Shirdi News

Mohan Yadav

Public Relation Dept.,

Shree Sai Baba

Sansthan Trust (Shirdi)

Sai    Sansthan’s English school’s exceptional performance in sports

            The Shree Sai Baba Sansthan managed, Shri Sai Baba English Medium School has performed exceptionally well in sports in the academic year 2005 - 2006. The students led and competed at Divisional, District, State and National level in Chess, Volleyball, Sword Fighting, etc.

            Tanmay Badhe, Kanhaiyya Sahani, Shubham Shivgaje, Akshay Warghude and Pritam Patil secured splendid success in the State level Chess tournament in Parbhani.
Tanmay Badhe and Abhishek Deharkar stood first and third respectively in District level Chess competition and qualified for Pune Divisional Chess tournament held in Solapur.

            Shantanu Adep, Hemant Muthe, Prasad Thete, Abhishek Deharkar qualified for State level competition in Sword Fighting in Yeotmal. Prasad Thete performed very well in this competition. He was selected for the Maharashtra Sword Fighting team.

            Satish Sahani won a gold medal in the State level 5 k.m. walking competition held in Pune. He has been included in the Maharashtra team for National level competition.

            Prasad Thete performed well at the State level Volleyball competition. He has also been selected for the Maharashtra team for 51st National Volleyball school competition held at Bhubaneshwar in Orissa.

            These students were felicitated by Shree Sai Baba Sansthan Trust’s Chairman Shri Jayant Sasane, Vice-chairman Shri Shankararao Kolhe, other trustees, Executive Officer Shri Bhausaheb Wakchaure, Administrative Officers - Shri Prakash Deshpande, Shri Subhash Jagtap, Shri Prakash Joshi, Shri Eknath Wagh, Shri Ramesh Sabale, Principal (Mrs.) Z. V. Inamdar and others. The students received guidance from the physical trainer Shri Rajendra Kohokade.

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Shri Ramnavami celebrated with Pomp and Piety

The annual celebration of Shri Ramnavami was celebrated at Shirdi with the usual religious fervour and gaiety.

            Like every year the Padayatris (pilgrims who walk to a holy place) came with their Palkhis (palanquins). There were more than 57 Palkhis, most of them from Mumbai and Thane. Shree Sai Baba Sansthan took care of their accommodation, water, light facility, etc. at their halts along the route. In this period, a free mobile dispensary was run between Sinnar and Shirdi. The programme was in association with Red Cross Society, Nasik. The Trustees - Dr. Eknath Gondkar, Shri Suresh Wable, Shri Ashok Khambekar and Executive Officer Shri Bhausaheb Wakchaure, went to Sinnar, Vavi, Pohegaon, etc., to welcome and to oversee the needs of the pilgrims.

            The celebrations got off to a great start with the divine Kakad Arati at 5.15 a.m. on April 5, 2006 and culminated on April 7, 2006. The three days divine extravaganza was marked with a number of spiritual and entertaining programmes till late in the night.

            First Day, April 5, 2006 - Kakad Arati at 5.15 a.m. was attended by thousands of devotees, drenching the atmosphere with devotional fervour to Lord Sai and Lord Ram. After the Kakad Arati, Baba’s photo, Veena and Shri Sai Satcharita were taken out in a grand procession to Dwarkamai from Samadhi Mandir via Gurusthan. At 6.30 a.m. non-stop recital of Shri Sai Satcharita commenced with the reading of 1st Chapter by trustee Smt. Urmila Jadhav. After this, Baba was given holy bath amidst chanting of vedic hymns. At 8.00 a.m. Abhishek Pooja was performed on behalf of Sansthan. Public auction of offerings to Baba in the form of cloth and ornaments was conducted at 8.30 a.m., where the enthusiastically competitive spirit amongst the devotees was interesting to watch. After the noon Arati and Tirtha-prasad at 12.30 p.m. routine recital of chapters from Shri Sai Satcharita was performed from 3.00 p.m. to 4.00 p.m. at Samadhi Mandir. Shri Manu Maharaj Kokalegaonkar from Nanded presented his lively and enlightening Kirtan from 4.00 p.m. to 6.00 p.m. Dhooparati was performed at 6.45 p.m. Shri Ashok Hande with his associate artists presented a programme ‘Marathi Bana’ from 8.30 p.m. to 12.35 a.m. on the stage constructed on the spacious ground at Sai Nagar. This entertaining programme was attended by a large gathering. At 9.15 p.m. Baba’s palanquin’s procession commenced. An enthusiastic but disciplined crowd of devotees made full use of this opportunity giving vent to their love and devotion through self-composed poems, couplets and slogans. The procession meandered through almost all the roads in the city and returned back to the Samadhi Mandir. After the Shejarati, the first day’s celebrations came to an end. The non-stop recital of Shri Sai Satcharita was going on in Dwarkamai throughout the night.

            Main Day, April 6, 2006 - The main day celebrations were witnessed by thousands of devotees who flocked to Shirdi. Kakad Arati at 5.15 a.m. set the pious beginning for the day. Several devotees were seen standing in large queues outside the Samadhi Mandir right from the time the Kakad Arati commenced. At 5.45 a.m. Shri Sai Satcharita’s non-stop recital was concluded. A procession of Baba’s photo, Veena and Shri Sai Satcharita was taken out from Dwarkamai to Samadhi Mandir. Baba was given Holy bath at 6.30 p.m. by water specially brought from river Godavari in a procession. Public auction of various offerings to Baba was arranged at 8.30 a.m. Chairman Shri Jayant Sasane, Vice-chairman Shri Shankararao Kolhe, trustee Shri Pandurang Abhang and trustee Shri Krishnachandra Pandeya participated in the Padya-pooja and paid floral tributes to Baba’s Samadhi. Pooja of a sack of grains was performed at the hands of trustees Shri Ashok Khambekar and Shri Krishnachandra Pandeya in the morning and it was taken out from Samadhi Mandir to Dwarkamai. Between 11.00 a.m. and 12.00 noon Shri Manu Maharaj Kokalegaonkar delivered a Kirtan, which brought live the birth and the complete story of Lord Ram. The other regular features included the noon Arati at 12.30 p.m. followed by Tirtha-prasad, routine recital of chapters from Shri Sai Satcharita and Dhooparati. The traditional Flags’ procession was taken out at 4.00 p.m., which reminded of Baba’s two intimate devotees, Late Nanasaheb Nimonkar and Damuanna Kasar. Baba’s chariot was taken out in a colourful procession at 5.00 p.m. At 8.30 p.m. a drama named ‘Vichcha Mazi Puri Kara’ produced by Shri Vijay Kadam was presented at Sai Nagar. At 9.15 p.m. Thursday’s Palanquin procession was taken out. Devotees presented devotional songs at Samadhi Mandir from 11.00 p.m. The Samadhi Mandir was kept open throughout the night and devotees made full use of it by taking Darshan to their heart’s content.

            Concluding day, April 7, 2006 - The usual features were Baba’s holy bath, Padya-pooja at the hands of trustees Shri Krishnachandra Pandeya and Shri Ashok Khambekar, public auction, noon Arati at 12.15, Dhooparati and Shejarati. Rudrabhishek was performed at the hands of trustees Dr. Eknath Gondkar and Shri Krishnachandra Pandeya at Gurusthan at 8.45 a.m. The unique features were Gopalkala and Dahihandi at 12.00 noon, which are common for all the Utsavas celebrated here. Shri Rajesh Sarkate of Aurangabad presented a special programme named ‘Swar Vihar’ from 8.30 p.m. to 12.15 a.m., comprising of Bhajans and devotional songs. With the culmination of this programme the curtain came down on a three-days celebrations which will be fondly remembered by all those who came to Shirdi during the Utsav period.

            The participant devotees acknowledged the excellent arrangements by the Sansthan.

            - Penned by Ms. Shamshad Ali Baig

email : shamshadbaig@rediffmail.com

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