Report on Cultural Programmes during Gurupurnima

As part of Guru Purnima celebrations, there was a wide spectrum of cultural programmes on every day right from 30th June 2004. It was a real feast to the eye for the devotees who witnessed these enlightening performances.

The Bal Vikas Children of Rajasthan gave a fine portrayal of the various incarnations of God through their dance drama “Dashavatar” on 30th June 2004. Though the story of the dance drama is a well-known one, it scored points on its fine depiction, choreography and innovativeness. At the end, Bhagawan blessed the cast by posing for photographs with them.

There were two cultural programmes on the Guru Purnima evening; the first was by the Bal Vikas children of Nepal and the second by the Bal Vikas children of Indonesia.

“God Resides in All” was a realistic portrayal of the unhealthy practice of discrimination against certain sections of society by the Bal Vikas children of Nepal. Despite continuous reminders from the various Avatars, discrimination and inequality exists in all societies of the world. The main reason behind such inhuman practices is the inability of humans to see God in all of His creations. This theme was highlighted in the story of a little girl and her brother who were discriminated against by the village elders. They were not allowed to enter the village temple and not even to serve water to the thirsty. As the story unfolds, it shows how Buddha puts an end to the misery of the two children and transforms the heart of the village elders. In the end, Bhagawan posed for photographs with the children.

A musical bouquet of song, drama and dance “From Humanness to Divinity” was presented by the Sri Sathya Sai Bal Vikas of Indonesia. The theme of the drama revolved around the pivotal point how man should use his mind, status and talents to become virtuous and strive to raise himself from the human to Divine. At the end of the programme, Bhagawan blessed the children by posing for photographs and also materialised a chain for one the participants.

Madhur Bhakti, true to the epithet had all the sweetness in it. This musical presentation was staged on 3rd July 2004 by the Bal Vikas children of Madhya Pradesh and Chhatisgarh. The Gopikas unable to bear the pangs of separation from Krishna were longing for the Lord. It is at this time that Krishna sends Uddhav to Gopikas to explain them the efficacy of Nirgun-Nirakar aspect of the Lord. But the pure, unsullied and selfless love of the Gopikas in which only the form of Krishna dwells vanquished Uddav’s standpoint. There was no room for any other philosophy. When the Gopikas were sending messages through Udhav, Radha was preparing to merge her life with Krishna. Those immortal moments of sweetness were depicted as Madhurashtak in this musical programme. The musical presentation won the plaudits of the entire audience. At the end of the presentation, Bhagawan posed for photographs with the children and also materialised a chain for one of the participants.

The Bal Vikas children of Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisation, Uttar Pradesh and Uttaranchal transported the audience to an ethereal world through their dance drama “Ganagavataran” on 4th July by bringing alive the story of Bhagirath and how he succeeded in propitiating the Trinity – Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara in bringing the Ganges down to earth. The play was interspersed with soul-stirring songs and forceful dialogues. At the end, Bhagawan showered His benedictions on the children by posing for photographs with them.

The SSE children of Region 9, USA, presented an interesting play “Bloom where you are planted” on 5th July 2004. In the play, the children presented exemplars of American heroes like Abraham Lincoln and Eleanor Roosevelt, who lived an ideal life and did yeoman service to their fellowmen. At the end of the programme, one could see the expectant faces of the children craving for Bhagawan’s love, and the Lord in turn blessed them with photographs and showered His benedictions on them.

Bhagavata is nothing but an expression of devotees yearning for God and God’s Love for His devotees. The Balvikas children from Harynana and Chandigarh brought the essence of the sacred Bhagavatha and the Power of devotion in a lucid manner in the the Divine Presence at Prasanthi Nilayam. Traversing through the sacred text, enacting anecdotes from the lives of Dhruva, Prahlada and Markandeya, these children underscored the importance of sincere devotion. The play ended on an optimistic note that the values which have been vitiated in society would be reinstated with the advent of Bhagawan through Sathya Sai Bal Vikas.

...Students are My Property...declared Bhagawan on numerous occasions. What greater joy could there be than watching His children enacting incidents from His life, which is the very manifestation of Sathyam Sivam Sundaram, (truth, goodness and beauty), calling attention to the message that underlies. On Sunday, the 4th July 2005, it was the privilege of students from the Brindavan Campus to present a programme in the divine presence, enacting various incidents from His life and various service activities undertaken by Him…to drive home…His Message of Love. …And in the end…they sung their hearts out…inviting the Lord to Brindavan, Bangalore. As per the divine command, the Warden of Brindavan Hostel Sri Narasimha Murty made a brief speech. He emphasized what Bhagawan said in His Gurupurnima message that one should seek only Bhagawan’s Love… and nothing else. At the end, Bhagawan distributed new clothes to the students from both the campuses and from Sri Sathya Sai Higher Secondary School.

“Children are born through parents. God makes the parents the “Trustees”. The parents are not owners of the child. Infact, the child is a gift from God to them” says Bhagawan. Parenting has been in the main scheme of things in the schedule of Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisations - worldwide. To drive home the message of proper parenting, Sathya Sai Seva Organisatios – Maharashtra has arranged an exhibition on Parenting during Guru Purnima Celebrations at Prasanthi Nilayam. Various techniques and guide lines on the subject was imparted to parents and other devotees from various cross section of society. The exhibition was arranged in the ground floor of Conference Hall, near Sri Sathya Sai Books and Publications Trust and was visited by a large number of devotees.