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Sathya Sai’s birthday celebrations on

From Terry Kennedy Puttaparthy

‘Eighty Years of Love in Action’ is the theme of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s birthday celebrations this year. Sai Baba was born in the little village of Puttaparthi in 1926 on November 23. What was once a rural setting has been transformed over the past eight decades into a modern, state-of-the-art equipped town with free hospitals, schools, institutes of higher learning, museums and libraries — all due to the “Love in Action” of Sai Baba, who declared, at about the age of 15, that he was not an ordinary human being, but that he had come to earth to fulfil the wishes of the saints and sages, who were praying for the upliftment of the world.

Of his mission, he has said, “Many hesitate to believe that things will improve, that life will be happy for all and full of joy, and that the “golden age” will recur. Let me assure you that this Dharma Swarupa, this Divine Body, has not come in vain. It will succeed in averting the crisis that has come upon humanity.”

80th birthday

The 80th birthday celebrations officially began on November 18 in Sai Kulwant Hall, the large mandir where Bhagawan Baba gives daily darshan and will culminate on Wednesday in the Sports Stadium, which has the capacity to seat several lakh people.

This year, there are huge crowds — more than a million visitors are here and though many have been accommodated inside the Prasanthi Nilayam campus, others have taken rooms outside the ashram. All meals are being served free and will continue until the end of the celebrations.

On the 19th, ‘Ladies Day’ was celebrated with speeches by women on the importance of inculcating human values into family life and professional life. On 20th, an international choir comprising 175 male and female vocalists from 45 countries, sang spiritual songs and an International Symphony Orchestra performed classical numbers from major composers.

As part of the celebrations, the 8th World Conference of Sri Sathya Sai Organisations was held on 20th and 21st and 9,500 delegates from India, apart from 3,500 delegates from 180 foreign countries participated. This year’s conference theme was “Unity, Purity, and Divinity.”