Sacrifice Selfishness and Serve

"What we need today is not a new society, but persons with good qualities, sacred ideals and unselfish attitudes," observed Bhagavan Baba, in His valedictory address to the four‑day central training camp for members of Sathya Sai Seva Organisations conducted in Bombay from May 8 to 11. Speaking at the same function, Mr. Nani Palkhivala said that Bhagavan Baba "has exactly the right lesson to teach which the country needs to be taught today. Baba alone could bring about harmony in areas where laws have proved ineffective and instill in men's hearts `implicit obedience to the unenforceable'." The training camp marks a new phase In the service activities of the Sathya Sai Seva Organisations, namely, "Door‑to‑door Health Education" and "Study Circles", for the benefit of all sections of people, urban as well as rural. The Study Circles will cover besides educationists and spiritual aspirants, industrial and rural workers also. Over 300 trainees, men and women, drawn from all over India participated In the 4‑day course and had the benefit of lectures by many eminent men including Justice P. N. Bhagawati of the Supreme Court, Air chief Marshal (Retd.) O. P. Mehra, Governor of Maharashtra, Dr. N. H. Antia, Director, Foundation for Research in Country‑Health, Professors S. Bashirudd­in, C. H. Shah and S. V. Pappu, Dr. K. K Datey, cardiologist. Two of the young speakers were Kamal Sawhney and C. Sreenivas, Lecturers from Sri Sathya Sai College, Brindavan. The trainees were lodged in the picturesque campus of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan at Versova. The entire training programme was conducted under the auspices of the World Council of Sri Sathya Sai Organis­ations. Dr. Keki M. Mistry, President of the Dental Association of India, was in charge of the Health Training Programme, and Dr. Brahmanand Mavinkurve and Professor. S. V. Pappu were jointly in-charge of the Study Circles training pro­gramme. Sri Indulal H. Shah, Chairman of the World Council of Sri Sathya Sai Organis­ations, inaugurating the training program­me, said the younger generation alone could bring about reform in the state of the nation. He told the trainees that the Sathya Sai Organisations proposed to build a cadre of workers to look after the Health Education Programme and the Study Circle activities. Those trained in Bombay would from the nucleus of this cadre. They would go out in their respective districts in the country and train more batches of workers. The 4‑day Training camp commenced on May 8 and concluded on May 11. Bhagavan Baba, who arrived in Bombay on May 10, addressed the valedictory function held on May 11 at the Rang Bhavan. Bhagavan Baba, in his valedictory mess­age, said: "Learning to discharge one's duty is alone true learning. Teaching the stu­dents to imbibe this 'discipline of duty' is the only true education." Education should help the student to develop strong and good character. On 'management‑worker relationship', Sri Baba likened the former to the heart and the latter to the body. For healthy functioning, the two should work in har­mony and not in discord. Arriving in Bombay on May 10th at Dharmakshetra, the third day of the train­ing course, Bhagavan drove to the Bhara­tiya Vidya Bhavan campus, blessed the trainees and dined with them. - Sanathana Sarathi, June 1981