The devotees from Kerala also were to present their Vishu programme today, just like their Tamil Nadu brethren yesterday. Bhagavan arrived for darshan at six o'clock and their presentation, a drama on Saint Surdas by balvikas children, got underway at 6.20. The hour-long English drama had several songs, and Swami went down from the stage to have group photographs with the children. He interacted with them for a while before returning to the stage. After a bhajan by the devotees, He accepted Arati. Interacting some more with the State Sai Organisation President, who relayed Swami's message to the children, Bhagavan returned to His residence after 7.30 pm.
Swami came for morning darshan twice over the last few days. In the
evenings, He was coming out at around five o'clock and accepting Arati
around an hour later. Today, devotees from Tamil Nadu were here in
strength, presenting a programme they had prepared for their New Year.
Bhagavan had been at Delhi at that time, and He had graciously consented
to have their programme now. In the morning, the Sundaram Bhajan group
from Chennai sang the bhajans. In the evening, very young Balvikas boys
presented a Carnatic classical musical concert. Bhagavan arrived at six
o'clock, and after His darshan round sat onstage for the songs to begin
at 6.20 pm. The children did very well and won Swami's appreciation, and
He presented them with clothes before their last song. The students
sang some bhajans at seven o'clock, and fifteen minutes later, Swami
accepted Arati. He interacted some more with the children who presented
the music, and returned to His residence at half-past seven.
This morning, Bhagavan came for darshan at 10.15 as the bhajans went on. After a round of the hall, He sat onstage till Arati at 10.45 am. In the evening, the Vedam was asked to begin at 4.30 pm instead of 4 pm. Swami arrived just after five o'clock. He made a second round of the ladies' side after a round of Sai Kulwant hall and sat onstage as the Vedam went on. He did not indicate for the bhajans to begin, and instead directly accepted Arati at six o'clock before returning to His residence.
Bhagavan returned to Prasanthi Nilayam after His trip to Delhi and Shimla this evening. Alighting from the chartered plane at the Sri Sathya Sai Airport, Swami arrived in His car at the Mandir at 4.15 pm as the students sang a welcome song. After accepting Arati from the verandah, Swami returned to His residence in the car. Bhajans began at 5 pm, and Swami came for darshan in the chair twenty minutes later. Moving directly to the stage, He accepted Arati half an hour later before returning to His residence.
Swami has been coming for evening darshan by 5.30 pm on most days. Over the last one week, preparations have been going on for Bhagavan's visit to Delhi. Swami and the group accompanying Him will leave Prasanthi Nilayam by a chartered aircraft in the afternoon tomorrow. The Delhi Sai Organisation website has a schedule of the public darshans arranged there. This evening, after Arati at 5.45 pm, Swami called up the students and teachers who are to go with Him and interacted with them for a few minutes. He moved to His residence at six o'clock after blessing the gathering with both hands, speaking to many devotees on the way.
This evening, Bhagavan came for darshan at 4.20 pm. The final year students of the Brindavan campus were ready with their gratitude programme in Sai Kulwant hall. Once He finished His darshan round, Swami came to the bhajan hall and saw the students in costumes there. After a short interaction there and after cutting a cake, He moved the the stage and the students took their positions, beginning their programme at a quarter to five. Multilingual speeches and songs featured in their 70-minute presentation, at the end of which Swami gave a chain to one of the participants and many of them came up one by one with cards. Arati was offered and Bhagavan moved to His residence after one more round of 'Samasta Lokah Sukhino Bhavantu' chants at six o'clock.
