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| The Conference in Odisha began after pinning the "Chief Guest" brooch to a picture of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. I found it very subtle and beautiful. |
The call and a calling
I received a call from an unknown number in the middle of December 2014. The voice identified himself as Mr.Jagannath Rao, the State President of the Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organization in Odisha.
“Mr. Aravind, we are having a State Conference from the 16th to 18th January. Could you be our guest for the Conference?”
“It would be my pleasure sir”, I replied, “let me know the topics and the itinerary for the same.”
A minute later, the call had concluded and soon, I received the suggested themes for the talks:
- Service: A journey from Unity to Divinity
- Sai’s footprints in the sands of time (which we must emulate and follow).
My mind raced back to the day in January 2009 when Swami, Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, had blessed me with my first opportunity to visit Odisha. I had visited Odisha then as a journalist to cover the magnificent housing project, which Swami had announced out of the blue during the Dusshera celebrations in Prasanthi Nilayam. {That is a fantastic story in itself and has been captured in Episode 3 of another article.} During that visit, I got many glimpses of the immense love that Swami was showering on the flood-affected people of Odisha. For, what did Swami have to gain, by serving people who were thousands of kilometers away and would not be be able to return His favour in any manner? I understood better what Swami means by saying that there is no reason or season for love. I updated myself with everything about that housing project, because I felt that it would be best to remind the people of Odisha about the immense blessings that had received from the Lord. This was the theme which I weaved both my talks around - how one could serve Divinity by serving one’s family, society and nature in a united manner.
Prepared and excited about the visit, I boarded my flight to Bhubhaneshwar from Bengaluru on the 16th of January, 2015. It was nearly 4 pm when I had refreshed myself at Bhubhaneshwar and was ready to set out to the Nehru stadium in Bhadrak, the venue of the State Conference which was about 130 kilometers away. Along with me in the vehicle were also Sri Nimish Pandya, the National Vice-President of the Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organization and Smt. Kamala Pandya, his wife. We enjoyed a nice satsangh along the 3-hour journey which seemed to get over in no time. Having checked our baggage into our rooms, we arrived at the venue.
The first sight itself took my breath away!
An experience of God
At the entrance was a beautiful replica of the grand Gopuram in Puttaparthi! It was made mostly from cloth and it stood tall like a beacon for those seeking Swami’s love. It was by the side of this Gopuram that our car halted. Eager to photograph this structure, I jumped out of the car, totally unprepared for what lay in store for us. A band struck up a merry tune and almost a hundred children began to chant, “Welcome... Welcome...” A fast-paced song was being sung in the background and a lady began to wave a lamp in welcome. But there was something else that swept me off my feet - literally!
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| A magnificent Gopuram welcomed all participants to the Nehru Stadium in Bhadrak. |
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| The decorated dais which bore the flag-pole. |
Dozens of people began to fall at my feet. I saw that they were falling at the feet of Nimish uncle and Kamala aunty too and they too, like me, were having a hard time fending off these people.
“Please... no... no...Noooo....”
“Prostrate only to Swami... it is enough...”
“Sairam... Sairam... what is this you are all doing...You are overdoing it...”
We tried our best but could not stop everyone. We rushed towards the entrance and headed towards the dais because it looked like the only way to save ourselves from these feet-seeking enthusiasts. Just entering the hall, my jaws dropped again. As if the Gopuram was not enough, the main mandir of Prasanthi Nilayam too had been replicated in thermocole and cloth to serve as the dais.
“Swami, I think I can feel a bit how You felt when You came for darshan daily”, I told Swami within myself.
