Sathya Sai World Youth Festival – Day 3
As in the previous two days, the third and final day of the Sri Sathya Sai World Youth Festival began at the break of dawn with light morning physical activities in the Hillview Stadium to keep the body in tune with soaring spirits.
Later in the morning, the programme in Sai Kulwant Hall commenced with an uplifting talk by Mr. Brijesh Bamalwa, a Sri Sathya Sai Youth from India. He touched the hearts of the youth that had gathered from around the world with magical stories of Sri Sathya Sai Baba and encouraged them to embark on the path of transforming love into service.
In a heart-felt and inspiring talk, Mr. Julio Vivenes Villavicencio, the Zone Youth Coordinator from South America stressed that the primary quality of a devotee is having firm faith in God. He related personal anecdotes about the grace of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba to emphasise the omnipresence and omnipotence of God.
In his plenary address, Dr. Chandrasekhar Narayan, Director of Research, IBM, USA, reiterated that Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s teachings on education are meant for life and not for earning a living, only. He explained how one can pursue a successful career through the implementation of human values and he advised the youth to make excellence a habit.
The morning session in Sai Kulwant Hall ended with the Hindi rendition of the Sri Sathya Sai World Youth Festival theme song, bhajans by Sri Sathya Sai Youth and Mangala Arathi.
The programme then continued in the Poornachandra Auditorium, where Sri R. J. Ratnakar, Trustee of the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust, gave an inspiring plenary address to the youth. He exhorted the youth to connect to their inner-net instead of the internet, and he reminded them that every problem has a solution and that success comes from having the right attitude. Sri Ratnakar emphasised the importance of loyalty to one’s Master, His work and His teachings and shared some of his intimate, personal experiences with the boundless love of Bhagawan and His priceless pearls of wisdom.
Sri Ratnakar concluded by adding to Dr. Chandrasekhar’s message of resisting the urge to judge people, by saying that if one wastes time in judging others, there will be no time left to love others, which is the royal road to divinity.
The morning programme concluded with youth from the Sri Sathya Sai International Organisation grouping into their respective geographical Zones to discuss issues pertinent to their area and to develop action plans to move forward with the global Sri Sathya Sai Youth movement.
In a parallel session, the youth of the Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisations (SSSSO) of India participated in an uplifting presentation on the Sri Sathya Sai Vidya Jyothi project on education.
The afternoon programme in the Poornachandra Auditorium began with six international youth presenting a series of personal experiences with Sri Sathya Sai Baba that changed their lives.
In his concluding remarks, Dr. Shivendra Kumar spoke movingly about the event and thanked the youth delegates, volunteers, programme facilitators, senior members of SSSIO and the Radio Sai team. Dr. Kumar also presented the Resolutions of the Sri Sathya Sai World Youth Festival which is a blueprint for future actions by the Youth.
He was followed by Mr. Nimish Pandya, who encouraged youth to offer everything to Sri Sathya Sai Baba and never take ownership of one’s actions.
Dr. Narendranath Reddy reminded the youth of Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s significant role in their lives and to develop a relationship with God. He advised the youth to follow their heart and not their head when making a decision.
A short video clip of Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s discourse on love and happiness was played, emphasising control of the senses. He also emphasised that love is a powerful weapon.
The talks were followed by a symphony orchestra composed of 65 Sri Sathya Sai Youth, titled Our Hearts Beat for You. Indian classical music was presented beautifully with the central themes of love, gratitude and bliss.