Shri Sai Baba's Palkhi Procession to Shirdi
All Sai devotees will be glad to now that as per the practice of every year, the "Saisevak Mandal" Bombay, has arranged this year also a Palkhi Procession to Shirdi from Bombay for the Ramanavami which falls on 21st April, 1983.
The Palkhi Procession will start from the Bombay office of the Shirdi Sansthan at 'Sai Niketan. Dr. Ambedkar Road, Dadar, Bombay-400014 on Tuesday the 12th April 1983 after the noon aarti at 12 noon. The route of the Palkhi Procession will be Via Thane, Bhiwandi. Shahapur, Kasara, Igatpuri, Nasik, Sinner Wavi, and Shirdi so as to reach Shirdi on Tuesday the 19th of April, 1983.
Those Sai devotees who intend to take part in this Palkhi Procession may kindly pay Rs. 125/- in cash towards the expenses for the journey to the representative of the Mandal before 8-4-83 between 2 and 5 p. m. at Sai Niketan, Dadar. It may be noted that the above subscription is only for defraying expenses for the journey from Bombay to Shirdi from 12-4-83 to 19-4-83. The expenditure thereafter will have to be borne personally by every individual.
Saisevak Mandal,
Bombay
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Soul-Elevating Shirdi-Pilgrimage
Eventhough Samartha Sadguru Sai Baba had attracted me in 1971. it was Basheer Baba the saint of Ram Sai Nagar (A P), who had given impetus to me during his first visit to Calcutta Sai Samaj in October 1973. Since then the Sai-momentum is never lost in me.
I pay my obeisance to Sai Baba at Shirdi each year without a break since 1976 in October-November by Saigrace. As usual, I had booked my sleeper berth for Bombay in September last to avoid Puja stampede at the booking office. Yet I could secure my berth only in "Gitanjali" (an inconvenient train for Shirdi-trip) and not in the "Bombay Mail" which would stop at Manmad unlike "Gitanjali".
On 23rd Oct. '82, I boarded my train, and alighted on the next day at Bhusaval at 1.30 P. M. with a resolve to travel to Manmad by bus. When I contacted the ticket collector to get an endorsement on my ticket for the break in the journey, he obliged me. But after I left the building, he seemed to have had a second thought and hailed me back and advised me not to break the journey. He continued and said that "Giianjali" would just crawl at Manmad and I could easily avail it and alight from it at the station since I had had with me only a brief case. I took it as Sai-guidance. But only at Nasik Jn., I could alight from it when it was crawling and not at Manmad. I later boarded a bus bound for Shirdi at the Nasik Central bus stand and arrived at Shirdi the same night at 10. 15 P. M. just in good Sai-time to witness "Sesh Aarati". Again, Sai had blessed this child to witness it despite the obstacle.
After offering my salutation to Sai Baba, I rushed to "'Shanti Niwas" booking counter only to secure a locker and not a. room. I slept peacefully and at day-break I began my Sai-hunt for my Sai-uncles Adya Prasad Tripathiji (Betul) and P. J. Reddyji (Hyderabad). It was with the kind understanding assistance of Shindesaheb I could locate Tripathiji without effort and Tripathiji in turn helped me to locate Reddyji. We thus became a trinity there.
I have been nursing a desire for long to count the Sai-Hundi collections. It was fulfilled on 25-10-1982 at 8-30 A. M. through our able administrator Kakare Sahib. Tripathiji was hovering around the place when Kakresahib invited him too to share the Sai-fortune. It took us as many as two hours to count the huge treasure of Sai. I counted them thinking of Sai as our Sai was rubbing coins chanting His devotees' names for their welfare.
Again my first child was ushered into this world on 14-8-1982 and we considered her arrival as Sai-Prasad and christened her Sai Deepa the name chosen by our Sai after casting the lot to Him before aarati was taken. I was always given accommodation at "Shanti-Niwas" unsolicited and this time I was offered unsolicited Sai-Prasad for my accommodation on 25-10-82. the day it was thrown open to the multitudes of Sai-devotees It is again a Saigrace, not a coincidence.
While we three were moving about, we stumbled over the ailing Ram Baba and had. the Sailuck to get his blessing by a pat for each. Each year when we pay our visit to Shirdi, we behold better amenities. This year we felt happy when we could view the goings-on at Samadhi Shrine of Sai on the closed-circuit Television. It speaks volumes of Kakresahib's, Pathaksahib's. Shindesahib's and the Staff's devotion to their work and Sai-service to the Sai-devotees.
On 7th morning, I boarded the bus at Shirdi at 8. 45 A.M bound for Manmad. But we were told that the bus would reach its destination within two hours only which meant that I would have to miss the Varanasi Express at Manmad. As Sai had helped me through the Ticket Collector at Bhusaval Jn, I was helped by Him exactly in a similar fashion this time also. When I alighted the bus at Manmad, the Varanasi Express was already parked there. I ran to catch it; but it had already started to chug along. I cast away my brief case and a bag into the compartment and dived into it with full force. If I were to miss, I would not be able to resume duty on 29th October. Such obstacles continued to shadow me and Sai also took care of me always.
On my return journey to Howrah by Calcutta Mail, .a few kilometers away from Howrah at Tikiapara Stn. On 29-10-82 morning, the Mail screeched to a resounding halt. Later we learnt that it would not leave the spot for a long time as a local train had derailed at Howrah Station itself. Fortunately for us. another local train was approaching our station and we waved our hands to the driver and he, out of sympathy, halted it for us. It was not a scheduled stop, for it was coming from Uluberia Station.
My Sai-Brothers can now realize that I was dogged with obstacles at every turn and Sai Baba saw to it that His child rejoined his family members safely and resumed duty in good time.
T. R. Anand
Sarangabad - 743319
(West Bengal)
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