Behind the Gloriuos 80th Birthday

“It was a thrilling experience… an experience that is etched in my memory for ever!” a Sai devotee, with an expression of great fulfillment and joy on his face, says. He was a witness to the glorious ‘festival of bliss’ that was the 80th Birthday celebration of Bhagavan Baba on the 23rd of Nov, 2005.

“Whenever I recollect those blissful moments….”, another devotee, his face shining with a great sense of elation says, “…Swami in the bright yellow robe seated on the swan-like grand silver throne… so majestic, so magnificent and so full of benevolence with a beatific countenance on the Birthday evening… the lotus-shaped impressive stage on the west from which soul stirring music by the who’s who of Indian music was filling my heart …every artist weaving magic with the instruments and their voice, enlivening every cell of my being… And then, the laser show! I can never forget that. What a grand finale!

The laser show just arrested me with its myriad patterns frisking and dancing in perfect synchronization to the scintillating digital music, accompanying this, were the fireworks! Sparkling beams of bright light on that pleasant star-studded night…bursting and brightening that beautiful night…an unforgettable play of light and sound… add to this, the cool breeze… and ultimately, and most importantly, all this excitement in the immediate divine presence of the Eternal Enigmatic Being, my most beloved Baba – the very light of my life. No one present there could remain untouched with the magic of the moment and I was no exception!” concludes a Sai devotee who had come for the occasion from Orissa, a state which is miles away from Puttaparthi.

Every devotee who was present in the Hill View Stadium on the Birthday evening can very easily relate to this. Truly, the 80 th Birthday celebration was extraordinary. It was festivity at its best. Every devotee who had gathered for the occasion went home with memories to last a life time. Memories that drench every cell of their being with love and bliss whenever recalled.

It was to enjoy this moment with Sai on the 80th year of His earthly sojourn, to make the moment as special as possible, to make the long-awaited day as glorious as it could be that a sea of humanity had gathered. Truly, it was a birthday by the devotees, for the devotees, and in its truest essence, of the devotees. Truly the most precious day for every devotee is the day Swami entered his/her life and for each one of them the Lord’s Birthday is an event head and shoulders above their own birthday.

Swami, pure selfless love that He is, if He were concerned about anything during the Birthday celebrations, it was about the devotees comforts and their well-being. Elderly devotees who were in close physical proximity of Bhagawan only know how Swami used to enquire everyday about the arrangements made for the devotees concerning their food and stay – and least about what major functions were being planned for the Birthday celebrations, be it dances, concerts, or fireworks. Whenever the elders who were chalking out elaborate plans and embarking on grand ideas to mark the day presented Swami with their plans, He would be quite uninterested, to say the least.To get His consent to make more shelters for the devotees would be far easier than to organize say, confetti being sprayed from a helicopter on the Birthday morning.

If the big concert happened and leading musicians played, it was because they wanted to be part of the celebrations. It was a cannot-afford-to-loose opportunity for everyone. If the fireworks or the laser show glittered and lit up the night sky and provided a grand finale to the celebrations, it was because the organizing devotees had not only worked hard night and day for it but also prayed even harder that they be allowed to have the show. For, as already mentioned, with Swami to organize a mass marriage or mass feeding for the poor is easy, but never a cultural or entertainment extravaganza.

As ever, never an invitation was sent to anybody to come to Prashanti Nilayam. Devotees poured in hundreds and thousands from the 18th of November when the Rathotsavam (Chariot procession) was celebrated, as is done every year. The Ladies Day celebrations followed on the 19th Nov.