The Making of Sai Krushna Mandir- Construction Updates

Life at Sai Krushna Mandir starts quite early. But the pace picks up exponentially when the children wake up. Their  bright smiles and chatter amidst the hustle and bustle of breakfast, getting them ready for school makes it all worth the while. And once they leave for school comes the calm after the storm. Once they are back, time flies between homework, play, bhajans, dinner and bedtime. And at the end of the day, watching the innocent smiles on the naughty faces as they fall asleep after much ruckus, coaxing and cajoling  is heartwarming.

The four children at Sai Krushna Mandir. (From L to R) Chandan, Shridhar, Shreyas and Devi Prasad

We thank all the donors and volunteers who have been generously contributing towards daily expenses to run the children’s home, construction, setting up an RO drinking water system, solar lighting and maintenance of the building. We are also grateful to the volunteers who have devoted time to buying groceries, spending time with the children and helping them learn and catch up with their curriculum. We invite applications for a few caretakers who will be paid suitably as per their experience and ability. Support staff families would be provided suitable accommodation and their children would be given appropriate educational facilities also.

Some other minor construction works like the bathrooms for visitors and external staff are in progress to facilitate the effective working of the children's home.

We look forward to all your active involvement and participation in this God given opportunity. We also welcome you to come and visit the site and participate in the activities of Sai Krushna Mandir. We pray that Swami’s grace will crown our genuine intentions and He will continue to guide and bless the children and residents to live in a happy home and grow to His ideals.

The Making of SaiKrushnaMandir

Saikrushna mandir after Phase 2

With the Divine Blessings and grace of our Beloved Swami, the Phase 1 of the children’s home – SaiKrushnaMandir – has begun operations from June 23^rd, 2013.. The “Gruhapravesam”(House Warming Ceremony) of the children’s home was held on 3^rd June. The first four children have joined and two more will be joining in the first week of July. The children are attending school at the associated Sharavathi Higher Primary School. We thank Swami for sending us a cook and helper for the children’s home. We have also found some volunteers to live with and take care of the children. We also invite applications for a few more suitable caretakers.  The caretakers would also be paid suitable as per their experience and ability. Support staff families would be provided suitable accommodation and their children would be given appropriate educational facilities also.

Some other minor construction works like the bathrooms for visitors and external staff are in progress to facilitate the effective working of the children’s home.We are very happy to have had devotees from SaiGruhalakshmi family, SaiGitanjali and PadmanabhanagarSamiti come and visit SaiKrushnaMandir in the month of July.

Construction Updates- The making of Sai Krushna Mandir

With the Divine Blessings and grace of our Beloved Swami, the Phase 1 of the children’s home – Sai Krushna Mandir – is now operational. The “Gruhapravesam”(House Warming Ceremony) of the children’s home was held on 3^rd June and the first four children that were identified attended the function.

On June 23^rd, two of the children joined the children’s h0me. Another two will be joining in the first week of July. These children are being given free education in the Sharavathi Kannada Higher Primary School being managed by Sai Krushna Charitable trust. These children are in Class 1 with the medium of instruction being English.

1.The completed Phase 1 of Sai Krushna Mandir. 2. The two children who joined the children’s home on 23 June. 3. Children being a part of the grihapravesham pooja. 4. Decorating Lord Ganesha’s idol. 5. Prasadam 6. Distribution of prasadam and ice creams to the school children.

 We have found some volunteers to live with and take care of the children. We also invite applications for suitable caretakers.  The caretakers would also be paid suitably as per their experience and ability. We are open to families coming and joining who feel the inclination to participate and involve in Swami’s project. Volunteer families would be provided with suitable accommodation and their children would be given appropriate educational facilities also.

We are also looking out for a cook and watchman for the children’s home. Interested people may contact us on +91 9663222362 or by email.

By Swami’s grace the Phase 1 of Sai Krushna Mandir is now complete. The next few weeks will involve the installation of solar street lights in front of the building. Solar hot water facility is also being considered subject to availability of funds. The members of the SKM construction team are also making frequent site visits to monitor the quality and quantum of progress.

Saikrushna Mandir after Phase II

We thank Swami for arranging for the funding for the construction of the boundary wall through His instruments. This has been successfully constructed. This was an essential requirement from the perspective of safety and security for the children and inmates and we thank the sincere devotees who have enabled this activity.

We look forward to all your active involvement and participation in this God given opportunity. We also welcome you to come and visit the site and witness the making of Sai Krushna Mandir. From our side, we will keep you updated through Venugaanam and the website. You are free to contact us directly for any further information. We are confident that, just as Swami’s bounteous blessings is ensuring the completion of Phase 1 of construction, Swami’s grace will crown our genuine intentions and He will continue to guide and bless the children and residents to live in a happy home and grow to His ideals.

Construction Updates of SaiKrushna Mandir

With the Divine Blessings and grace of our Beloved Swami, the Phase 1 of the children’s home – Sai Krushna Mandir – will be operational soon. The “Gruhapravesam”(House Warming Ceremony) of the children’s home will be held on 3rd June and the first five children have been identified and will be attending the function.

By Swami’s grace, Sai Krushna Mandir will be functional as a children’s home from end June 2013. The children who will be coming will also be able to join Class 1 in English medium instruction .
We have found some volunteers to live with and take care of the children. We also invite applications for suitable caretakers. The caretakers would also be paid suitable as per their experience and ability. We are open to families coming and joining who feel the inclination to participate and involve in Swami’s project. Volunteer families would be provided suitable accommodation and their children would be given appropriate educational facilities also.
We are also looking out for a cook and watchman for the children’s home once it starts functioning from June. Interested people may contact us on +91 9663222362 or by email. By Swami’s grace the painting for the building for Phase 1 of Sai Krushna Mandir is now complete. The next few weeks will involve the installation of solar street lights in front of the building. Solar hot water facility is also being considered subject to availability of funds. The members of the SKM construction team are also making frequent site visits to monitor the quality and quantum of progress.

The making of Sai Krushna Mandir- Construction Updates

With the Divine Blessings and grace of our Beloved Swami, the Phase 1 of the children’s home – Sai Krushna Mandir – will be operational soon. While there are numerous challenges, the SKM construction team is working to ensure that the construction and funding are all moving along expected lines.

It is expected that Sai Krushna Mandir will be functional as a children’s home from June 2013. That way, the children who will be coming will also be able to join during the change of academic session.

We also invite applications for suitable caretakers/ volunteer families who will be willing to live with and take care of the children.  The caretakers would also be paid suitable as per their experience and ability. The ideal volunteer would be one dedicated to Swami’s work. We are open to families coming and joining who feel the inclination to participate and involve in Swami’s project. Volunteer families would be provided suitable accommodation and their children would be given appropriate educational facilities also.

Construction Updates- Making of SaiKrushna Mandir

With the Divine Blessings and grace of our Beloved Swami, the Phase 1 of the children’s home – Sai Krushna Mandir – will be operational soon. While there are numerous challenges, the SKM construction team is working to ensure that the construction and funding are all moving along expected lines.

There have been a few delays (which is to be expected in a construction assignment) in the final finishing work and the SKM team is monitoring the situation so that there is no compromise on quality. It is expected that Sai Krushna Mandir will be functional as a children’s home from May/ June 2013. That way, the children who will be coming will also be able to join during the change of academic session.

Construction Updates- The making of Sai Krushna Mandir

With the Divine Blessings and grace of our Beloved Swami, the ground floor of Phase 1 of the children’s home – Sai Krushna Mandir – will be operational soon. While there are numerous challenges, the SKM construction team is working to ensure that the construction and funding are all moving along expected timelines.

We expect that the entire building would be finished by end March or April 1^st week. It is expected that Sai Krushna Mandir will be functional as a children’s home from May/ June 2013. That way, the children who will be coming will also be able to join during the change of academic session.

From Team Venugaanam’s Desk

We are delighted to bring to you the February 2013 edition of Venugaanam. This edition begins with Swami’s Divine exhortation to all to develop unwavering faith, love and devotion for God. The Pandavas and Gopikas were exemplars of such devotion and they firmly believed that Krushna will always protect them and the Lord never fails his devotees. Read this discourse of Swami and know it in His own words.

In Atmajyothi, we continue the deliberation on realizing our inner nature and true potential. We are all aspects of the One Self and this deliberation throws light on how we can de-identify ourselves from the body mind complex.

In the section on Astrology and Spirituality, Bhargav shares his insights on how Sun typifies the soul and the significance of this important star in the birth chart. He also describes characteristics that arise from the presence of a powerful sun in the horoscope of an individual.

In the section on ‘A Journey Within’, Sriram shares his insights on what how all of us are exactly where we have chosen to be. Life is a question of choice and not chance he opines.

Shrikanth shares an interesting incident from the life of the celebrated saint Thyagaraja and shows how this saint had implicit faith in Lord Rama and how His grace poured on the saint in immense measure.

SowmyaRoopa shares her experiences as a student of the Anantapur campus. In the series called Golden moments, she narrates incidents that happened during those precious years and specific instructions from Swami to improve our lives. In this article she shares an interview where Swami illustrated how one can remove one’s ego by understanding what a small speck of the universe each one of us is.

A leader is one who understands and leads his team to achieve better results. A leader takes responsibility during a crisis and gives credit to the team where success is due. In his article, Prakash shares his insights on what constitutes true leadership.

There have been some significant developments last month.  Construction is progressing rapidly and the external wall masonry, plumbing and electrical work are being done for the second floor also. The flooring with vitrified tiles and the external wall painting are all expected to give Sai Krushna Mandir a homely and aesthetic appeal to welcome the children by April/ May. Read more in the construction update.

We are happy to have your feedback on how to make ‘Venugaanam’ a better communication tool. You may kindly mail us at contactus@saikrushnamandir.org . Do feel free to share with us your experiences in following Swami’s teachings or on any other theme of your choice.

Happy reading! May Swami turn our lives into a celebration of His message of love and service.

With All our Prema,

Team Venugaanam

Sai Krushna Charitable Trust

Construction Updates- Sai Krushna Mandir

With the Divine Blessings and grace of our Beloved Swami, the ground floor of Phase 1 of the children’s home – Sai Krushna Mandir – will be operational soon. While there are numerous challenges, the SKM construction team is working to ensure that the construction and funding are all moving along expected timelines.

Construction and Birthday Updates- Sai Krushna Mandir

With the Divine Blessings and grace of our Beloved Swami, the ground floor of Phase 1 of the children’s home – Sai Krushna Mandir – was inaugurated on 23^rd November, 2012. Swami's  birthday celebrations were held on 23rd November morning at Phase 1 of Sai Krushna Mandir amidst much grandeur.
It was wonderful to have students, devotees and their families participate in the simple but satisfying function.

The great take away from this function was the amount that can be achieved when dedicated families and individuals come together for Swami's work keeping Him as the center and reason of their lives. As Swami says, when like minded people unite for a noble purpose, wonders can be achieved. Currently, the plumbing, masonry and electrical works are all being taken up for the first floor also. The entire building would be finished by February/ March. It is expected that Sai Krushna Mandir will be functional as a children’s home from April/May 2013. That way, the children who will be coming will also be able to join during the change of academic session. We also invite applications for suitable volunteer families who will be willing to live with and take care of the children. 

Construction Update

THE MAKING OF SAI KRUSHNA MANDIR- CONSTRUCTION UPDATE

Sai Krushna Mandir after Phase 1 and 2

With the Divine Blessings and grace of our Beloved Swami, the ground floor of Phase 1 of the children’s home – Sai Krushna Mandir – will be inaugurated on 23^rd November, 2012. While there are numerous challenges, the SKM construction team is working to ensure that the foundation, construction and funding are all moving along expected timelines.

As you are all aware, owing to our stance of non-corruption with government authorities, the construction work began only on Gurupoornima-3^rd July. We are grateful to Swami that He has allowed us to complete the ground floor of the building in time to celebrate the inauguration of the ground floor on His birthday It is entirely a reflection of His grace on the project that in a short duration of about 4 months the ground floor of Phase 1 would be complete and the civil structure of the first and second floors would be done by November. The entire building would be finished by February/ March. It is expected that Sai Krushna Mandir will be functional as a children’s home from April/May 2013. That way, the children who will be coming will also be able to join during the change of academic session. We also invite applications for suitable volunteer families who will be willing to to live with and take care of the children.

Sai Krushna Mandir Children's Home-Construction Updates

 

THE MAKING OF SAI KRUSHNA MANDIR- CONSTRUCTION UPDATE

Phase 2 after completion

With the Divine Blessings and grace of our Beloved Swami, the ground floor of Phase 1 of the children’s home – Sai Krushna Mandir – is to be inaugurated on 23^rd November, 2012. While there are numerous challenges, the SKM construction team is working to ensure that the foundation, construction and funding are all moving along expected timelines.

By Swami’s grace the ground floor roof work for Phase 1 of Sai Krushna Mandir was completed in the second week of September. The first floor roof is expected to be completed by the second week of September.  

 Sai Krushna Mandir Phase 1 after completion

Construction Updates- Making of Sai Krushna Mandir

With the Divine Blessings and grace of our Beloved Swami, Phase 1 of the children’s home – Sai Krushna Mandir – is to be inaugurated on 23^rd November, 2012. While there are numerous challenges, the SKM construction team is working to ensure that the foundation, construction and funding are all moving along expected timelines.

By Swami’s grace the earthwork, excavation and foundation work for Phase 1 of Sai Krushna Mandir was completed in the first week of August. The ground floor roof is expected to be completed by the first week of September.  

      Sai Krushna Mandir Phase 1 after completion

The dry summer in Southern India had been a cause of concern and the onset of monsoons in mid August was a huge relief for not just the agriculturists, but also from the perspective of construction. As mentioned in the previous update, the foundation work was finished in end July and the plinth work has also been done in first week of August. The monsoons could not have been timed better for us as the cement needs curing just after foundation work is ready. This will ensure maximum strength and natural curing. Our construction consultants- Shankarnarayan consultancy- have designed the foundation particularly strong to allow for future expansion of the building vertically by even 2 additional floors. This will ensure saving of useful land space for play. Once foundation was complete, the land refilling has been completed and the columns and beams now project above the ground. The floor plan markings have been done for ground floor and the work is in earnest progress to complete the ground floor roof by the first week of September. The common entrance area for portico, lift and stair case have all been clearly demarcated. Plumbing, electrical and roof diagrams are expected shortly to enable construction work.  The members of the SKM construction team are also making frequent site visits to monitor the quality and quantum of progress.

Our construction consultants, the civil contractor Mr Umesh and members of the SKM construction team are all satisfied with the rate of progress and quality of construction. Kindly see the attached photos. We are working to ensure good safety standards by not allowing children near the site. Children of the construction workers are attending the Sharavathi Higher Primary school while their parents go to work. On Krushna Janmashthami day, sweets were also distributed for all the construction workers.

We look forward to all your active involvement and participation in this God given opportunity. We also welcome you to come and visit the site and witness the making of Sai Krushna Mandir. From our side, we will keep you updated through Venugaanam and the website. You are free to contact us directly for any further information. We are confident that, just as Swami’s bounteous blessings ensured the procurement of excellent drinking water and land, Swami’s grace will crown our genuine intentions and He will continue to guide and bless the entire effort.

The Making Of SaiKrushna Mandir- Construction Updates

THE MAKING OF SAI KRUSHNA MANDIR- CONSTRUCTION UPDATE

SKM as it will be after  Phase 1 and Phase 2

With the Divine Blessings and grace of our Beloved Swami, Phase 1 of the children’s home – Sai Krushna Mandir – is to be inaugurated on 23^rd November, 2012. While there are numerous challenges, the SKM construction team is working to ensure that the foundation, construction and funding are all moving along expected timelines.

By Swami’s grace the earthwork, excavation and building work for Phase 1 of Sai Krushna Mandir began on GURUPOORNIMA: 3^rd July, 2012.  

The school students initiated the whole proceedings with a prayer to Swami at the village temple tree. They sang bhajans and chanted Sai Gayathri. Prayer was also made to a neighbouring tree seeking its permission to cut a few of its branches (which were protruding into the area of construction) for the noble purpose of building the children’s home. At exactly 11 am the Borewell drilling lorry began the work of drilling for water. The children and all the villagers got together and cheered the proceedings. In fact many of the alumni students were actively involved in counting of rod- lengths drilled into the land. An interesting experience flagged off the entire construction work--- Normally, water is expected in that region at a depth of 700 metres with a yield of 2”- 2.5”. However, by Swami’s Divine blessings, we were able to get excellent potable water at a depth of 450 metres and a phenomenal yield of 4”. The entire village had assembled to join in the wrok and celebrated when water was found. Usually, the bore well contractors stop drilling once water level is reached. However, in this case, all the villagers got together and requested, pleaded, demanded and asserted all at once that this was for the purpose of 108 orphans and hence the bore well people should dig at least 20 feet further to ensure that there are no water shortages in future. The bore well contractors were taken aback at this mass appeal and yielded to the persuasion saying that they too were happy to be part of this mission.

Sai Krushna Mandir after Phase 1

The support of the entire village of 300 odd people was so overwhelming and humbling that we were left in tears at the way Swami inspires individuals who may not even have seen Him. Literally, every drop of water that the children shall drink would have the stamp of His Divine Hand and grace.

The markings for foundation work were also done and the earth moving machines were employed to dig deep enough for a strong civil foundation. Over the next few days, cement and steel were purchased by us at some subsidy and these were used to erect pillars for the sub structure. Centering work of the pillars was done and these were erected in pits sanctified with the sand and Vibhuthi from Parthi.  A Tank was constructed for water storage and for the purpose of curing the cement works.

Meanwhile, we have secured permission from the electricity board to harness power for the proposed building and work is underway to get a motor to pump the water from the borewell to the tank.

As of 31^st July, the foundation work for Phase 1 is complete and the plinth work is in progress. We anticipate that the first roof for this Phase will be complete by the end of August or first week of September.

 We look forward to all your active involvement and participation in this God given opportunity. We also welcome you to come and visit the site and witness the making of Sai Krushna Mandir. From our side, we will keep you updated through Venugaanam and the website. You are also free to contact us directly for any further information. We are confident that, just as Swami’s bounteous blessings ensured the procurement of excellent drinking water and land, Swami’s grace will crown our genuine intentions and He will continue to guide and bless the entire effort.

Construction Update

Saikrushna Mandir after completion of Phase 1 and Phase 2

With the Divine Blessings and grace of our Beloved Swami, Phase 1 of the children’s home – Sai Krushna Mandir – is to be inaugurated on 23^rd November, 2012. As part of this, the SKM construction team is working to ensure that the architectural drawings, foundation, construction and funding are all moving along expected timelines.

 There were certain legal constraints and some background work related to fixing a contractor that delayed the start of the project on the ground. Most of that has been addressed now and we are now in a position to begin on Gurupoornima. By Swami’s grace the earthwork, excavation and building work for Phase 1 of Sai Krushna Mandir is beginning on GURUPOORNIMA: 3^rd July, 2012.  

However, before a discussion on that, we introduce our team of architects and construction consultants- Shankarnarayana Consultancy. Incidentally, they have also constructed for Swami in Muddenahalli, Parthi and other buildings associated with Swami. Currently, they are also engaged in the construction of the annexe building for the Senior Boys Hostel building in Puttaparthi.

In this edition we take you through the process of decision making in selecting a contractor. The construction consultants gave us the Bill of Quantities( BOQ)- which is essentially a list of requirements specified in terms of overall material and labour requisites. The BOQ was then given to different contractors to source their quotations for the overall project cost. This was followed by negotiations with the contractors and having internal skype calls among the Sai Students construction team. There were also three meetings of the Trustees to discuss the possibilities of a labour contract as against a civil contract. Our construction consultants, Shankarnarayan consultants, favoured a Civil Contract strongly considering the challenges involved and unavoidable delays that accompany a labour contract. Respecting the expertise and dedication of our consultants, a final decision was taken to go for a Civil Contract for Phase 1.

Phase 1 of Sai Krushna Mandir : Front View

The SKM Construction team after thorough analysis and consultation with our construction consultants is happy to appoint Mr Umesh as the Civil Contractor for Phase 1. He has a referral from one of the SKM team members also who have seen his commitment and dedication in working for their home construction. He has experience in working on multiple projects including industrial and residential buildings. Some of these include an R&D division for ITC Limited and Cauvery Medical Centre at Shankaranagar near Bellary Road. We welcome him on our team and look forward to a long term relationship to fulfill the project commanded by Swami.

 The entire BOQ for Phase 1 with multiple sub worksheets and the break-up would be made available on the website shortly. Attached below is a brief account of BOQ for Phase 1:

Making a site for the borewell

On 1^st July, Sunday the borewell for water will be dug.  This will be followed by cleaning and leveling of the site. Construction will formally begin with measurements on ground, excavation and earthwork commencing on Gurupoornima- 3^rd July. This will be followed by the work related to foundation and sub structure.

Using a compass to identify the water point

We look forward to all your active involvement and participation in this God given opportunity. We also welcome you to come and visit the site and witness the making of Sai Krushna Mandir. From our side, we will keep you updated through Venugaanam and the website. You are also free to contact us directly for any further information.

We are confident that, just as Swami’s bounteous blessings ensured the procurement of the land, Swami’s grace will crown our genuine intentions and He will continue to guide and bless the entire effort.

Construction Update- Sai Krushna Mandir Children's home

With the Divine Blessings and grace of our Beloved Swami, the children’s home – Sai Krushna Mandir – is to be inaugurated on 23rd November, 2012. As part of this, the SKM construction team is working to ensure that the architectural drawings, foundation and construction are all moving along expected timelines. We are now in the process of engaging a civil contractor for the completion. We are going slow and steady in this part of the process to ensure that the civil contract is handed over to a reliable and dependable contractor. After thorough analysis and considering the time and fund position, the SKM construction team has decided to do the entire construction in two phases. Phase 1 of Sai Krushna Mandir children’s home will involve a G+2 type of residential accommodation for the children and caretakers. It will have the ability to house up to 30 people. Phase 1 would be completed in time for inauguration on Swami’s birthday this year. Phase 2 would be the eventual children’s home with the facility to house 120 children and about 10 caretakers. Phase 2 shall begin immediately after Phase 1, and the construction of Phase 2 will be aimed to completed in one go. This additional time will also help to get us to a better fund position to complete Phase 2. Starting Phase 2 right away would not be advisable in terms of the cost implications of potentially starting and having to stop for requirement of capital. Once Phase 2 is complete the children would all be accommodated there and the current Phase 1 would be converted to an auditorium for children cum support staff accommodation cum guest room. We are confident that, just as Swami’s bounteous blessings ensured the procurement of the land, Swami’s grace will crown our genuine intentions and He will continue to guide and bless the entire effort.

Construction Update: Sai Krushna Mandir Children's Home

With the Divine Blessings and grace of our Beloved Swami, the children’s home – Sai Krushna Mandir – is to be inaugurated on 23rd November, 2012. As part of this, the SKM construction team is working to ensure that the architectural drawings, foundation and construction are all moving along expected timelines. We are now in the process of engaging a civil contractor for the completion. After thorough analysis and considering the time and fund position, the SKM construction team has decided to do the entire construction in two phases.

Phase 1 of Sai Krushna Mandir children’s home will involve a G+2 type of residential accommodation for the children and caretakers. It will have the ability to house up to 30 people. Phase 1 would be completed in time for inauguration on Swami’s birthday this year. Phase 2 would be the eventual children’s home with the facility to house 120 children and about 10 caretakers. Phase 2 shall begin immediately after Phase 1, and the construction of Phase 2 will be aimed to completed in one go. This additional time will also help to get us to a better fund position to complete Phase 2. Starting Phase 2 right away would not be advisable in terms of the cost implications of potentially starting and having to stop for requirement of capital. Once Phase 2 is complete the children would all be accommodated there and the current Phase 1 would be converted to an auditorium for children cum support staff accommodation cum guest room. We are confident that, just as Swami’s bounteous blessings ensured the procurement of the land, Swami’s grace will crown our genuine intentions and He will continue to guide and bless the entire effort.

Construction Update- Sai Krushna Mandir

With the Divine Blessings and grace of our Beloved Swami, the children’s home – Sai Krushna Mandir – is to be inaugurated on 23^rd November, 2012. As part of this, the SKM construction team is working to ensure that the architectural drawings, foundation and construction are all moving along expected timelines. In this March update we share with you the Front View that has been developed by the expert architects and reviewed by the SKM Construction Team.

As of now, architectural drawings and soil testing have been completed. Three point soil testing was done to identify the depth of foundation needed and estimate the cost and time for foundation. By Swami’s grace, the hard (solid) part of the ground was reached at a reasonable depth of approx 2 metres, hence the foundation need not be dug very deep.  In the month of March, structural design and the civil contract will be taken up. 

Sai Krushna Mandir- Construction Update

With the Divine Blessings and grace of our Beloved Swami, the children’s home – Sai Krushna Mandir – is to be inaugurated on 23^rd November, 2012. As part of this, the SKM construction team is working to ensure that the architectural drawings, foundation and construction are all moving along expected timelines. From February to November, we will bring you updates on the actual developments happening at Hosadoddi village from the perspective of how drawings and construction are proceeding

Bhoomi Pooja

By Darshan Patel

(Darshan is a 17 year old pursuing his Diploma in Pharmacy in London. He is a very witty teenager and an excellent guitarist. His deep voice resonates when he sings bhajans. His attitude towards seva and the ability to adjust and adapt are commendable at his age. )

My humble pranams at the lotus feet of our beloved Bhagwan.

After April, I was beginning to crave for the darshan of His Samadhi. After seven long months, I could not wait any longer and so I decided to pack my bags and head to India. Since I was landing in Bangalore, Kalpana Aunty introduced me to Brother Vinod and his family. They have started a trust and were holding a Bhoomi Pooja for the children’s home- Sai Krushna Mandir.  I wanted to spend most of my time over the next three weeks doing seva. So I decided to stay with them for a week and be a part of the activities planned. It was a first time for me and I was looking forward to the event. On the 23^rd of November the Bhoomi Pooja was held. After arriving early the morning of the 22^nd, even I couldn’t resist waking up early as there was excitement in the air. After finally arriving at the village school near the site for the children’s home, the fun began. Swami’s chair stood there wonderfully decorated and the children’s excitement could be felt. Whilst waiting for the pooja to begin we began chanting the Sai Gayatri. All the children joined in too. A bit rusty at start but after a while we all were in harmony. Then we began bhajans which the children seemed to love and the energy and levels of participation which they put in were inspirational.

The Pooja commenced. This was a completely new experience to me as in England things are done differently. All though I knew that it was a pooja in which you worship the ground, I didn’t really understand what was going on as most of the prayers were in Sanskrit and instructions in Tamil. However, I did manage to learn my first proper Tamil words… ‘Neengal Vaango’ or “Please come here”. Getting these two words right itself gave me a taste of this tongue twister of a language. I’m sure I’ll always remember these two words. But jokes aside, the vibrations of the prayers and chanting did come across to me. They then dug a hole in the north east corner of land where we went and worshiped the tile  on which Swami’s has walked in Prashanthi. This included washing it with milk and water and offering flowers. The stone will then be placed in the foundation of the orphanage when the construction starts. The whole day was lovely and I think we all felt Swami’s presence there in one way or another.

The following Sunday, the celebrations continued in the form of a grand school exhibition put up by the students of the Village School. We started with Nagarsankeertan and rudram chanting. The donors of the land and the teachers were felicitated. What struck me most was the children and their appreciation for what they had. When the teachers were honoured with Amruthakalashas (monthly provisions and blanket), the students were the ones who expressed their gratitude with loud cheering and applause. The programme concluded with Mangala Arathi and Narayan Seva. From what I have seen and experienced I am confident that Sai Krushna Mandir – the children’s home - will be a great success. The environment will be encouraging for the children in the orphanage and it will be one big united family. I have felt this in the past week by staying as one with the SKM family. And, if anything, I know that the children will be happy and grateful to Swami for what they shall receive.