Sri Sathya Sai World Youth Festival – Day 2
The second day of the Sri Sathya Sai World Youth Festival began at the break of dawn with the ‘Mornings at Hillview’ session. The young delegates took part in invigorating physical training activities at the Hillview Stadium, including yoga, Qi Gong, Tai Chi, volleyball, basketball, football and a hike to the Hanuman statue at the summit of the hill that overlooks the stadium.
The morning hike took the participants on a journey past the towering statues of Krishna, Buddha, Christ and other faith leaders that adorn the hilltop, underscoring the unity of major religions of the world. The walk was sanctified with beautiful and vibrant bhajans at the feet of the statue of Lord Hanuman - the embodiment of devotion.
Later in the morning, inside the Sai Kulwant Hall, three speakers shared their personal stories of transformation by the grace of Sri Sathya Sai Baba: Ms. Saiusha Haridas, Youth Coordinator of Zone 4 (South East Asia), Dr. Chandinie, MBBS, Sri Sathya Sai Youth of India, and guest speaker, Ms. Alida Parkes, Chair of Zone 6 (Southern Europe).
Ms. Saiusha Haridas recounted her personal experiences with Baba and said that with His love, one can reach great heights, fulfilling one’s potential.
Dr. Chandinie beautifully underscored the fact that women are embodiments of strength and they should follow the example of Mother Sita and adhere to dharma.
The final speaker of the morning, Ms. Alida Parkes, shared her journey with Swami and urged the youth to live up to His expectations, making Him a priority in their lives. She reminded the youth that they should constantly conduct themselves with the awareness that the Lord is watching, and to offer the results of all actions to Him.
The morning programme in Sai Kulwant Hall concluded with vibrant renditions of the Festival theme song in Telugu, followed by bhajans and Mangala Arathi.
The morning programme then continued in Poornachandra Auditorium. In his plenary talk, guest speaker Dr. Chandrasekhar Narayan, Director of Research, IBM, USA shared his laboratory’s ground breaking findings in environmental sustainability. Dr. Narayan reminded delegates of Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s teachings about respecting nature and caring for Mother Earth.
There followed a lively and engaging debate between two global youth teams on the importance of righteousness versus love in the lives of the youth today. A heart-warming presentation on service projects conducted by Sri Sathya Sai Youth drew applause.
The last segment of the morning session, Sai 360, featured youth from around the world, sharing personal experiences of serving in the Divine Mission. The central theme that emerged was that all action should be dedicated to the Lord.
Four concurrent workshops were held during the afternoon session, on the following topics:
- Secrets to Spiritual Fitness, where youth discussed the interconnection between virtues, happiness and health.
- In tune with the Name, which focused upon the practice of namasmarana and its ability to generate love, leading to inner peace and supreme bliss.
- Step up to Serve, which is based on the spiritual significance of selfless service, identifying areas of need and building solutions to alleviate the suffering of others.
- Post, Tweet, Like & Share, which encouraged youth developing social media platforms to inspire fellow youth in developing spiritual content, through the use of graphics, designs, videos and text.
The evening session in Sai Kulwant Hall featured two inspiring speakers. Mr. Lorenzo Casadio, a Sri Sathya Sai Youth from Italy highlighted the nine forms of devotion, of which the highest form is friendship with God. Mr. Ramachandra Venkataraman, Executive Director of the Tata Foundation and alumni of the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning (SSSIHL) reminded youth to embrace adversity for their own good and discussed Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s teachings and exemplary life in serving and inspiring others.
Earlier, Mr. Dashen Reddy, Youth Coordinator, Zone 9A, presented the Summary of Proceedings of the 2nd day of the World Youth Festival.
The programme continued with a drama by the global Sri Sathya Sai Youth, titled Love is the Path to Transforming the World. The skit depicted how unity between leaders of different faiths and political ideologies is key to forming successful partnerships to change the world.
At the conclusion of the evening session in Sai Kulwant Hall, the Sri Sathya Sai World Music Team presented a musical offering, What it Means to be a Sai Youth, consisting of six original songs based on sentimental experiences of the youth through different stages of life.
Later, in the evening a variety programme titled Puttaparthi’s Got Talent, was presented, comprising of a Balinese performance, Mexican boys choir, and an entertaining game called Bhajan Antakshari.
The Sri Sathya Sai Youth of India engaged in a Heart to Heart session with Mr. Nimish Pandya, All India President, Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisation.
Photo gallery (click to enlarge)