Love all Serve All  Index

The world today has many unofficial service organisations, NGOs as are they are usually referred to. Nearly forty years ago, Baba founded the Sri Sathya Sai Organisation whose mandate also was service but with a difference. The volunteers of the Sai Organisation render service not only as an expression of compassion but with the spirit that service to Society is actually service to God. In other words, for the members of the Sai Organisation, spirituality is the basis for service. As Baba often puts it, Grama Seva is Rama Seva. Today, the Sai Organisation has branches in all parts of the world, the service rendered covering a wide spectrum from serving food to the hungry, through medical camps and running schools, all the way to service during times of natural calamities.

It was during the tsunami of 2004, that the capabilities of the Organisation were tested in full measure. On that fateful morning, the Chennai branch had organised a regular poor-feeding programme, or Narayana Seva as it is referred to in the Organisation. Just then, huge tsunami waves crashed into the Chennai beach, sending the city into a tailspin. Almost immediately, the Organisation was able to swing into action, starting with food distribution. In the days that followed, volunteers poured into the southern districts worst affected by the calamity. They served in a variety of ways, the most significant of them being the retrieval of highly decomposed bodies, a task that almost all others refused to do. In many places, the volunteers were offered food and a place to stay but they politely refused, saying that they had come to serve and not for being served.

Baba's philosophy that the best way to serve God is to serve Society finds universal appeal; as a concept is it simple, easy to understand, and trans-religious. No wonder then that Sai Seva is to be found in all corners of the world, in good times as well as bad. The service rendered no doubt spans a wide spectrum, but the most popular ones are in the areas of education and health care. Where education is concerned, many countries, Mexico in particular, have taken help from the Sai Organisation to integrate human values into their mainstream curriculum. In addition, model Sai Schools have been established by the Organisation in many countries like Thailand, South Africa, and Canada. In India, the importance of the five human values strongly advocated by Baba have been endorsed by the Parliamentary Committee for Human Resource Development, approved by the Government as essential in education, and held paramount by the Supreme Court.

The rest of the world is also waking up to the fact that if values were abandoned, it would be the death knell of civilised Society.

Victor Kanu now in Zambia, hails from Sierra Leone. For a while, he served as the country's ambassador in London, where he became attracted to Baba's educational philosophy. Later in 1987, Baba told Kanu to go to Zambia and start a school there. Here is what Kanu says about that experience: "My wife asked, 'Baba, what about funding?' Swami said, 'Sell your house. If funds are not enough, borrow from banks.' Being brought up as Christians, we remembered the story in the Bible when a rich man went to Jesus and said, 'Oh Lord, what can I do to come near God?' Jesus said, 'Sell all that you have, give to the poor and follow me.' That man ran away when he heard the words of Jesus but we were overjoyed."

Kanu did precisely what Baba asked him to and started the school. About the school itself Kanu says, "It is located in a socially and economically disadvantaged area. Many boys had failed the national primary Grade 7 examination. Most of them failed because they were truants; they were rejects. These were the same boys the Sathya Sai Secondary School in Ndola admitted. After two years and upon taking the National Grade 9 examination, not only were they among those who obtained the highest marks in the country, they all passed (100%). This success rate has been repeated at Grade 12 later for the past 10 years. They are currently at various institutions of higher learning in the country."

Understand the deep significance of service. You fulfill yourself by sharing; you empty yourself by grabbing. Do not behave in such a way that people are wary of you; be open, without harmful eyes or lascivious ears, false tongue, foul minds and pernicious hands. Your eyes give you away easily; look upon all without the guilt of lust or scandal; speak to all, of all, with love; let your hands give; never take what is not yours. Treat all with respect and intelligent consideration. Test every gesture, every mannerism of yours on this touchstone.

- Baba

Malaria is a great killer, and more than 70% of the global malaria burden is carried by Africa. In sub-Saharan Africa alone, 1.8 million children die from malaria every year.

To commemorate the 80th year of Sri Sathya Sai Baba, the Sathya Sai Organisation of Kenya, has launched a National Project called SAINET, whose objective is to distribute over 50,000 mosquito nets, free of cost, to poor families in malaria endemic areas of the country. The distribution is done by visits to villages, schools, clinics and medical camps. Meetings are held with community women's group for raising awareness on the need of nets. Along with the nets, food and some other necessities of life are also distributed.

In March 1999, an International Centre for the promotion of human values was established by the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust in New Delhi. Lt. Gen [retd.] Dr. M. L Chibber is the Director, while Mr. M. K. Kaw, Former Education Secretary, Government of India is the Dean of Academic Affairs. The members of the Management Committee include such luminaries as Mr. M. K. Rasgotra, Former Foreign Secretary, Air Chief Marshal [retd.] O. P. Mehra, Lt. Gen. [retd.] S. P. Malhotra, Mr. Brijmohan Munjal, Chairman, Hero Honda, etc. Among the distinguished people who have lectured at the Centre are, President Kalam, the Dalai Lama, Dr. Karan Singh, Gen. Padmanabhan, Mr. Amjad Ali Khan, Ms. Kiran Bedi, Mr. Najam Sethi of Pakistan, etc. Mr. Kaw is particularly active in conducting workshops on human values to different professionals like senior Police Officers, Railway Officials, Principals of Army Schools, etc. Such workshops (with no Course Fee whatsoever) have done much to sensitise professionals in various sectors about the primacy of human values in the life of individuals, over and above mere technical excellence. Thanks to the Delhi Centre, slowly the realisation is growing that after all, a Society is made up of human beings and not merely people without feelings.

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