Afternoon Session, Sports and Cultural Meet

I am reliably informed by some University students that Swami will come to Hillview Stadium at 4PM this afternoon. As I walked down towards Hillview Stadium, I observed that the gates to the Ashram were closed, and I intuited that Swami would go the “back way” to Hillview Stadium.

The “back way” for those of you who don’t know, is up the pathway behind the Ganesh Temple to Meditation Tree Road, across the front of the Shirdi Sai Baba Idol to the General Hospital, then across the front of the Hospital to Deer Park, across Deer Park to Hillview Stadium. And so the Lord arrived, with an escort of motorcycles -flagbearers, and a another phalanx of escort motorcycles.

The Puttaparthi afternoon is brilliant sunshine, with the occasional breeze. It is hot, but after a time, we get used to the climate, and watch from the bleachers. We watched students in bright blue tracksuits preceed Swami’s car doing cartwheels. They looked impressive. Shortly thereafter, we could see Swami seated in the Shanti Vedika pavilion.

Immediately some girls dressed in red and gold came out and performed:

The lads in the blue tracksuits returned and delivered an acrobatics display:

Then what appeared to be High School students (or boarders) came out with green wings, plant stalks and heads, and did a very attractive performance.

Seva Dals threaded their way through the bleachers giving out Wall Calendars.

At the same time, students dressed in blue and white with large fan-like canopies performed.

Somebody asked me what this was all about, “Why all these performers?” I thought about that while I watched the Seva Dals come back, several rows down, and distribute more calendars.

I replied, that Swami is the finest educator in the world. Meanwhile, more students came out dressed in red and pink and performed with, I was too far away, they could have been matching fans of a kind…

Anyway, we continued the conversation, and I told that there are many intelligences, not just head stuff and the ratio-logical intelligence. Swami provides Educare, which employs and stimulates all the intelligences these students have. Girls came out with ribbons, and they were good!

They raised a lot of dust, too!

Anyway, I turned the camera off for a minute and explained to my friend that there were multiple intelligences, kinaestheic, spatial, emotional, moral, musical, ratio-logical and spiritual intelligence. Meanwhile, I grabbed a calendar from a Seva Dal and gave it to the little boy sitting next to me. Said to him in Telugu, “Take it home to Mother”; He nodded and said, “Amma, Acha” with a bright smile.

A devotee nearby me unrolled his calendar and proudly displayed it. “Swami and Me!”, he said.

Look at the feet of yonder boys in yellow tracksuits and helmets; they are on roller blades, and performed some very interesting moves with the blades, in front of Shanti Vedika.

Swami is all attention on the performers.

There were these skeleton arches which the students climbed up on and did acrobatic numbers.

Headstands, too!

Students gathered behind the shamina, awaiting their turn

More gymnastics on the skeleton arches

Then they rolled them around…

Girls came out with pink tubes and performed. Meanwhile, back to the discussion, I explained that this meet was a formal activity of all the campuses of the the Sai University, and participation here would probably be credited towards academic results.

Boys from the primary school and high school ran to the balloon tent and collected their balloons. On with the conversation… I told that Swami often speaks of true humanness in his discourses, and true humanness is achieved by developing the multiple intelligences…

The sun is finally beginning to move behind Hanuman Hill, and I start getting decent photographs. Here, girls in red with pink fans perform.

A Seva Dal fills cups of water and distributes to thirsty devotees. These Seva Dal worked all morning and afternoon, and their seva was muchly appreciated!

The girls with fans have moved forward, and the boys with their balloons run behind.

More and more boys run out with gaily coloured balloons.

Students fill the ground in front of Shanti Vedhika

A song is played, its very catchy, and I though at first it was “Truth needs a Hero” but it was some other number. Very catchy tune; balloons go skywards

After the balloons were let off, there was a smoke display nearby the Eagle and the Shiva Lingham

up, up and away, with my beautiful, my beautiful balloon!!!!

We finished the conversation, believe it or not. I told that the practice of human values, duty, discrimination and detachment, employ all the multiple intelligences stimulated by Educare, and all the facilities provided by Swami in his role as Educator. There were the music colleges, singing, recitals, public speaking, academic subjects, and sports and cultural activities like these. Planning and preparation, rehearsal and performance all takes in multiple intelligences and develops the full human person on all domains of the personality, the physical, intellectual, emotional, social and spiritual domains. Thus, educare elicits that which is within.

Finale; the pujari clothed in bright orange can be seen standing on the right of Shanti Vedika; Swami is a small orange form in the centre, as the students commence Om Jai Jagadeesha Hare, and the crowd stand. I finished the conversation by saying,”Look up the motto of all the Sathya Sai Schools worldwide. Human Excellence. All the Sathya Sai Schools do likewise and develop all the domains of the human person.”

The sun has finally set behind Lord Hanuman, the immortal servant of the Lord Kosala, Sri Rama. The crowd get up and leave. I move along down Main Road through Vidya Giri, and take a photo of the crowd exiting Hillview Stadium. (Swami went home the “back way”!)

Sai Ram from the Annual Sports and Cultural Meet at Prashanti Nilayam.