Sri Sathya Sai International Organization

Narendranath Reddy, MD graduated in medicine with honours from S.V. Medical College, Tirupathi, India. Dr. Reddy received three Gold medals for outstanding academic achievement in premedical undergraduate program. He specialised in internal medicine at the New Jersey College of Medicine and Dentistry and sub-specialisation in endocrinology at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York. He has been a consultant and a practicing internist-endocrinologist in Southern California for 40 years. A fellow of the American College of Physicians and a fellow of American College of Endocrinologists, he served on the teaching faculty at the Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Four generations of Dr. Reddy's family have been followers of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, with Dr. Reddy himself having come to Bhagawan Baba at the age of five. Dr. Reddy and his family have been hosting a Sathya Sai Centre in their home for more than 30 years. Dr. Reddy serves as the Chairman of the Prasanthi Council, the administrative body of the Sathya Sai International Organisation (SSIO) which has a huge voluntary network in more than 120 countries.

Sri R.J. Rathnakar is the son of Swami's younger brother Sri R.V. Jankiramiah. Right from birth, Sri Rathnakar grew up under the loving care and divine guidance of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, who prepared him to take up higher responsibilities in His divine mission.  He was awarded the All-Rounder Gold Medal in 1990 and graduated from the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning with an MBA in 1991. Bhagawan later appointed him as the Chairman of the Srimati Easwaramma High School, Puttaparthi, and in March 2010, Swami appointed him as a Trustee of the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust. Currently, he also serves as the managing trustee of Sri Sathya Sai Sadhana Trust and the Public Charitable Trust of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning.

Mr. T.G. Krishnamurthy was born in Chennai, India in 1937. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry in 1958 from Loyola College, Chennai. Mr. TGK has served as the President of the Tamil Nadu chamber of commerce, honorary secretary and correspondent of Sri Thyagaraya educational institutions. He has served in the Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organization India as the District President of Chennai in 1976, member of the State trust in 1978, State trust convener in 1982 and as the State President of Tamil Nadu in 1995. Mr. TG Krishnamurthy and his wife Mrs. Soundarya Krishnamurthy have been fortunate to have innumerable intimate experiences with Bhagawan.  Bhagawan on numerous occasions has blessed him to speak to devotees at Prasanthi Nilayam, Brindavan, Ooty, Kodaikanal and Chennai in His Divine Presence.

Dr. U. Suma Rao’s journey with Bhagwan began as a student of the Balvikas programme in Mumbai. She then went on to pursue her studies at the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning where she received the All-Rounder Gold Medal from the Divine hands of Bhagwan in the year 1990. Dr. Suma is currently serving as Associate Professor in the Department of Commerce and Management at the Anantapur Campus, which she joined upon Bhagwan’s command in 1998. She completed her Ph.D. on ‘Top women Executives in India’ in 2014. Her study explored structure and agency in the areas of work-life balance and gender bias. She is also the recepients of the ‘Sai Krishna Award’ given by the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning for excellence in teaching. Her family has been closely associated with Bhagavan since the late eighties. In addition to excellence in academics, teaching and mentoring students, she is also a superlative actor who has time and again been appreciated by Bhagavan for dramatic performances in her student days. She is also an inspired artist with several creative artworks to her credit. Personally, she defines herself as a seeker, a learner and a pilgrim in the long, but sure journey towards Sai.

Mr. V.S.R. Murthy is an oil technologist of International repute who is known for his brilliant eloquence, especially in Telugu language, having delivered hundreds of talks in India and abroad. He relentlessly worked for eradication of child labour system and elimination of Thalassemia and is also an academic council member of the Institute of Scientific Research established in 2005 in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh. An ardent devotee of Bhagawan since 1962, Bhagawan fondly called him a “Spiritual Scientist” even when Murthy was hardly 18 years old. Mr. Murthy has authored 20 books on spiritually, Adi Sankara, Sri Ramana Maharshi and Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, some of them are translated into English. Mr. V.S.R. Murthy is a regular guest speaker on TV channels and All India Radio (AIR) expounding on science and spirituality. It is estimated that he has delivered about 20,000 discourses and his talks and interviews on RadioSai are familiar with listeners.

Dr. Sanjay Mahalingam is a proficient academic and educator at the Sri Sathya Institute of Higher Learning, Prashanti Nilayam. Dr. Sanjay Mahalingam, has lived and worked in Puttaparthi, since completing his MBA (2004) and PhD (2008) from the Sri Sathya Institute of Higher Learning, Prashanti Nilayam. While his areas of expertise include Quality Management, Operations Management, Supply Chain Management and Transformational Leadership, Dr. Sanjay is widely regarded as a gifted communicator, a skill that he has consciously employed in transmitting the teachings of his spiritual master, Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. Blessed with innumerable personal interviews, travels and many more personal interactions with Bhagawan baba, he has been able to witness the munificence of the Avatar in its varied manifestations on multiple occasions. Having spent a decade in the immediate proximity of such an Unparalleled Being, Dr. Sanjay has had the rare opportunity to be able to glean from his experiences with Bhagawan, wisdom that is astonishingly simple, yet very profound. Passionate about self-awareness and intrinsic human potential, Dr. Sanjay’s primary methodology draws upon traditional wisdom to solve contemporary problems.

Sanjay Sahani joined the Sri Sathya Sai University in 1983 for his Bachelors in Commerce. He received a gold medal in this degree and later pursued his Masters in Commerce in the same University. He was again awarded gold medal on his postgraduation. Subsequently, he joined the Prasanthi Nilayam campus as a lecturer and in 1992, became the warden of the Sri Sathya Sai Boys’ Hostel in the same campus. Later, he moved to the Brindavan campus and served as the Principal of this campus of His University.Currently he is the Controller of Examinations for Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning (SSSIHL). He is reputed for his excellent oratory skills and spoken in Bhagawan's presence a number of times..

Prof. R. Gangadhara Sastry has been on the faculty of SSSIHL since 1979. He is highly qualified with Bachelors, Master’s and Doctoral degrees and has published extensively on academic and spiritual topics in reputable journals in English and Telugu. Prof. Sastry has held many teaching and administrative positions in the University, serving as the Director of the Campus, Member of the University’s Academic Council, and Chairperson of the Board of Studies. Prof. Sastry has been an ardent devotee of Sathya Sai Baba for almost four decades and has had many blissful interactions with Him.Group.

Dr. Sai Giridhar joined Sri Sathya Sai Higher Secondary School in 1999. He completed his Bachelor of Science Honours degree in Chemistry (2004) and holds a Master of Science (Chemistry, 2006) and a Master of Philosophy (2008) - all of them completed from the Prasanthi Nilayam Campus of the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning. Dr. Sai Giridhar holds PhD in Clinical Biochemistry and worked on 'Early detection of heart disease in Asian Indians: Study of biomarkers'. He has received several awards from the Divine Hands such as: Cultural Champion in 2003 and 2005 and Sports and Cultural Champion in 2003 and 2005 and Sports and Cultural Captain in Undergraduate and Post Graduate classes. He has also enjoyed many blessed moments, talks and cultural programme opportunities in the Divine Presence, including Chennai’s Athi Rudra Maha Yagnam (2007), Kodaikanal (2007) and Prasanthi Vidwan Maha Sabha, among others. Dr. Sai Giridhar currently serves as Resident Fellow at the Sri Sathya Sai Centre for Human Values, Prasanthi Nilayam.

Dr. Amey Deshpande hails from Maharashtra. He joined the Sri Sathya Sai Primary School, Prasanthi Nilayam in 1989. He acquired his bachelor’s degree in commerce from Bangalore University in 2000. Amey enrolled for the MBA (Finance) program at the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning in 2003. Thereafter, Amey completed his MPhil program and was awarded the Gold medal in 2007, for distinction in MPhil. He completed his doctoral studies in 2016 in the area of corporate strategy from the Department of Management and Commerce. Amey has acted in several dramas in the Divine presence in Prasanthi Nilayam. For several years, Amey has been instrumental in directing student dramas on various occasions. He has spoken several times in the presence of Bhagawan and has been a part of the Prasanthi Bhajan Group since 2003. In addition to being an accomplished singer, he is proficient in playing various percussion instruments. Currently, Amey serves as a Resident Fellow in the newly formed Sri Sathya Sai Centre for Human Values which conducts research and training in field of Human Values.

Aravind Balasubramanya hails from a family that has been devoted to Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba for nearly half a century. His father was a photographer of Bhagawan in the late sixties and early seventies in Brindavan and many of the old black and white photographs of Swami have been taken through his camera lens. Inspired by his parents, especially his mother, to spend his life with his Swami, Aravind joined Sri Sathya Sai Vidyapeeth in Calicut, Kerala for his primary education. He joined Sri Sathya Sai Higher Secondary School in Prasanthi Nilayam for high-schooling. He followed it with a bachelor’s in science in Chemistry from the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning and secured a gold medal. He continued to complete his master’s in science (Chemistry) followed by master’s in business administration (MBA). Blessed by Baba to join RadioSai Global Harmony, which spreads the message and teachings of Bhagawan to all parts of the globe. He currently does a host of activities. He was Swami’s ‘official’ photographer for nearly 5 years and travelled along with Him during His trips to Hadshi, Mumbai, Delhi and Simla. He had many opportunities to speak in the Divine Presence and act in many presentations and plays. He authored many books about Swami, His message, His glory and his personal experiences with Bhagawan.

Sri Biseswar (Bishu) Prusty graduated from Sri Sathya Sai Higher Secondary School, Prasanthi Nilayam. Later, he obtained his Bachelors in Commerce (Hons.) and Masters in Business Administration degrees from the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning. Immediately after graduation, Bhagawan sent him to a software firm for training in Hospital Information Systems. He was part of the team that set up information management systems, training modules, and other advanced technologies in the Whitefield Super Specialty hospital. Swami later directed him to join Radio Sai where he has worked for more than 14 years. He is a writer, editor, and part of the team that manages the Radio Sai website. He also produces radio programmes, audio and video presentations and other multimedia content on a regular basis to disseminate Bhagawan's message. He is a regular speaker at the Satsang Hall in Prasanthi Nilayam and is the author of the book “Moments of Truth with Sathya Sai” published in January 2019. He is an enthusiastic singer and member of the Prasanthi Mandir Bhajan Group.

Sri Prem Anosh completed his schooling at Chennai, before joining the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning at Brindavan in 1999 for the B.Sc. degree in Chemistry. He also had his first Darshan of Bhagawan in 1999. After graduation, Prem completed further studies at the SSSIHL in Prasanthi Nilayam and received the M.Sc. degree in Chemistry in 2004. He has been part of the Radio Sai team since July 2011, where he hosts live shows and is part of the website team. Sri Anosh is one of the regular speakers at the Satsang Hall in Prasanthi Nilayam.

Sri Vinay Kumar is a practising chartered accountant in Bangalore with expertise in taxes and foreign joint ventures. As a member of the Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisation's youth wing in Karnataka, Sri Vinay Kumar has coordinated several events and projects under Sathya Sai Baba's direct guidance. Currently, he serves as the Trustee of the Sri Sathya Sai Trust Karnataka as well as the convenor of the Brindavan Ashram.

Dr. Rajeshwari C Patel, with over 34 years of teaching experience, is a professor of English and Literature and the current director of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, Anantpur. Dr. Patel holds a BA in English from the Sathya Institute of Higher Learning, Anantpur, and an MA and a Ph.D. from Sri Krishnadevaraya University, Anantapur. Dr. Patel has received many awards and recognitions over the years. Most notably, she received the best speaker trophy from the Divine Hands of Bhagawan at the Summer Course on Indian Culture and Spirituality, Ooty in 1976, the first prize trophy from the Divine Hands of Bhagawan at the All-India Summer Course on Indian Culture and Spirituality, Brindavan in 1977, and the best all-round student award from the Divine Hands of Bhagawan in Anantapur, in 1977. Dr. Patel regularly participates in seminars and conferences and has published more than fifteen literary works. She has written and directed many plays that were performed in Bhagawan’s Divine physical presence.

George Bebedelis is born and lives in Athens. He has a degree in Mechanical Engineering, a degree in Pedagogics and a Μasters degree in History and Philosophy of Science and Technology from the University of Athens. George first came to Swami in 1987 at the age of 25 inspired by Swami’s message of Universal Love and Truth. Since then, he has been an active member of the Greek Sathya Sai Organisation. He has served as a centre leader, national seva coordinator, national education coordinator and National Country President of Greece. For many years, George has been a faculty member of the European Sathya Sai Education Institute (ESSE). He is now Director of the ISSE SE, Institute of Sathya Sai Education of South Europe. He currently teaches mechanical engineering in secondary vocational schools in Athens.