| National President's Welcome | | | | | Dearest Brothers and Sisters, Jai Sai Ram I pray that with Bhagawan's Grace you are all keeping well. Avatar Declaration Day and the Navratri festival were celebrated across the country by many centres and groups. This was such an auspicious month where reverence was offered to Swami, our Divine Father of the Universe and the Divine Mother during the same week. The month of November started with the National Birthday celebrations hosted by Region 5 in Sandbach, Crewe. Nearly 400 devotees had registered for the event, and we were blessed to have our guest speaker, Brother Jagdish Chandra Saraswatula, share with us his experiences and thoughts on our Beloved Lord. The first of many initiatives to mark Bhagawan's 100th birthday in 2025 will be the commitment to conduct 1,008 house (community) bhajans, starting from 23rd November this year. More details are provided below. During the weekend of 11th and 12th November, we will all enjoy the bliss of Akhand Bhajans across the country and globally as organised by Prasanthi Nilayam. Celebrations will continue with honouring our sisters and mothers on Ladies' Day, followed by Centres and Groups celebrating Swami's 98th birthday with various offerings. Let us express our gratitude for the life and teachings of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. May His love and wisdom continue to guide us on the path of righteousness and self-realisation. May we all strive to live up to the ideals set by Him.
Lovingly In Sai Service Pratap Thakkar | | | | | Date for your diaries: more details coming soon! | | | National Christmas Celebrations | | | | | First initiative launched ahead of landmark event | | | Sri Sathya Sai Centenary | | | | | As announced at the 98th National Birthday Celebrations for our beloved Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, the UK National Council has formed a Centenary Advisory Committee and a Centenary Implementation Committee that will support the planning and organising of the Centenary Celebrations of our Dear Lord, in November 2025. There will be a series of initiatives and events organised from November 2023 to November 2025 to mark this event, and we are pleased to announce that the first of many events will be the commitment to conduct 1,008 house (community) bhajans starting from 23rd November this year. Each Centre and Group should encourage devotees to participate and take the message of our dear Bhagawan out into the community. Bhagawan encouraged people to participate in community singing as a primary means to redemption. He would say that, in this modern era, there is no Sadhana more effective than the chanting of God's name. In a discourse delivered on 3rd March 1992, Swami spoke of its importance and uniqueness. He said, "there is a big difference between Keertanam and Sankeertanam. Keertanam is an individual affair. It is singing by an individual for the fulfilment of his prayers. Sankeertanam aims at the well-being of the whole universe." Sri Sathya Sai Baba's teachings on community bhajan singing underline its potential to bring people together, create a loving and devotional atmosphere, and contribute to individual and collective spiritual growth. He saw these gatherings as opportunities for devotees to connect with the divine and with each other, fostering a sense of unity, love, and spiritual progress within the community. We should all, therefore, make every effort to take the sacred name of our Lord into the community to bring in unity, peace, and oneness in the troubled world that we all currently live in. Guidelines that we have put together for you to follow when conducting house (community) bhajans are available on the Centenary page on our National website via the link below. All Centre/Group Presidents and Spiritual Coordinators are required to retain a log of the date when the house (community) bhajans were held, the name of the town and the Centre/Group name that provided support, as well a photo or two of the altar etc., so that we can keep track of our goal. Please note regular Centre/Group bhajans are not included in the tally towards 1,008 bhajans. This log will finally be placed at the Divine Lotus feet of our Beloved Bhagawan at the Centenary Birthday celebrations. Please do not hesitate to contact the National or your local Regional Spiritual Coordinator for any further guidance. | | | | | Nearly 400 people attend Cheshire event | | | National Birthday Celebrations | | | | | The most joyous festivities of our Lord Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba's 98th birthday was held in Sandbach, Cheshire. With devotees from across the UK in attendance, it was a wonderful occasion filled with music, drama, a panel discussion and, of course, cake! After the National President's welcome address, the Bal Vikas children of Region 5 delighted us in a drama which brought to life Swami's quote, "Life is a game, play it… ." The children took us through the quote highlighting to us the challenges of life and how Swami and His teachings are there to guide us along the way. Our guest speaker Brother Jagdish Chandra Saraswatula, who has had the fortune of being in close proximity to Swami and to speak in front of Swami, then shared with us his thoughts, experiences and stories. Whilst he could not be with us in person, his two-part message through his videos was clear: that to have a deep, intense yearning is fundamental to realising our purpose, which is to realise Swami's teachings and ultimately avoid being born again; to be released from samsara. We need discipline and devotion, and if we dedicate our lives to this, we can achieve it. Before lunch, we were visited by surprise guests, Jesus and Hanuman, who reminded us of some important lessons. An important one being that we must continue to have faith in God who is in the driving seat of our lives; we need not have doubts or worries, simply trust that He will take us to where we need to go safely. Brother Jayesh Patel and Brother Arun Gohil, National and Deputy National Service Coordinators respectively, then gave us updates on the various service projects being conducted in the UK, namely, the service continuing in Syria and the Sri Sathya Sai Prema Tharu project. | | | | | During lunch, the hardworking service team prepared and served us all and devotees caught up with familiar faces. At the same time, devotees donated approximately 400kg worth of food for the Sandbach's Churches Together Food Bank; it was amazing to see everyone contribute generously. The afternoon programme included the second part of Brother Jagdish's talk and then the mellifluous sounds of Sister Helen Cherry and accompanying musicians. Sister Helen attended the Summer School in Brindavan in 1978, where she was asked by Swami to be part of a bhajan group. From there, her love for singing grew and she has been gifted with a beautiful talent that we had the fortune of listening to. The final item was an insightful panel discussion led by Brother Ketan Parmar, Region 5 Vice-President, who was joined by five devotees who went on the UK Pilgrimage in July. It was interesting and inspiring to hear of the challenges that they overcame whilst being there, the lessons that they learnt and the elation they experienced when being in Prasanthi. Coming to a close, the jhoola and birthday song was sung to Swami, concluding with a vote of thanks in the form of a poem from Region 5 President, Brother Sanjay Vaja, followed by bhajans and aarti, before devotees parted ways to head back home. | | | | | Continuing the series of articles by UK Young Adults | | | The spirit of service | | | | | For the welfare of the country and of the entire world, the spirit of service, vital enthusiasm, constructive imagination, pure motivation, and unselfish alertness are all needed urgently. Sri Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. 15, Ch. 31, 19 November 1981 The purpose of the Young Adults Wing is to serve the whole organisation whilst supporting the spiritual journey of the next generation. Thus, it is the duty of the Young Adults to be of service, not only to their fellow brothers and sisters across the nation, but also to the world from which they merely borrow. This series of articles captures a snippet of the service activities supported by Young Adults across the UK, in the hope of inspiring others. In this issue, we hear reflections from Brother Sai Hari from Region 7. Sai Hari, a dedicated Young Adult from the heart of Region 7, Cheltenham, has recently been on a journey of service and environmental stewardship. Earlier this year, he was part of a community videotape recycling endeavour alongside fellow devotees from Cheltenham Sai Group. As Sai Hari shares his account, he emphasises the spiritual connection to these acts of service, inspired by the words of Bhagawan Baba. In addition to his involvement in video recycling, Sai Hari has also seized the opportunity to take part in the tree planting Prema Tharu project. | | | | | "The Sai Youth must act as role models and serve as a positive influence on other youths in society and make them understand that out of all spiritual activities, service to mankind is the highest and the noblest. The human body has several limbs. All these limbs are meant to be engaged in service." Sri Sathya Sai Baba. On 8th May, there was a unique opportunity to take part in videotape recycling service activity with Cheltenham Sai Group. The activity involved dismantling each video cassette and segregating them according to different categories of parts. Dismantling involved the careful disassembly of the video tapes. This may require removing screws, clips, or other fasteners that hold the cassette together. The magnetic tape inside the cassettes needed to be unwound or removed from the spools within the cassette. After opening the cassette and exposing its internal components, the various parts of the videotape were separated from each other. All these individual parts are then recycled and reused for different purposes which will avoid landfill waste, thus saving our mother earth. As Bhagawan says, "Hands that serve are holier than the lips that pray," each one of us was truly immersed in utmost devotion and singing His glory throughout while doing His service. There was also another opportunity to plant trees at our houses, as a part of the global Sri Sathya Sai Prema Tharu initiative. These were definitely unique experiences for me to contribute to mankind and our mother earth. I would like to thank Swami for this opportunity and pray for many such opportunities in the future. | | | | | | Region 1 (London South East & South West) | | | | | | | | Bromley Sai Centre hosted guests from Age Link on 21st October. | | | | | | | | Tooting Sai Centre served warm food to 78 people along with water and fruits in Central London on Saturday 28th October. | | | | | | | | This month, Kingston Sai Centre was blessed with the opportunity to collect essential packs for homeless people and deliver them to The Spires Centre in Tooting. Each pack contained toothpaste, toothbrushes, wet wipes, dry wipes, deodorant and a pocket-sized warmer blanket. With Swami's blessings, we also managed to deliver 38.5kgs of pasta to the local food bank this month.
Upcoming events: - Region 1
- Akhand bhajans: see flyer above
- Tooting Sai Centre
- Sunday 19th November, 9.30am-12pm: Birthday celebrations at Fircroft Primary School, Fircroft Road, London SW17 7PP
- Wimbledon Sai Centre
- Sunday 19th November, 9.20am: Ladies' Day celebrations at Malmesbury Primary School, Malmesbury Road, Morden SM4 6HG
- Sunday 26th November, 9.30am: Birthday celebrations at Malmesbury Primary School
| | | | | | | | Region 2 (London North West and nearby Home Counties) | | | | | | | | The second Region 2 Bal Vikas bhajan workshop was held on 15th October, hosted by Slough Sai Centre. The session focussed on inculcating the knowledge and values of bhajans in the children. It was very interactive and the children engaged very well with the presenters. Over 100 people attended from across Region 2 and the SSE teachers and parents felt it was an eye-opening session for their children. | | | | | | | | On Saturday 21st October, Harrow West Sai Centre held energetic Garba sessions in honour of the nine auspicious nights of Navratri. The Garba sessions were filled with heavenly drum sounds resembling Lord Shiva's damaru, reflecting the ecstasy of Mother Durga as she defeated man's negative vices. The songs were classic and sung in their original form as a praise to the Divine Mother. | | | | | | | | Members from Harrow East Sai Centre took part in a tree planting event in Greenford, organised by Trees for Cities. The entire event was supported by volunteers and was well organised. The trees that we were planting on the day were "transplants" and we were shown how to prepare the ground to to ensure the best chance of survival. The day involved lots of digging and we worked up quite a sweat in the process! By the end of the day, we had planted 22 mature trees in the recreation field. There are details of more volunteering days from Trees For Cities on their site here: https://www.treesforcities.org.... These events are open to people of all abilities and ages. A 2 year-old helped to gather mulch into a wheelbarrow and spread it out around our newly planted tree. If she can get involved, then all of us can do something! | | | | | | | | In September 1996, a new Sai Centre was founded in northwest London by Uncle Vadgama. On Sunday 1st October, Harrow East Sai Centre celebrated its 27th anniversary, with a programme including: Nagar Sankirtanam, where devotees walked together around the gardens of Canons High School, singing beautiful bhajans; Vedam chanting; 108 Sri Sathya Sai Paduka; and bhajan singing. After this, there was a special talk by Brother Sudhir Shetty, alumnus of the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, about Baba's 4 Ss, namely Self-confidence, Self-satisfaction, Self-sacrifice, and Self-realisation, and why we need them to succeed. In addition, a Bharatnatyam group gave a graceful performance which enthralled everyone in the audience, with their expressive and elaborate movements. Finally, the whole congregation was served Mahaprashadam.
Upcoming events: - Region 2
- Akhand bhajans: see flyer above
- Harrow West Sai Centre
- Saturday 18th November, 3-4.30pm: Ladies' Day celebrations at Oxhey Wood Primary School, Oxhey Drive, Watford WD19 7SL
- Sunday 26th November, 3.30-6pm: Birthday celebrations at Oxhey Wood Primary School
- Slough Sai Centre
- Sunday 26th November, 10am-2.30pm: Birthday celebrations at Colnbrook Village Hall, Vicarage Way, Slough SL3 0RF
| | | | | | | | Region 3 (London North, East & Central and nearby Home Counties) | | | | | | | | Chelmsford Sai Centre celebrated Navratri with 3 bhajan sessions over the course of the 9 days. Each bhajan was attended by around 20 devotees and consisted of prayers to Goddess Durga, Goddess Lakshmi and Goddess Saraswati, as well as Maa bhajans. | | | | | | | | Bedford Sai Centre celebrated Navratri with twice-daily sessions of prayers and poona, followed by Garba. This was attended by around six devotees on most days. On the Sunday, we celebrated Avatar Declaration Day with a discourse and bhajans. This was attended by 16 devotees. | | | | | | | | Cambridge Sai Centre celebrated Dasara on 21st October; approximately 20 devotees attended. The programme started with Ganapathi Prarthana followed by Durga Suktam and Devi bhajans, sung by adults and Bal Vikas children. The congregation also chanted Samasta Lokah Sukhino Bhavantu 9 times for global peace. The programme ended with Bal Vikas children reading a quote from Swami on the significance of Dasara. The devotees agreed to do Nama Likhita Japam as a collective centre Sadhana for Swami's 100th birthday!
Upcoming events: - Region 3
- Akhand bhajans and Ladies' Day: see flyers above
| | | | | | | | At Leicester Central Sai Centre, after bhajans on Sunday 22nd October, devotees celebrated Navratri by doing Garba and Dandiya Raas. This was concluded with Aarti. | | | | | | | | On 29th and 30th September, Narborough Road Sai Centre celebrated Bhagawan Sri Shirdi Sai Baba's birthday by reading the Shirdi Sai Satcharitra. Baba was traditionally welcomed in a palki procession and devotees then offered bhajans and Qawalis at His lotus feet. The programme on the Saturday began with Kakad Aarti and Bhagawan's abhishekam. The reading continued all day with many devotees getting the opportunity to read. Bhagawan's prashadam was served in the form of breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Upcoming events: - Region 4
- Akhand bhajans and Ladies' Day: see flyers above
- Leicester Sai Centres (joint)
- Thursday 23rd November, 6-7.30am: Paduka Pooja at East West Community Centre, 10 Wilberforce Rd, Leicester LE3 0GT
- Thursday 23rd November, 7-9.45am: Birthday celebrations at Gheewala Lohana Centre, Hildyard Rd, Leicester LE4 5GG
- Wolverhampton Sai Centre
- Saturday 18th November, 10am: Birthday celebrations at The Gujarati Association, Mander Street, Wolverhampton WV3 0JZ
| | | | | | | | Region 5 (North England and Northern Ireland)
Upcoming events: - Bolton Sai Centre, Warrington Sai Centre and Greater Manchester Sai Centre
- Saturday 11th November, 3-8pm: Akhand bhajans at The Place at Platt Lane, Platt Lane, Manchester M14 7FZ
- Bradford Sai Centre
- Thursday 23rd November, 7.30-10pm: Birthday celebrations at 252 Legrams Road, Bradford BD7 2HR
- Halifax Sai Group
- Saturday 18th November, 5pm: Birthday celebrations at Holy Trinity and St Jude's Church Hall, Savile Park, Halifax HD1 2XE
| | | | | | | | Region 6 (South & South East England) | | | | | | | | A Region 6 bhajan workshop was held on 14th October in Tunbridge Wells, attended by about 60 devotees. The session, which was led by mentors from the National team, was divided into 2 parts: part 1 comprised of the dos and don'ts of bhajan singing; and part 2 comprised of an interactive bhajan session where devotees were given opportunity to offer a bhajan to Swami and were given feedback accordingly by Brother Satish, the National Spiritual Coordinator. The session ended with aarti. | | | | | | | | Tunbridge Wells Sai Group held a vibrant celebration for Navratri on 15th October at Sister Monika's house, where around 40 devotees attended. Maa Devi was hailed with Vedam chanting, Lakshmi Ashtakam, Mahishasura Mardini stotram and bhajans and a special talk by a Bal Vikas student on the importance of Navratri. The session ended with aarti. Special bhajans were held by Farnborough Sai Centre on the occasion of Maha Ashtami on 22nd October. Around 25 devotees attended the bhajans and received Swami's blessings. As part of monthly seva, Eastbourne Sai Group donated non-perishable food items worth £30 to their local food bank. | | | | | | | | Rochester Sai Centre is now supporting the Maidstone Homeless Care charity's food bank, which is wonderfully supporting the homeless and needy in Maidstone, while the Centre will continue to support the Medway food bank every alternate month. As part of October seva, food items worth £198.10 were donated.
Upcoming events: - Basingstoke Sai Group
- Thursday 23rd November, 7pm: Birthday celebrations at Carnival Hall, Council Rd, Basingstoke RG21 3DH
- Eastbourne Sai Group
- Thursday 23rd November, 7pm: Birthday celebrations at 187 Kings Drive, Eastbourne BN21 2UH
- Farnborough Sai Centre
- Saturday 18th November, 8.30am: Ekadasha Rudram at Shiva Cultural and Community Centre, Queens Road, Aldershot GU11 3JU
- Saturday 18th November, 6pm - Sunday 19th November, 6am: Akhand bhajans at Shiva Cultural and Community Centre
- Sunday 19th November, 10am-3pm: Tree planting at Talavera Junior School, Gun Hill, Aldershot GU11 1RG
- Thursday 23rd November, 6.30pm: Birthday celebrations at Shiva Cultural and Community Centre
- Folkestone Sai Group
- Sunday 19th November, 2-7pm: Birthday celebrations at Shorncliffe Community Centre, Mackenzie Drive, Folkestone CT20 3LR
- Rochester Sai Centre
- Saturday 11th November, 4-7pm: Akhand bhajans at South Park Pavilion, Armstrong Road, Maidstone ME15 6AZ
- Tunbridge Wells Sai Group
- Saturday 25th November, 5pm: Birthday celebrations at Southborough Civic Centre, 137 London Rd, Southborough, Tunbridge Wells TN4 0NA
| | | | | | | | Region 7 (West & South West England and Wales) | | | | | | | | Devotees from Cheltenham Sai Group contributed their time on World Homeless Day, in October, to feed 100 people with the charity, Cheltenham Open Door, which feeds the homeless and other less fortunate people 3 times a week. It was heartwarming to see them enjoying the food that was prepared with a pinch of vibuthi and generous donations towards this service. | | | | | | | | Cheltenham Sai Group delivered 52kg of toiletries to Cheltenham Open Door in October. | | | | | | | | Cheltenham Sai Group also looks after and manages the local Hindu temple. There is no priest, so the Group cleans the place and keeps it open for the community. In October, the Group was involved with all Navratri preparations for the full 10 days. This included setting up the hall and cleaning every evening once everyone had left, ready for the next day.
Upcoming events: - Region 7
- Akhand bhajans and Online Study Circle: see flyers above
| | | | | | | | On 22nd October, Aberdeen Sai Centre celebrated Navratri at Sister Jayashree's house. The house was decorated with dolls arranged in steps, called "Golu" according to custom. Around 30 people attended the bhajans. After the bhajans, there was Mahaprashadam served.
Upcoming events: - Region 8
- Birthday celebrations: see flyer above
- Aberdeen Sai Centre
- Saturday 11th November, 6-8pm: Akhand bhajans at 17 Weaver Terrace, Hilton, Aberdeen, AB24 4SD
- Glasgow Sai Centre
- Saturday 11th November, 3-8pm: Akhand bhajans at Community Central Hall, 292-316 Maryhill Road, Glasgow G20 7YE
- Thursday 23rd November, 7.30pm: Birthday celebrations at 3 First Avenue, Bearsden, G61 2JD
- Edinburgh Sai Centre
- Saturday 11th November, 6-7pm: Akhand bhajans at 2 Granton Road, Edinburgh EH5 3QH
- Thursday 23rd November, 6.45-8pm: Birthday celebrations at 2 Granton Road
| | | | | | | | | | Sri Sathya Sai Organisation UK | |
Love All Serve All | Help Ever Hurt Never | | |
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