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Posted on: June 03, 2014
Circulating the Joy of Service Through Scintillating Cycling
Part 02
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The Joy-Ride Becomes a Revealing Ride as it begins with Kasaragod and Kannur
“The way it turned out, I was to ride through 11 out of the 14 districts of Kerala, leaving out districts either because of the relatively reduced patient density, or if the patient was in too remote a location. I was to ride from the northern most district of Kerala, Kasaragod and continue south till Thiruvananthapuram. Another reason why I started at the top was that 90% of the nearly 3,000 cardiac patients treated in our hospitals so far from this state come from its northern regions.
“To save time, I did the 300 kilometres journey from Bangalore to Kasaragod by bus.”
On the morning of November 22, Sai devotees from Kasaragod received Satish and took him to their samithi (Sai centre), where a 'Hrudaya Sangamam' was scheduled that day.
“Being a border district, the patients were conversant with Kannada, and I vividly remember one person coming up to me after the program and sharing how happy he was after having received treatment at the hospital. He was especially grateful to the doctors and shared that there was no comparison between the doctors working in the Sai hospitals and in private hospitals.
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Patients being led in a mind relaxation exercise during the Hrudaya Sangamam |
“What moved me the most here is how so many patients have turned into active Sai workers including a girl who is now a dedicated Bal Vikas guru. The transformatory effect of being treated in Sai hospitals is so heartening. This indeed was a revelation for me.”
You could see that gleam in Satish's eye, that inner satisfaction of having connected with his hospital's beneficiaries at a much more personal level. And this only intensified further on this first day of his endeavour as the devotees took him to the neighbouring district of Kannur in the afternoon of the same day.
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| Patients receiving Vibhuti and Swami's pictures after the Hrudaya Sangamam |
“It was 2 pm by the time the program at Kasaragod concluded and I was to reach Kannur by 5 pm for another program there. Since it couldn’t have been achieved by bike, I choose to go by train from Kasaragod to Kannur.”
It was here that Satish had his first chance of visiting the homes of two patients - Santhosh, an autorickshaw driver and Sajeendran, a radio mechanic.
“This was a very heart-warming experience for me,” recalled Satish, his being pulsating with joy. “They were not people of great means and the way they extended hospitality to us, and most important, the respect they had for the hospital and the love they had for Swami in their hearts was overwhelming. I could not understand their language Malayalam, but there was no need; you only needed to see their eyes which spoke a million words about what they deeply feel about Baba's hospital, and those associated with the facility.”
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| Santosh, an auto driver, who received the gift of life from Swami's hospital |
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| Sajeendran, who was treated at Baba's hospital, now hale and hearty |
At the end of day one, Satish was indeed happy but sad and worried too. “The whole day had passed and I had not done even a bit of cycling at all! By the time the programme ended at Kasaragod it was one in the afternoon and the devotees at Kannur had scheduled for me to be there by 4pm. The distance between the two was 100 kilometres. If I managed to cover an average of 20 kms per hour, it would have taken me at least 5-6 hours of cycling. So everyone persuaded me to drop the planned ride and get into a train; I literally had little choice. Some of them driven by excessive concern even said 'Kerala is not safe for cycles...we will not allow you to make long rides here...' and so on. My heart was in my mouth!
“Here I was supposedly on a cycling adventure but first had to hoist my bike onto a bus and now carry it inside a train! At this rate I wondered to what sorry state my entire venture might reduce to! I just started praying to Swami.”
And Bhagawan did respond. After a night’s rest at the house of Prasanna Kumar, the district in-charge for the Sathya Sai Publications, Kerala, the next day began with a short but satisfying 25 kilometre ride from Kannur to Thalassery, a commercial town on the coast in the same district.
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| Satish begins his first leg of the bike journey from Kannur on November 23, 2013 |
Thrilled by Sai Health Care in Thalassery and Mahe
“What blew me off here was Mr. Jayaram, a retired gentleman, who was operated in our hospital in Puttaparthi way back in 1994! There was this inexplicable peace in his eyes and solemn calmness in his mannerisms; he would not speak much but gratitude just exuded from his being copiously. Even today the Sai Rehab doctors call on him and enquire about his well-being.
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| Mr. Jayaram, who has been under the care of Swami's healthcare mission, for the past 20 years |
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| Reports of Mr. Jayaram, who was treated at SSSIHMS, Prasanthigram in 1993 |
“When I saw this I just could not help wonder which hospital in this world would go to the door step of the patient who was operated 20 years ago and enquire about his or her welfare! Even if any did that, they would demand a ransom! But here it was being offered so freely and with so much love! Frankly, what a privilege and honour Swami had conferred on me by allowing me to witness all this as a representative of this hallowed institution!”
As a messenger of Sai healthcare mission, Satish had many roles to play. In Thalassery, he was asked to speak to a gathering of former patients in the Sai Samithi. “Everywhere I had only one message to convey: 'I am blessed to be with you and I am here on behalf of the directors, doctors, surgeons, nurses and all the staff of both these hospitals to let you know that we are with you, we constantly pray for you and your continued welfare, and your well-being means everything to us.'”
As Satish reminisced those treasured moments – his face flushed with serenity and silent joy, he paused as if to self-introspect, took a deep breath and then said, “What a profound welcome change it was for me - from someone who was always looking at purchase order papers to actually participate and partake in the happiness of patients, hold their hands, click a picture with them and tell them how much Swami loves them, and share and relish that Love...it was beautiful!”
Obviously, Satish was thrilled but this was just the beginning. He experienced plenty of this love more that day and on subsequent days. From Thalassery he rode 20 kms to Mahe, a small town which is officially a part of the Union Territory of Pondicherry. Here he was stopped briefly by a devotee who took him to a house where vibhuti appeared on Swami's pictures.
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| A devoted couple in Mahe where Vibhuti was materialising from Baba's pictures |
In Mahe, Satish met Mr. Rajesh, the SRP Coordinator of Kozhikode district and he literally put him and his cycle in his car and took him to Vadakara, where around 30 patients had gathered. Satish again felt helpless; in fact, he was in a constant moral dilemma because Rajesh informed him how programmes have been going on in so many samithis that day to mark Bhagawan's Birthday! Yes, it was November 23!
The Gift of Birthday Blessings
“I cannot have you miss any of these beautiful celebrations today,” Rajesh was almost determined, and added, “Besides, people are already waiting for several hours in many places.”
“On one hand was my passion for cycling but on the other hand I was concerned about how I inconvenience others because of my chosen mode of transport.”
It was a difficult decision and Satish just surrendered to Swami and allowed himself to go with the flow. And it indeed was turning out into a memorable day.
Satish recalls, “The number of Sai devotees I met and the variety of programmes I attended that day was phenomenal. If I were cycling, it would have easily taken me two days to cover all those places; so, yes, it was a worthwhile sacrifice of cycling joy for Sai joy!'
However as the day drew to a close he did have his share of good hours of cycling too because after visiting Vadakara Samithi, Koyilandy Samithi, the Sai school at Sri Sailam and the Westhill Samithi - all in the Kozhikode district, Satish now got on to the two wheels and did 60 kms despite being late in the evening. In fact it was 10pm by the time he reached Perinthalmanna, a town in the Malappuram district, the last Northern district of the state.
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| Interacting with patients at Vadakara |
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| Entrance to Swami's school at Srisailam |
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| The Srisailam school children in action |
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| The residence of Bhagawan in Srisailam |
“This ride was indeed challenging not only because it was dark but also the terrain was highly undulating. In many places I was on the lowest gear and could manage only a speed of 3-4 kmph. Besides, being a coastal stretch, it was uncomfortably humid. I was sweating profusely and had to constantly hydrate myself. This is because it had been an extremely tiring day. I woke up at 3.30am that day and had cycled around 50 km, and then attended a host of programmes in two districts with absolutely no break. Normally, cycling 100 kms is my upper limit for a day, that too with sufficient rest in between. But on that day doing this century km ride was only a minuscule part of my activities. I have no clue how I managed it! It was completely Swami's grace.” As Satish said this, he paused and after a while a little smile erupted on his face as if something in his mind had just clicked.
“This Birthday was so special for me!” he went on. “I not only got my fill of cycling which I love, but I was also a recipient of His love all day long because I was only moving from one devoted gathering to another.”
The next instance, looking straight into my eyes, he said, “You were rejoicing in the Birthday celebration in the Divine Presence in Sai Kulwant Hall but I was completely immersed in the glory of His Divine Omnipresence.”
Seeing the Prasanthi in Perinthalmanna
'He indeed had a great time!' I said to myself. What happened next day thrilled Satish even more. He was put up in Perinthalmanna in a hostel called 'Sai Sneha Theeram' (The Shores of the Flowing Stream of Sai Love). He woke up in the morning to see little children peering through the windows of his room, and eyeing the bike parked outside with wonder.
The Sai Samithi Convenor of Perinthalmanna, Mr. Balakrishnan Nair explained to him how this institution was set up by Sai devotees for children of the adivasis (the natives) to protect them from alcoholism and prostitution, which was rampant in that area. “And these children were as disciplined and self-reliant as the boys in our school in Prasanthi Nilayam – the same innocence, kind manners, god-loving nature and hectic routine. I was so pleasantly surprised... such awesome service, especially in an area like that! This institution was slowly changing the colour and character of that town for good,” Satish recalled.
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| Satish addressing patients at the Hrudaya Sangamam at Perinthalmanna, Mallapuram district |
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| Dr. Ramdas counselling the patients |
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| Patients assembled for consultation and counselling in Perinthalmanna |
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| Children from the 'Sai Sneha Theeram' |
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| Students from a dental college spend a holiday with the Sai children in Perinthalamanna |
“Apart from this, I met two fantastic individuals in this Malappuram district: Dr. Ramdas and Mrs. Radhamani. The father of the former started a clinic in Perinthalmanna way back in 1946. He was highly principled and of a charitable nature. His son, Dr. Ramdas, runs this facility on the same lines as his father, and offers free services to patients from Sai hospitals. He is one of the key coordinators of the Sai Rehab programmes in that district. Thanks to him I actually had the chance to witness another Hrudaya Sangamam. This counselling and health awareness camp like the ones before was again a moving experience. I saw how patients were so touched by the experience of having received completely free treatment, in an environment surcharged with love and compassion. They were served lunch after the program and given vibhuti and a picture of Swami when they left. The treasured imagery in my heart that day was the faces of the patients, which were so full of reverence and gratitude for Swami.
“It was here that I also came across Mrs. Radhamani whose dedication to Swami's mission is exemplary. Professionally, she is a qualified health worker and now she uses all her skills to counsel and advise patients. And how does she do it? By visiting them in each of their houses, door to door! If you shadow her, this is what you are most likely to hear her share with the patients in Malayalam: 'Please follow this diet chart', 'Stick to these medicines regularly', 'Avoid non-veg and oil’, ‘Include more fibre in your diet', 'Exercise every day and come to me if there is pain'...and so on; she would be busy throughout the day. I was a personal witness to this as I accompanied her to the houses of a stone-cutter and a grand-mother and saw how she lovingly enquired about their well-being.”
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| Mrs. Radhamani conducting a house visit; the man in the centre was treated at Swami's hospital |
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