40 pages script prepared by her. Aarthi was

taken by Bro. Varadharajan at whose residence the long

program was held. Well done Dammam Khobar Samithi.

Bro Prem provided the report. Thank you Prem.

 

Jubail center held the weekly Satsang on Friday 9th

Nov at 11.00 AM attended by about 17 members

(including 10 members from Dammam) at Bro Swami

Mahadevan's residence. Aarthi was taken by Dr. Kosala.

Bro.Swamy Mahadevan will be going to Puttaparthi and

Sai Gramam for various Sai activities.The declining

numbers of Jubail based members’ participation is a

cause for concern. Bro Wimal provided the report.

Thank you Wimal.

 

Jeddah Sai Samithi members met at Bro. Gopi's place on

8th with 20 members attending the bhajans for

Deepavali. Aarthi was taken by Bro Prakash, The

Samiti made a collection of 1451SR for Swamy’s 82nd

birthday celebration. The report was provided by Bro.

Ashok who also read the Thought for the day. Thank

you Ashok.

 

Riyadh center held a marathon 24 hours Akanda Bhajan

from 5.30 am on Thursday 8th Nov till 6.30 am on

Friday 9th Nov. The program was attended by about an

estimated 80 members and children. About 20 members

stayed throughout the 25 hours program and others came

in for various timings. Abu Rama (father of sister

Rama Suresh) took the aarthi.

 

The program can be discussed under 2 headings:

a) Organizing such a program (for benefit of other

Samitis)

b) Spiritual Dimensions

 

To begin with a Samithi need a sufficient number of

singers and volunteers.

Fortunately, Riyadh Samithi has been growing because

it has a steady dedicated center of reasonable space,

courtesy National Chair Bro. Packy. In spite of more

than 10 members leaving this year alone (for jobs

elsewhere), we still have a strength of about 60-70

members. In my opinion, this is the minimum number you

need to organize a 24 hour Akanda Bhajan.

 

Just this number is not enough. It needs a band of

dedicated volunteers who need to do a lot of work,

most of such is not publicly recognized as per center

policy. The program needs a minimum of 10 members who

have to do the task of collating the 400 bhajans

required to fill in the 24 hours, at least 50 singers

who would deliver an average of 8 songs which amounts

to about 30 minutes for each. Food has to be arranged

for the participants (usually by Mahila members) for

the whole 24 hours so that there is minimum going out

of the center to avoid unnecessary attention. Song

books, each of over 100 pages have to be compiled,

edited and printed, itself a humongous task. Then

singers have to be allotted various slots depending on

their personal convenience as well as their ability to

render the songs. Accompaniments have to be arranged

for keeping the tala and for starting the second fast

speed. So it is all a lot of work.

 

Riyadh Samiti has been able to do all this, to produce

this 24 hours Akanda Bhajan, reportedly the first in

the Gulf. This is not just because, it has the

strength in terms of number of members but more

importantly because it had that many volunteers who

did so much work, so much, that one cannot even

imagine it. As Bro Packy put it in his recent mail “I

Know it, You know it and He knows it”. A big heartfelt

thanks to them from all participants, the program was

a grand success.

 

Next is the Spiritual dimensions.

 

Akanda Bhajan was started by Swamy himself more than

40 years back.

Bhajans are encouraged by Swami and it is also well

known that it attracts the maximum number of

participants of various ages and backgrounds unlike

Study circle or Seva work. Akanda Bhajan literally

means continuous bhajans (A-kanda, kanda means in

pieces)

 

We do the 24 hour Akanda Bhajan for the same reasons

we run the marathon race – to test our stamina, in

this case the spiritual stamina. This 24 hours of

about 400 songs is almost equal to 33 weekly sessions

of 12 songs each. It is no doubt strenuous to sit for

that long and even more to sing and even much more to

prepare and coordinate the program.

 

But then we know Swamy does look after us, each one of

us, for all the 24 hours, day after day, year after

year. So this is “Thanks giving” just once a year. Is

it too much? Well it depends on what you think. One of

the goals of SAI movement is to change people’s

thinking and start self-transformation process. This

is ideally served by processes such as Akanda Bhajan.

 

 

On 23rd Nov, Friday, (Swami’s Birthday) Riyadh center

is organizing a Laksharchana and all members from all

centers are welcome (on Thursday night- so that they

can participate from the morning next day).

 

Pl allow me to Quote Swamy on what he said in 1971 (36

years back):

 

Of what relation is society and social ties with

spirit and its glory?

Spiritual endeavour must aim at individual

illumination, social betterment and the divinization

of the human community. While in society, the

divinity inherent in man can blossom more quickly,

more widely, more fragrantly.

 

Pranams

P.B.V.Rajan