Love All, Serve All, Help Ever, Hurt Never

The stranger...

I remember attending a Sai bhajan in Kovaipudur, Coimbatore along with my Mom and Grandfather when I was a little kid. I clearly remember it because...let me put it this way...I just happen to have a very good memory :) Nothing important here.

The God Man...

In the summer of my 5th grade, my grandfather wanted to visit Prashantinilayam in Puttaparthi. So all of us made a trip to the ashram. I still remember our stay in the ashram and how beautiful it was. I even remember seeing some letters written and left by devotees who had previously occupied the rooms we were staying in. It was one of the first times I saw people from various nationalities and backgrounds assembling at one place for one reason. The cleanliness, discipline, and the facilities in that place also made an indelible impression on my mind.

The Educator...

When I was in middle school, one of my close friends was (and even to this date is) this guy called Kaushik whose family members are ardent devotees of Sathya Sai. There was a small Sathya Sai temple in a house very close to my place in Coimbatore. They used to have these weekend classes called "Bal Vikas" in which they told us stories from the Bhagavatham, the Gita, about Shirdi Sai Baba, Sathya Sai and so on. It was also accompanied by bhajan sessions. Kaushik's parents along with mine and a few of our friends' decided it was a good idea to send us all there. As much as I enjoyed the classes once I was there, getting to that place was one big problem. The classes were held on Sunday mornings at 7am!

The school I went to had a very peculiar timing - 7am to 12.30pm, which meant I had to get up every day at 6am. The most important thing that I used to look forward to in the weekends was getting up late. But attending this class meant sacificing that precious three extra hours of sleep. But I learnt a lot in return. Being associated with the Sathya Sai movement definitely helped imbibe in me qualities like self-belief, religious tolerance, and giving. Was totally worth it.

The Philanthropist...

My friend Kaushik attended high school in Puttaparthi. He also went on to get his degree in medicine in a Sathya Sai medical institute. I remember him telling me about the super-speciality hospital and the medical facilities made available to the needy for free. I myself have witnessed first hand the development in Puttaparthi as I had mentioned earlier. I have always been amazed by Sathya Sai Baba's ability to mobilize help and and channelize resources to those in need.

Many a God men have come and gone. But a few have achieved what Sathya Sai has in his life time.

Did he claim to be God incarnate Himself? Yes.

Did he perform tricks to draw crowds and strengthen his followers base? Yes.

Was he a controvertial figure in his lifetime? Yes.

Has he left behind a good legacy? My answer would be a big yes!

Did I ever consider him God and worship him? No, but I have immense respect for what he has done.

In my opinion he is one of the greatest non-political leaders of independent India because all he said to his followers was "Love All, Serve All, Help Ever, Hurt Never".

Now that ain't bad, is it?