The Sri Satya Sai International Center And School For Human Values was established by Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, in March 1999 at New Delhi, as part of His overall mission of transforming Human Consciousness. The center, with His blessings, is visualized to have global implications and reach out to all nations, all peoples and all professions. As part of this mission of promoting Swami's message of Human values, love and service, the center organizes, regularly, a variety of programmes like group discussions, workshops and talks by eminent personalities.

On the 27th of April 2003, Maulana Waheeduddin Khan, the noted Islamic scholar, delivered an emotionally charged speech on "India: The Potential Spiritual Super Power" to a packed auditorium at the center. There was hardly a dry eye at the end of that spiritually elevating talk:

Spirituality is a higher level of consciousness. When one elevates oneself to a level where material things become secondary and inner meanings assume prime importance, then one is a spiritual person.

Just as the body needs bread, the soul needs nourishment. One can develop the soul by choosing forgiveness instead of anger, converting jealousy into a sentiment of wishing well, turning hatred into love, defusing tensions instead of harbouring them and opting for introspection when one feels aggrieved at the turn of events.

India is a land of spirituality. When the western world was engaged in technical activities and producing material experts, India was busy in spiritual activities and producing spiritual scientists in the form of Swamis and Sufis.

Swami Vivekananda was one day walking on the streets of Chicago and heard a lady saying to her husband that Swamiji did not appear to be a gentleman. He went up to her and said, " Excuse me, madam. In your country, a tailor makes a gentleman. In India, one is a gentleman if one has character."

India might be an underdeveloped country in the material sense, but it is a highly developed country in the spiritual sense. It is a potential spiritual super power. We need to generate a spiritual renaissance in the 21st century.

Vivekananda had predicted that after independence, India would assume the spiritual leadership of the world. The days of materialism and violence are over. The world is craving for spiritual solace and peace. It is here that India can play a major role.

Turning this potential into actuality would need a long and sincere effort. It is a struggle involving four phases.

First we have to build individual minds. Then we have to build a spiritual society. Then we have to fashion a nation based on peace, non-violence and spiritual values. Finally, by changing itself, India can change the whole world.

We can make a start by establishing an international university for spiritual studies in India. Its students can be sent out as ambassadors of peace, harmony and goodwill. In the process, a world based on peace and spirituality will gradually be brought into existence.

Spirituality is the very identity, the true soul of India. The magnificence of the lofty Himalayas, the eternal flow of our majestic rivers, the solace of our lush greenery and the songs of our beautiful birds exemplify it. Let us all work for the achievement of India's destiny.