It was the first week of November 1971 when a massive cyclone smashed against the coast of Odisha state near Cuttack. I was at that time a young pharmacist working in a Government Hospital at a town called Parlakhimundi. We were called to reach the site of the disaster immediately and provide help to the doctors who were also reaching there.

I had never in my life witnessed anything more ghastly. There were bodies floating all around. There were dead bodies on the roads, on tree tops, on the roof tops, simply put everywhere. It was my first experience of performing service. All the doctors and paramedical staff who had congregated there did phenomenal work. We worked day and night for around 3 months. Gradually things started improving and by the end of my stay, a transformation had occurred in me. I prayed to God that I should always be in the service of the needy. And I am sure Swami heard my prayer that day.

Later I left Government Service and joined Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), one of my colleagues was Mr. Balakrishna, a devotee of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. It was he who introduced me to Bhagawan. Gradually I got interested in Bhagawan, started attending Bhajans and service activities and while doing this I would also read about Swami’s life through the several volumes of Sathyam Shivam Sundaram. 

While being involved in Baba’s service activities a strong desire began to take root in my heart to have Swami’s Darshan at least once.

In 1978, one day I had to attend a pharmacy seminar in Delhi and on my way back I got down at Vijaywada and took permission from the office to visit Puttaparthi, which was granted without much effort. So rather than taking a train to Odisha, I took an overnight bus to Puttaparthi. Next to me was a visually challenged man who was also on a visit to Puttaparthi for Swami's Darshan. We became friends and then after getting down at Puttaparthi I escorted him around the town and also took him for Swami’s Darshan. We were waiting on the sands for Swami to come when suddenly my friend said, Swami has come, please check. I was surprised and checked and Swami had indeed entered the Darshan area.

The yearning of many years had fructified in the majestic Darshan of Bhagawan. There was some kind of strange magnetism, some deep bond which connected me to Swami. While Swami was walking around in the sand, it felt like He was gliding all the way during the Darshan. He came directly to where we were sitting, created Vibhuti for my friend and also gave it to me. It was a heavenly experience. Darshan over, a question was pecking at my brain, how did my friend know that Swami was coming when even with my eyes working perfectly I could not gauge anything so I asked him. “I smelt the fragrance of jasmine just before Swami entered the Darshan area,” was the reply from my friend. I then realized what Swami would always say, My connection with each of My devotee is heart to heart. So that day, I came to know that Swami has His own unique way to communicate with His devotees. 

I started frequently visiting Prasanthi Nilayam with my family. During each visit, I began actively participating in the medical camps organized there. During Swami’s Birthday celebrations I would take around a month’s leave from my job and then perform Seva at Prasanthi Nilayam running the pharmacy for the medical camp. For this I would accumulate my leaves for the whole year. My family or I did not feel like visiting any other place. Prasanthi Nilayam had become our real home.  

While I had several opportunities for physical interaction with Swami, but in my life Swami’s Divine guidance mostly came through His dreams.

In 1990 I performed Seva for a month in Prasanthi Nilayam and went home. The day I reached home, I developed severe gastric problem. Being a pharmacist, I knew the medicines, which could help me, I took those, but none worked. Then I tried Ayurvedic medicines and also homeopathic medicines in consultation with the respective doctors, those also did not work. I suffered very badly from abdominal pain  for three months. Then I consulted my collegue Mr. Balakrishna. He advised me to pray to Swami sincerely before going to bed. I did, and the same night in my dream Swami came holding my whole digestive system in His hand! “So where is the pain He asked pointing to my digestive system. “Here Swami I told Him, pointing out my stomach.“ Here?” Swami pressed the specific area and told me, "nothing only mucous, now no pain, sleep peacefully.” The next morning I woke up with no pain and that pain did not bother me ever again.

Being inspired by Bhagawan’s philosophy, I wanted my youngest daughter to join Swami’s school. We applied for a seat in Swami’s Primary School. Those were the days when even landline phones were rare. The only way to communicate was post. We did not hear anything for a long time, but my daughter told me that she had a dream in which Swami appeared and told her to come and join His school. Soon after one day one of our acquaintances in Puttaparthi sent me a postcard saying that the interviews were already underway and I should reach quickly, however, we did not receive any intimation from the school. Anyway, we hurriedly reached Puttaparthi, went to the Principal’s office and were told that the interviews were already over.  The office had sent us a call letter, which never reached us. When I spoke about our predicament, the Principal  was considerate and took the interview of my daughter then and there. She was impressed with the answers my daughter gave and told us that she had passed in the interview and that her name would be added in the list of the candidates to be sent to Swami. She added, however,  that selection will be finally in the hands of Swami only. I was worried, whether Swami would choose my daughter or not. That evening my daughter sat in the devotees’ line and got the first line for Darshan. Swami while going among the devotees came to her and blessed the flowers she was holding in her hand. That gesture of Swami gave me some relief, but still in some corner of my heart a doubt persisted. The same night Swami appeared in my daughter’s dream with a long list of names and told her “see here is your name, I have already chosen you.” Next day my daughter had look of surprise on her face when the merit list was put up. Rather than being surprised at her being chosen, she was surprised  because her name appeared at exact same spot where Swami had pointed it out in her dream.

Back home as the Sai activities were growing by leaps and bounds all the Sai Devotees decided to have a Sai Centre for our Sunabeda Sai Samiti on our campus.  We spoke to our seniors in our organization, impressed by our service activities, we were given a piece of land for the Sai Temple. We gave the responsibility of designing the temple to our civil engineer colleagues, Sai Devotees, Sri Krishna Rao and Sri Chalapati Prusty. They drew several designs, but were not satisfied with any of them. They felt that something was missing. Then one morning at 2:00 am I heard a loud knocking at my door. Being a pharmacist by profession and thinking it to be some sort of an emergency, I got out of the bed quickly and rushed to open the door. Opening the door I saw Sri Krishna Rao all excited. “What happened, why are you so excited and up at 2:00 am?” I asked. “Swami, Swami came in my dream just now and he drew the whole plan of the temple in front of my eyes. I just came to tell you that,” he replied. My jaw dropped.

Sri Krishna Rao and Sri Chalapathi Prusty then went ahead and copied the same plan that Swami had drawn. Swami’s design was thorough and went even into details like which way men should enter and which way women, the location of toilets for men and women, where steps should be there, literally everything. We built the temple exactly according to Swami’s plan and that temple stands today exactly the same way as it did some three decades ago. 

Once we brought the idols of Lord Jagannath, Subhadra and Balabhadra to Prasanthi Nilayam. Swami told us to keep the idols in the Poorna Chandra Auditorium. He later came and asked everyone present whether they knew the inner significance of the three idols. We all kept quiet. Then Swami began to explain. Swami said, " Lord Jagannath (Krishna) is the Lord of the Jagat, the universe hence Jagatnnath. If His will exists then the Jagat exists, He withdraws his will, the Universe ceases to exist. His brother is called Balabhadra, meaning the one who uses His Bala (strength) to provide Bhadra (protection). Then Swami commented that in today's world all use their Bala in Abhadra (indecent) ways. The third idol is of Subhadra the sister to Both Krishna and Balarama. Swami said, "do you notice that the Subhadra's idols has no arms. Why is that?" Swami then explained, " The idol signifies, that in the Kali age, the strength of a sister are her brothers."  So it was Swami's message to all the brothers that in the Kali age they have to stand as pillars of support to their sisters. Swami asked that the idols be kept in the Sanatana Samskruti Museum, where they remain to this day.  

With Swami's Grace our Sai Samiti gradually started growing and eventually we had 14 Balvikas Centres and 430 students. Around 150 of those 430 students had an opportunity to study in Bhagawan Baba's educational institutions in Puttaparthi, Brindavan and Anantapur. Also many of the students from our Samiti are working at various levels in the Sai Organisation. I consider this as the biggest boon bestowed upon our Samiti by Bhagawan Baba. Not only that with the Samiti growing, we started expanding our area of seva. 

We would visit remote tribal villages to conduct medical camps. Once we came to know that many people were stricken with malaria in a remote tribal village called Sanobodigaon. We rushed there to provide whatever help we could. Making our way through thick jungles we eventually conducted a malaria treatment camp and distributed medicines to all the villagers suffering from malaria and within days all the patients recovered and went back to earning their livelihood, which gave us all a great joy. Another incident regarding Sai Service I would like to share now.   

On Swami’s 60th Birthday Swami in His Divine Discourse told the devotees to adopt villages. So we went back and surveyed 10 villages, and found out that in all the villages there were teachers  and students,  but no school building. Teaching would happen under open sky and therefore, was held to ransom by the forces of nature. With Swami’s inspiration, we decided to build a school in one of the central villages. All the Sai Samiti members and the villagers poured their heart out in constructing the building. Finally, the building was ready and classes began under a roof. After some time when we visited the village to check on the school a surprise was in store for us. The State Government looking at the initiative taken by the Sai Organistion had expanded the school to such an extent that the children and teachers of all the nine adjoining villages could study under one roof. That day we realised that if we perform Swami's work sincerely, Swami will take care of the outcome, which will be way beyond our expectations. Later we also adopted schools teaching deaf and mute and visually challenged students and with Swami's Grace could provide them with various course books sourced all the way from Germany.    

After visiting Puttaparthi for the first time in 1978, I had this strong desire to settle down in Puttaparthi. But with my family responsibilities it was coming across as a difficult proposition. But still I kept trying. In 1993, I saw an advertisement in a newspaper regarding opening of a pharmacist at the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, Prasanthigram. I applied, there was an interview and with Swami’s Grace, I got the top position. Shifting my family to Puttaparthi I settled in Puttaparthi. My lifelong dream had finally come true.

After settling at Puttaparthi and working as a pharmacist at the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences I have had many wonderful experiences, but the one experience, which has a far-reaching importance for all people in Swami’s fold, I would share here.

Soon after I joined,  Swami after the evening Darshan, called all the new recruits to His institutions into the Bhajan Hall. We were around 20 of us in there. Swami spoke at length about various aspects of being a part of Swami’s mission. Then finally Swami said something which still remains with me till today and should inspire everybody working in Swami’s mission.

“Look outside,” Swami said, “there are millions and millions of people just waiting for an opportunity to be a part of Swami’s work, but I have chosen you to do my work. Do you realise how fortunate you are?”

These words of Swami kept ringing in my ears for a long time after, and even as I write these words I am getting goosebumps. These words of Swami are not just meant for people employed in Swami’s institutions, but to everyone who is a part of Swami’s mission in one way or the other. We should remember these words of Swami every day. We should remember that Swami has chosen us to be a part of His mission, while He could have chosen anybody among the 7 billion people populating this Earth, some of them who may have better skills and abilities than us. This is therefore an opportunity of lifetimes that Swami has granted us and we must make the most of it.

Jai Sai Ram