August 11, 2010 – “Guru Kripa” Drama by Sai Youth of Delhi

The second part of the programme by Delhi (NCR) was scheduled on August 11 and as announced the previous day, it was a drama entitled “Guru Kripa” (The compassion of the preceptor). The Veda chanting concluded at 5:30 p.m. and everyone awaited Swami’s arrival. In a few minutes, the security people at the residence were on alert and it became clear that Swami would arrive any minute. It began to rain!

Naturally, the carpets were changed and the car was kept ready. As Swami came out, He seemed to say that the rain was hardly a drizzle and He chose not to use the car. The whole audience burst into delighted applause seeing their beloved Swami come to them in the chair itself!

Moving through the ladies’ side, Swami arrived in front of the backdrop. There were about a dozen participants seated there and Swami looked at all of them, speaking to one of them as He passed by. Completing His round on the gents’ side, He arrived at the Veda chanting group. He spoke for about 2-3 minutes to a student there before moving towards the portico. Taking a round in the portico, Swami arrived on the stage and even as He arrived, looked at a student in the front and said, “See that side (Not at me!)” The student simply smiled.

The mantrapushpam was being chanted and Swami read a few letters. Once that was complete, the chanting moved on to mantras that were not commonly known to all. Swami immediately looked up and asked for the chanting to be stopped! He smiled then and asked the Delhi state president to begin the programme. A few key actors from the drama to be staged came forward to Swami and made offerings of a card and flowers. Swami blessed them all and then the programme began.

The drama was set in modern Delhi and presented a typical household. The father is a pious man with firm belief in the Bharatiya way of life. The mother and son are “modern” in pooh-poohing everything ancient and traditional. The boy doing the role of the modern mother was so perfect that ‘his’ mere arrival on the scene would throw Swami into fits of laughter!

The drama began with a wandering fakir singing a song about the Truth of Life. The composition was taken from the Sufi saint, Bulle Shah. While the father is thrown into heights of inspiration by the song, the mother brandishes a stick to the fakir and tells him never to visit their street again. Swami broke into laughter at this sight! The ‘mother’ was a real natural.

The son is a highly placed government officer, full of ego and pride at his position. The heights of these vices come to the fore when he mistreats his own teacher from school. The teacher comes to seek his help to get back his land from the clutches of a local hoodlum. Speaking arrogantly, he criticizes his teacher of accusing unjustly and just tears apart his papers before storming out of the room. The teacher is heart broken but he takes it in his stride. The father appears on the scene and since he has witnessed everything, he apologises on behalf of his son.

The fakir appears in the next scene, singing out another song of Bulle Shah. When he sang “Allah” in a long aalaap, Swami turned and looked at the student who usually sings the alaap bhajan “Allahu Akbar”! They exchanged smiles. The father now narrates to the son the story of saint Bulle Shah. Bulle Shah, against much opposition from his family and society in general, stood by his devotion to his guru, Inayat Shah Quadri who was from a lower caste.

Bulle Shah declared firmly that he would forgo his family and worldly life, but not his "Sai", who was his revered guru. It was wonderful because whenever Bulle Shah spoke of his “Sai” everyone present in the hall would relate to our beloved Sai. And every dialogue matched so aptly and it was not surprising that some had tears in their eyes. The scene changes were done by bringing three curtains to the foreground and Swami was amused by that too.

During one of the scenes, the mother brandishes her slippers and chases the domestic help! When she did this, Swami burst out laughing. It felt so wonderful and blessed indeed was this boy for he was making the Lord laugh so much. The son is not much impressed with Bulle Shah’s story. But soon, he is in soup! A classmate from school, currently the Inspector General, arrives to arrest him for carrying out shady deals.

At this point, the teacher who had taught both at school arrives on the scene and rescues the disillusioned lad by standing for him. Everything turns out well in the end and the egotist learns his lesson of humility and the importance of the teacher.

The drama had two dances and three songs. The songs were all so powerful and poignant. The singer had sung them soulfully and it was beautiful listening to them, to say the least. As the whole group came together for the final formation, Swami called the fakir and materialized a gold chain with a Ganesha pendant for him. Putting it around his neck, Swami saw that the pendant rested on his elaborate beard.

Swami told him sweetly, “Put the chain inside after you remove the costumes!” The boy nodded and went back to his place. Swami decided to move down and grant group photos immediately after the final song. He asked all the boys to cluster closely around Him and it was very evident that He was very pleased with their performance. Swami directed the photographers to the centre, left and the right to ensure that everyone was covered.

He moved up the stage and looking at the student in the front, told him to sing the alaap bhajan, “Allahu Akbar.” That bhajan began and everyone followed whole-heartedly. At the end of it, Swami told the singers to sing the other alaap bhajan, Sree Raghavam. Then, Swami told the state president to call out everyone who had been associated with the drama. Everyone arrived to the marbled block in the centre and Swami said that He would move down again and grant them photos! This was simply amazing! A second descent on the same evening!

In the meanwhile, the photo of the ‘fakir’ receiving the chain was brought and Swami presented it to him. Now, Swami moved down and once again, it was deja-vu! He smiled and directed the photographers to different positions to take pictures. Having done that, He moved up the stage. He was still not satisfied!

The “descent” of the Lord was followed by the “ascent” of man as Swami called the participants in small groups of 4-5 and posed with them for photos on the stage! This was a blessing which surely none would even have imagined. Swami spoke to many of the boys and blessed all of them. Conveying His great joy and satisfaction to the state president, Swami asked for aarthi.

After the aarthi, Swami blessed everyone and began to move towards the residence. Enroute, Swami profusely blessed Lakhwinder Wadali, the Sufi singer who mesmerised the audience with his scintillating sufi rendering on the previous evening. Interacting with the singer, Swami gave him fistfuls of Vibhuti prasadam. Near the interview room, the group photo that had been taken was presented to Him. He took it and gifted it to the state president and smiled. It was 7:45 p.m. when another eventful and beautiful evening concluded in the Divine Presence.

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