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Shirdi News Mohan Yadav Public Relation Dept.,
Shree Sai Baba Sansthan Trust (Shirdi) –
Translated by
Vishwarath Nayar
e-mail :
vishwarath_2006@rediffmail.com Shri
Sai Baba Punyatithi Utsav - 2007 ‘‘Even
if I shed this mortal coil I
shall come running for my devotees’’ The
annual Shri Sai Baba Punyatithi
(89th anniversary of
Baba leaving His mortal coil) Utsav (festival) was observed in
all sanctity and with great enthusiasm from Saturday, October 20, 2007
to Tuesday, October 23, 2007, on behalf of the Shree Sai Baba Sansthan,
Shirdi. Kakad
Aarati of Shri Sai was done at
5.15 a.m. on Saturday, October 20. The Shobhayatra (grand
procession) of the photo of Shri Sai, the sacred book ‘Shri Sai
Satcharita’ and Veena accompanied by the music of various
instruments and the loud chanting of Sai’s name was taken out. Trustee
Shri Krishnachandra Pandeya with the Veena, trustee Shri Ashok
Khambekar with the sacred book and the Sansthan Sevak Shri Pramod
Medhi and Shri Balasaheb Joshi with the photo of Sai, participated in
the Shobhayatra. After the grand procession culminated at
Dwarkamai from the Samadhi Mandir the Akhand
(uninterrupted) reading of Shri Sai Satcharita began. The first five
chapters were read by trustee Shri Ashok Khambekar, trustee Smt. Urmila
Jadhav, Mrs. Saraswati Wakchaure, Shri Laxman Turakane (Chopdar)
and Shri Hanumant Gade respectively. At 6.30 a.m. Shri Sai was given a
holy bath in a pleasant atmosphere. At 7.30 a.m. the worship of Shri
Sai’s holy feet was done by trustees Shri Krishnachandra Pandeya and
Shri Ramakant Karnik. At 8 a.m. the Abhishek Pooja was done. At
8.30 a.m. the sacred wear (Vastra) and other offerings made to
Shri Sai were auctioned and given away as Prasad. The noon Aarati
was held at 12.30 p.m. Hari Bhakta Parayan (HBP) Shri
Sharadmaharaj Neralkar of Nanded performed the Kirtan from 3 p.m.
to 5 p.m. Dhooparati was done at 6 p.m. A programme of devotional
songs on Sai Baba was presented by Shri Bholanath Samel of Mumbai at 7 p.m. on the new stage in the Saranjame garden
adjoining the Samadhi Mandir. The artistes who participated in
this programme were felicitated by trustee Shri Ashok Khambekar on
behalf of the Sansthan. At
9.15 p.m. a grand procession with musical accompaniments of Shri Sai’s
Palkhi (palanquin) was taken out through the village. The Palkhi
was led by Shrikrishna Band from Bhoiwada, Mumbai, Sanmitra Yuvak
Mandal’s Cymbal Band from Shirdi, the Lezim Band of Shri
Sainath Secondary School girls, Shehnai -Choughada
musicians and local Bhajan (devotional songs) Mandals. A
spectacular display of fire crackers also marked Shobhayatra.
After the Palkhi reached the temple premises Shri Subhash Jakhadi,
Shri Prakash Bhalerao and others presented the traditional ‘Bharud’
programme in front of the Palkhi. Since the Akhand reading
of Shri Sai Satcharita was
on, Dwarkamai was kept open the whole night. At
5.15 a.m. on Sunday, October 21 Kakad Aarati of Shri Sai was
done. At 5.45 a.m. the Akhand reading concluded. At 6.15 a.m.
Shri Sai was given the holy bath. On this very significant day, the
photo of Shri Sai, the holy book ‘Shri Sai Satcharita’ and Veena
was brought back to Samadhi Mandir from Dwarkamai in a grand
procession amidst sounding various musical instruments and loud chanting
of Shri Sai’s name. Trustee Shri Pandurang Abhang with Veena,
chairman Shri Jayant Sasane with wife Rajashri with the holy book and
trustees Shri Krishnachandra Pandeya and Shri Ashok Khambekar with Shri
Sai’s photo participated in the Shobhayatra. At 8.30 a.m. the
clothing and other items offered to Shri Sai were auctioned and given
away as Prasad. At 9 a.m. the ‘Bhikshajholi’ programme
was held with great enthusiasm. Trustees Shri Krishnachandra Pandeya,
Shri Suresh Wabale, Shri Pandurang Abhang, Shri Ashok Khambekar and
executive officer Shri Bhausaheb Wakchaure, administrative officer Shri
Subhash Jagtap alongwith the 20 Sai devotees - selected to
hold the Bhikshajholi through a lucky draw, participated in the
programme. A special melodious presentation of Kirtan by H.B.P. Shri
Sharadmaharaj Neralkar was made from 10 a.m. to 12 noon. At noon the Aradhana
rites and worship was done by the chairman Shri Jayant Sasane and Mrs.
Rajashri Sasane. The noon Aarati was performed at 12.30 p.m.
After that the Prasad meals programme was organized on the first
floor of the Samadhi Mandir. Vastradan (donating clothing)
was done by executive officer Shri Bhausaheb Wakchaure alongwith his
wife to Brahmin Suvasinis (ladies whose husbands are living). At
2 p.m. the descendents of those devotees who served Shri Sai Baba during
His lifetime in Shirdi were heartily felicitated on behalf of the
Sansthan with a coconut, shawl, and photo of Shri Sai by chairman Shri
Jayant Sasane, trustees Shri Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, Shri Ashok
Khambekar, Shri Suresh Wabale, Dr. Eknath Gondkar, Smt. Urmila Jadhav,
trustee and chairman of Shirdi Municipal Council Mrs. Sumitratai Kote,
Mrs. Rajashri Sasane, chairman of Ahmednagar Zilla Parishad Mrs.
Shalini Vikhe Patil, executive officer Shri Bhausaheb Wakchaure. A Seemollanghan
procession was taken out from Samadhi Mandir to Khandoba Mandir.
Dhooparati was done at 6 p.m. A programme of devotional songs by
Shri Sanjay Kulkarni of Savalivihir was presented from 7 p.m. to 9.15
p.m. A Bharatnatyam dance recital was presented by Mrs. Kalpana
Mane and her troupe from 9.30 p.m.to 11 p.m. on the new stage in
Saranjame garden adjoining the Samadhi Mandir. The artistes
participating in this programme were felicitated on behalf of the
Sansthan by trustee Shri Ashok Khambekar. At 9.15 p.m. a grand
procession of Shri Sai’s Rath (chariot) was taken out through
the village. Shrikrishna Band, Sanmitra Yuvak Mandal’s Cymbal Band,
the Lezim Band of Shri Sainath Secondary School girls, Shehnai -
Choughada musicians, local Bhajan Mandals and others
registered their attendance in front of the chariot. There was an
attractive display of fire crackers during the chariot Shobhayatra.
A Bharud programme was presented by Shri Subhash Jakhadi, Shri
Prakash Bhalerao, Shri Kishor Gagare, Shri Sharad Pathare, Shri Baban
Thore, Shri Bapu Jakhadi and others in front of the chariot after it
entered the temple premises. At 11 p.m. the programme of paying
obeisance to Shri Sai by the artistes began. Being a very significant
day the Samadhi Mandir was kept open for Darshan
the whole night. On
Monday, October 22 after Shri Sai’s holy bath at 6 a.m., trustee Shri
Krishnachandra Pandeya with his wife performed worship of Shri Sai’s
holy feet. The noon Aarati of Shri Sai started at 12.30 p.m. Shri
Sai’s Dhooparati was done at 6 p.m. Being Ekadashi on that day H.B.P.
Shri Sharadmaharaj Neralkar’s special Kirtan programme began at
7.30 p.m. After the Kirtan Shri Sai’s Shejarati was done
at 10 p.m. On
the concluding day of the festival, on Tuesday, October 23 the Kakad
Aarati was done at 5.15 a.m. Trustees Shri Krishnachandra Pandeya,
Shri Ashok Khambekar and Shri Suresh Wabale along with their wives
performed the Rudrabhishek in Gurusthan at 7.30 a.m. At
10.30 p.m. H.B.P. Shri Sharadmaharaj Neralkar’s Kirtan
programme on Gopalakala began. As per the annual ritual, the breaking of
Dahihandi was done after the Gopalakala Kirtan in the Samadhi
Mandir at 12 p.m. After that the noon Aarati began at 12.15
p.m. On behalf of the Sansthan, trustees Shri Krishnachandra Pandeya,
Shri Ashok Khambekar and Shri Suresh Wabale felicitated H.B.P. Shri
Sharadmaharaj Neralkar for presenting melodious Kirtans on all the four
days of the Shri Sai Baba Punyatithi festival. Invitee artist
Shri R. K. Saxena of Delhi presented a programme of Sai Bhajans
from 7.30 p.m. to 9.30 p.m. on the new stage in the Saranjame garden
adjoining the Samadhi Mandir. The artistes participating in the
programme were felicitated on behalf of the Sansthan by the
administrative officer Shri P. P. Deshpande. The
replica of the gateway of Akshardham temple erected at the main entrance
by Dwarkamai Mandal of Mumbai was the main attraction of this festival.
The moving replica of the annihilation of Mahishasura in Lendibaug,
attractive electrical lighting, the floral decorations in the temple and
the temple premises by Vasant Krishnadas Maharaj Seva Samiti Trust, Shri
Sopanrao Durafe of Mumbai and Shri Ramdas Bangar of Pune drew
everybody’s attention at the festival. On
Tuesday, October 23, mass village meal was served on behalf of Shri Sai
Baba Sansthan and Shirdi villagers. The Shri
Sai Baba Punyatithi Utsav was thus conducted in a beautiful ambience
with devotional enthusiasm.
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