TRANSFORMATION A FORTNIGHTLY E-ZINE PUBLISHED BY THE SATHYA SAI BABA CENTRAL COUNCIL OF MALAYSIA VOLUME 5 30 DEC 10-13 JAN 2011 Human Values Expo
A fortnightly column by Dr.Suresh Govind INNER TRANSFORMATION, OUTER TRANSMISSION PARADIGM SHIFT From event managers to mission drivers Event management is just managing the event. Such events necessarily need not lead to any future possibilities or other events. The event can be successful. People can pour their congratulatory messages on the excellent way in which the event has been organized after the event. The organizers can be applauded and the din and roar of clapping and applause will end and when the dust settles, the event may remains in some as vague memories. There is a danger in reducing our activities to event management. Whilst the excitement of organizing can invoke enthusiasm among people to galvanize their respective resources and materialize such events, we must dare to step back and ask the following questions:- What has been the purpose of this event? By participating in the organizing how have I improved? How has this event bene itted others? How will this event lead to other more meaningful events? These questions evolve event managers to mission drivers. Bhagavan has come to transform human consciousness. This should be the primary focus. However this is not an excuse for the spiritualists to reduce the majesty or grandeur of the event to simple ones. Ego is not measured by the size of the program but the motives and intentions of the program. A good evidence of this will be to recall the incredible love Hanuman had for his Master. The greatest project was to rescue Seeta and Hanuman with ease jumped to Lanka, his faith placed on the feet of Sri Rama. Perhaps to indicate to all devotees who come to Prashanti Nilayam, the tallest statue at the Hill View Stadium is that belonging to Hanuman. An eternal reminder that one should aspire for great goals but at the same time retain the simplicity and humility of one s nature. Walk for Values is one of the many events council have encouraged states to implement. It is an amazing program invoking hundreds to participate. From an initial trial of 650 the program in some states has managed to get up to 3000 people for a single event. These are indeed rare feats. We must congratulate the centers and states. Till this date, close to 8000 people have participated. We now need to apply the above four questions to the Walk for Values program and seek to ind answers. The quest to ind the right answers transforms the consciousness from event managers to mission drivers.
Mission drivers are always enthusiastic. They always want to see what is next. They live in the present for a wonderful future. Some states have!. Johor is a good example. They had close to 3000 people attending the walk but immediately after the walk they knocked on the doors of the schools that participated in the Walk for Values and approached the State Education ministry to implement the follow up program. The essay writing competition attracted over 40 schools. (From left) Johor Baru district education office s assistant officer for Bahasa Malaysia (secondary) Raziah Abdul Rahim, Sathya Sai Baba Johor chairman K. Govindan and committee member Dr Hidendra Doshi showing the poster for essay-writing contest. (Source: NST) They worked with the MP s of ice and launched this worthy program where students were encouraged to write on value subjects. On the prize giving day for the best essays, they had the wisdom to take the event to another height. An opportunity to offer the SSE teacher training and STAR program were highlighted and these were made to 5 identi ied schools that re lected poor performance in the state. The State education ministry agreed to the proposal. The dates are being ixed. This indeed is a good example of transforming event management to mission drivers. Sri Muda who also had close to 3000 people went back to the schools and launched environmental and other value based programs within the schools. Hence the purpose of all these events is to provide an opportunity for us to take the transformation process to another step. Every devotee must use the four questions as the four pillars to jump and catapult our consciousness to higher heights. Every event in the center be it Swami s birthday celebration or a religious festival we must ask these four questions. Ipoh celebrated Bhagavan Baba s birthday and highlighted Bhagavan s unity in diversity principle by celebrating with all other religious groups. They celebrated the diversity and enjoyed the amazing cultures Malaysia is blessed with. If the event ends here, it becomes an event management. However if the leadership based on this event calls for a meeting amongst all other religious leaders and open a FGIS chapter in Ipoh and implement service and medical camps in rural communities for starters we evolve to mission drivers. Mission drivers are always enthusiastic. They always want to see what is next. They live in the present for a wonderful future. They make destinies and become embodiments of Swami s message who will dare to live the lives Swami wants without asking for any return. We must ask the 4 questions. time is short. We must make an impact that people upon the touch of these programs are propelled to seek peace and love and they in turn become good citizens and ideal human beings. All great Masters had mission drivers who propagated the message of the respective Masters. Let us be Mission drivers! We must.
HUMAN VALUES EXPO An Expo With a Difference Bhagawan s 85 birthday celebration in Johor this year was organized with a difference through a HUMAN VALUES EXPO, the irst ever in Malaysian history!. We wished Bhagawan Happy Birthday by spreading the message of Love All, Serve All in the community as we felt a strong need to share the Lord s message with one and all in a universal manner. Nevertheless, the happiness of the Lord will only manifest if we too as an individual make it a point to practice it all along the way as the Lord s repeated call to the youths kept echoing in our hearts One who practices and propagates the ideals such as goodness, morality and truth is a YOUTH in the strict sense of the term. In fact, only such people are your best friends and MY BEST FRIENDS TOO. Hence we started of the meetings keeping this inner transformation as the goal through outer transmission in the form of the EXPO. With that inspiration, the youths from Johor made a humble proposal of organizing an EXPO with the theme of Love All, ServeAll to exhibit the good work being carried out by various other NGO s, private organizations and governmental bodies. The sole objective of the exhibition was to raise the consciousness in society through understanding, experiencing and having the conviction that pure love and sel less service is the key to happiness which is the ultimate goal of man. Very soon, a working committee was formed with the united involvement of all Sai Devotees from Johor and Bhagawan manifested a successful EXPO on December 4th, 2010. Approximately thirty NGO s set up exhibition booths displaying their contribution to society in the form of service to mankind. More than twenty Human Values Posters were exhibited as there was a parallel competition among college students. Not forgetting the young ones, a human values art competition was also organized. The entire atmosphere was illed with inspirations through exhibits, competitions, music, performances and face painting. The Chief Minister of Johor was the guest of honour however due to other urgent matters; Bhagawan willed that the representative to grace the event shall be the Minister of Welfare Department. Words of compliments to SAI for the good work being done through HIS organization were a testimony that the message of Love All, Serve All is the Way Forward in achieving the government vision on One Malaysia.
Above all, an inspirational book entitled Love All, Serve All comprising of articles written by presidents and active leaders of various organizations was launched and given free to public. The book was compiled by the Sathya Sai Youths of Malaysia and it was a humble contribution by individuals from different faiths and religions in our society with a common message of how pure love and sel less service can transform hearts and change A write up on the Human Values Expo which attracted more than 800 visitors featured in the New Straits Times lives. The manifestation of the Book was indeed a re lection Unity of Faiths by sharing and inspiring each other on the message of our Dear Lord. The uniqueness of this event was that there was so much to learn and emulate from other organizations based on the type of service rendered, the variety of services being provided from medical aids and free surgeries to educational support for the needy, and emotional support for distressed. There are also people out there who render service by giving joy to the world by making people laugh simply by dressing like a clown with all humility. Most importantly, there are youths out there who actually regularly carry out outreach programs. One such organization which touched many of our hearts is the Paci ic Youth Outreach Society. Getting to know them personally only made us convinced that time was not a limiting factor as the majority were professionals lying high in their carrier and some owning their own businesses. They chose to make time for God s work. Above all, there was so much of simplicity and humility regardless of their economic and educational strengths. It was an awakening that there are youths out there living up to the teachings of Sai with no identi ication of the form at all. It was simply amazing to see HIS message in the lives of others. From the organizing point of view, this was a irst ever EXPO of such manner being organised with the support of various NGO s. We have learned some valuable points to make making it a bigger success in the future. More individual commitment, advanced preparation, appropriate location and a suitable day may have attracted many more
for such a noble event. The challenge now is to transform it from an event to a SAI MISSION in the State Calendars of Malaysia and beyond. Though the leading members were youths but the support, motivation and courage came from the elders in the organization. It was a great opportunity to get to know each other better, to grow spiritually through the challenges we faced, and to kill the ego within. It was a journey within for introspection and transformation. We were given a golden opportunity to experience being a lute for Bhagawan to play his divine melody of Love All, Serve All to the community. Though the EXPO may have inspired many souls, a greater inspiration blossomed in our own hearts in return as we continue to aspire to become better lutes as an instrument for Bhagawan so that many more in society can experience the enchanting music of human values. Jai Sai Ram. With Lots of Love, Organising Committee, Human Values EXPO 2010, Johor.
THE SECRET: To the Joy of Parenting I was in my thirties, with 3 children aged 9, 5 and 1. I was grappling with a full-time career, and my multiple roles as mother, wife, daughter, daughter-in-law, sister, friend and professional (not necessarily in that order). Time was short. So were tempers. Responsibilities were plentiful. Being a parent was really tough, and not as joyous as elders made it seem. Perhaps, I was just a bad parent. These thoughts weighed down on me. Then, the grace of the teachings of Parentcare touched my life. It was 2004, and I attended the Parentcare inaugural Train the Trainers session at the Sai School in Kuala Lumpur. The joy of bringing out the child in us as we walk the path as Parents was beautifully illustrated by dedicated trainers, through a fun- illed weekend. The essence of celebrating health, energy, creativity, intuition, and all this consciously, was passionately conveyed to unfold effective techniques of Healthy Parenting, Energy Parenting, Conscious Parenting, Creative Parenting and Intuitive Parenting. In short, Parentcare provides a well reasoned, structured and workable guide to joyful parenting, towards a peaceful world. After all, if the children of today are balanced and at peace with themselves, the world will be at peace. For children to be balanced and at peace with themselves, their parents must have guided them in their youth and childhood to be balanced and at peace with themselves. Are we as Parents suf iciently equipped to nurture balanced and peace loving children? Our education system may not have prepared us, and our rat-race environment may not support us in this task. Parentcare does. If you ind yourself unhappy with your child, or with yourself for the manner in which you interact with your child, join us at the next Parentcare session. It will make a huge difference to your life, and the world. Yes, it will require you to set aside some time; but 2 days in 50 years is really not too much to ask of yourself, is it? The National Parentcare Train the Trainers Programme will be held on 15-16 January 2011 in Kuala Lumpur. The world needs you, to bring peace through your children. Contact Sister Sitpah at 012-3157357 for more information.
SATHYA SAI BABA 85th Birthday Celebrations Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba birthday celebrations were conducted on a grand scale throughout Malaysia. The celebrations were preceded by various service activities like feeding the poor, visits to old folk s homes, hospitals and blood donation drives. Central Region Selangor and Wilayah Persekutuan In the central Region, were there are 14 centres and 6 bhajan units, a state level public program was organized on the 28th November. The theme was Unity in Diversity It was held at the Ideal Convention centre in Selayang, Kuala Lumpur. The programme started at 5.30am with Omkaar and Suprabatham followed by Vedas and Bhajans. Later there were plays, sketches, songs and dances by the Balvikas children, Mahilas and some Youth. Nearly 150 children from various Centres participated. The highlight of the programme was a talk by Bro. Vijay Menon, who is the Kerala State Youth Coordinator. He was specially invited for the birthday celebrations. He delivered an awe inspiring talk cantered on Veda Prachar, Animal Care and Vegetarianism. The talk was enthusiastically received by the audience. The programme came to an end at 1.45pm with Arathi. An estimated crowd of 800 persons attended this event.
SATHYA SAI BABA 85th Birthday Celebrations Northern (Region Penang and Kedah) Kedah Though there were no state level celebrations, Swami s birthday was celebrated in the most joyous environment in all centres. Langkawi, Alor Setar, Sungai Petani, Kuala Kedah and Kulim centres had their celebrations and the general public were invited to witness the performance of the SSEHV Children. Penang Sri Sathya Sai Baba Centre of Penang celebrated Sai Baba's 85th Birthday at the Dewan Sri Pinang with the lighting of Jyothi by YB Tuan Phee Boon Poh, (Penang State Exco for Health and Welfare, Caring Society and the Environment) representing the Chief Minister of Penang. YB Phee brought with him "Swami's Robe" given to his late father, Uncle Joo Teik, and placed it at the Altar. The evening commenced with EHV Children Dancing, Bhajans, Four Candles, a short story depicting Human Values, "Smaranam", a musical presentation by the youths, Presentation of Pledges to Seven Charitable Organizations and Mementos to Vegetable Shop Owners who donated vegetables to our Sai brothers and sisters for distribution to hardcore poor at Perai in Butterworth, Ri le Range Flats and Sungai Pinang Flats on Penang Island. The evening was followed by Birthday Song, Cake Cutting Ceremony, Arathi, Vibuthi Distribution and Prasadam. About 800 people attended this function. As part of the birthday celebration we also had a Blood and Organ Donation drive together with Book sales on the outside of the hall. In the morning we had Suprapatham, Yagna, Bhajans and Nagarasankeertan at the Penang Road Krishna Temple, Penang. Melaka The celebrations began on 23rd November 2010 at 5am. It commenced with the usual Omkār, Suprabhātam andnagarsankeertan. Devotees of Melaka Centre had a spiritual morning with chanting of Pūrņakumbha Mantra, Vedapārāyanam, Bhagavān Śrī Satya Sāi Așţtotra Śata Nāmāvali i followed by bhajans. Later, we had the pleasure of serving 2 special homes who visited the centre for the celebration. Breakfast was given to them and goody bags were distributed.
EXPERIMENT, EXPERIENCE, & ACCEPT THE LIGHT! In the early days women were seen as wives who were intended to cook, clean, and take care of the kids. Housework, chores and raising children were and are generally considered to belong to a woman's domain. The ongoing changes in social, political and economic spheres of the country entail the raise of women's role in society. The role of women in the family has shifted signi icantly. Over the past hundred years, despite this changing view of the role of women in the family, and not discounting men's contributions to childcare and household chores, women still maintain the primary responsibility for care of the children and household. The woman is the pillar of the home, of society, of the nature and so of humanity itself. A woman must know the secret of mental peace, of inner silence, of spiritual courage, of contentment, which is the greatest wealth and of adhyatmic discipline, which gives lasting joy! The vision of the organization for the women is the empowerment of fundamentals of life and living through the structured LIGHT program to help us women to lead a more purposeful and enriched life and makes our homes happier and more beautiful. The roles of the Wanitas are to appreciate, understand and imbibe the vision of the organization. Swami has said "Only when the individual is good does society advance, when society improves so does the nation, the well-being of the individual, society and nation is based on observing the human values. As a consequence, the spiritual transformation of the individual is the base for peace on Earth." The individual here is the woman, and the LIGHT program is aimed at providing the tools that support women in their journey to SHINE. The program gives the impetus to remove the clouds that hide the inner Light, enhancing them in all ways. Building the foundation of themselves, their families and from
that the nation. 1) Love (Energy) - Woman is a personi ication of Love. Love is the unseen undercurrent binding the values of truth, peace, right conduct and non-violence. 2) Inner Beauty (Mind) - Inner beauty is the pure essence of goodness that resonates from a human being. When you can feel the energy of love from the presence of a certain person, you are recognizing the inner beauty of that person. Tradition & Culture Love LIGHT Inner Beauty 3) Growth (Intellect) - One of the best gifts given to us by God is minds that are capable of learning and growth. Growth is not about creation of money or time; rather it is the management of the resources available to us in such a way as to utilize those resources to meet our needs, rather than our greed. Health Growth LIGHT stands for Love, Inner Beauty, Growth, Health, Tradition & Culture 4) Health (Body) - Positive health implies perfect functioning of body and mind in a given social milieu, and a continuous adjustment to the changing demands of life and environment. 5) Tradition and Culture (Bliss) - Malaysian culture is composed primarily of Malays, Chinese and Indians. Cultures can only realize their further richness by honoring other traditions. The woman is the energy that drives the home. Five personality domains provide women with the will, ability and knowledge to harness that energy positively. The Light Program addresses these essential aspects, supporting the development of happy, healthy and whole women. The Wanita wing urges all women to Experiment, experience, and accept the LIGHT! This program was launched on 20th of November 2010 during the Ladies Day.
Launch of Kemaman Bhajan Unit by Bro.Pritam Singh In our efforts to take the Sai Mission to the next level in the East Coast, the Sathya Sai Baba Bhajan Unit of Kemaman was launched on Saturday 11 December 2010 with the Sathya Sai Baba Centre Kuantan as its parent centre. The prayer hall is an awesome sight with a magni icent altar that has a lotus design. The montage on the wall is also a sight to behold. The launch was a very successful event attended by more than 250 devotees from as far as Muar, Johor Baru. Bentong, Raub, Kuala Terengganu, Kuantan and Kemaman. For the occasion, the centre was colourfully decorated. The seating inside the centre was reminiscent of Prashanti Nilayam as some 180-200 devotees cramped into the prayer hall that can at most accommodate 120 people. Many of the devotees had to sit on the staircase as well as on chairs on the ground loor. The programme, which started at 6.00pm, included video clips of Bhagawan Baba giving darshan, Chinese New Year celebrations in Puttaparti and a dance presentation by EHV students from the Bakri Bhajan Unit.Vedic chanting and melodious bhajans created very positive vibrations. National SCA advisor, Yong Kong Why represented Bro. Billi Fong, the National SCA vice-president, at the launch. State Coordinator, Bro. Pritam Singh congratulated the Kemaman devotees, in particular Bro. Yap Lee Yong and Sister Teo Guet Cheng, for taking the initiative to set up the bhajan unit and providing a premise to be used for Sai activities. A beautiful building does not a centre make. A centre must be vibrant with sel less love (nish karma prema) and activities spiritual, education and service, he reminded the devotees. Exhibition at Hospital Kuala Lumpur The Hospital Kuala Lumpur administrative team invited the Sathya Sai Baba Central Council of Malaysia as one of the fourteen NGOs from Selangor and Wilayah to put up booths in the hospital lobby on 14th December showcasing activities on Environment Care, Social and Medicare projects to increase public awareness. The exhibition team was led by Bro.Mahendran, Bro.Tan Suei and Dr.Renu Gopinath.