On Saturday May 4^th, the SSE children, young adults, and adults from many New Jersey Sai Centers came together to celebrate Easwaramma Day as Children’s Day with a Sai Carnival filled with activities that were both fun and promoted human values from 9:30 a.m. onward. The event was held at Sarva Dharma Service Center in Howell, New Jersey.

This inspiring celebration was a tribute to Easwaramma, Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s mother. It commenced with vibrant bhajans by children in the main devotional hall and a message on the significance of mothers in our daily lives.

By Swami’s grace, the weather was conducive, so booths were set up outside for the various activities. The activities prepared and conducted by the SSE children included games such as Jenga, Ring of Values, Chutes and Ladders, Darts, Memory, Values head-up, Wheel of Dharma, Spiritual Pursuits, an obstacle course representing challenges of life, and so on exemplifying Sai human values. There were also fun activities like decorating the hands with henna, face painting, guided art, T-shirt screen printing, etc. For lunch, there were stalls serving a variety of delicacies from around the world.

In the afternoon, there was a magic show with enthusiastic interactive participation by children followed by bhajan antakshari [musical game]. The fun and learning continued with the value-based games, balloons, and cotton candy for children and making greeting cards as a service activity. A robotics booth was also available throughout the day for children to explore and learn.

The main idea was to appreciate and enjoy while acquiring knowledge, learn in diverse environments, work in different ways, and use multiple senses, all for application of the values for the benefit of mankind. This was a truly fun-filled event for children and adults of all ages.

All participants left thanking everyone for their inspiring efforts for making this event a successful elevating experience in celebrating mother Easwaramma’s day as the SAI “Human Values” Carnival and being especially grateful to Swami for bringing us all together in such energizing events.

Jai Sai Ram