13th March

On Saturday 13th March, Sadguru Sri Madhusudan Sai departed Muddenahalli at around 3 p.m. for the airport. Accompanied by guests, staff, and students, He reached the Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Hospital at Raipur in the early evening.

After a short rest, Sadguru proceeded to the magnificent Sowbhagyam building adjacent to the hospital. Sri Sathya Sai Sowbhagyam is a towering edifice standing majestically as a Centre for Human Development which serves all members of not only the hospital, but also of the wider community.

Sadguru reached the state-of-the-art auditorium housed on the ground floor of Sowbhagyam, where He was welcomed with an evening of cultural presentations. The programme began with an invocatory chant of the Medha Suktam and continued with various beautiful regional dances interspersed with moving speeches by hospital staff members. The evening’s programme was a heart-touching illustration of the extensive role of the Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Hospitals which not only give life to little hearts, but at the same time provide jobs for local people gifting them with empowerment and increased self-esteem by playing a role in this mighty medical mission.

The programme also included a beautiful musical drama depicting the journey of a paediatric heart patient along with her family and the trials and tribulations borne by the parents and children as they arrive at Sanjeevani with much trepidation and leave with hearts overflowing with joy and gratitude for a new lease of life.

‘Sirf dil, no bill’ (only heart, no bill) is the motto of the Sai Sanjeevani hospitals and it is with this overflowing love and compassion that each and every staff member offers the very best of themselves each day to ensure that the highest quality of care is provided to the little hearts coming their way.

With a mortality rate of only 1.1%, the team of hospital nurses then demonstrated the immense unity and capability required as they then simulated the CPR protocol for the Operating Theatre, highlighting just a small fraction of the teamwork and dedication required in saving each little heart.

The evening’s proceedings then concluded with a fusion dance performance which was followed by a short video presentation on the role of Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Hospitals.

Mangala Arati was then offered, after which Sadguru retired for the day.

14th March

The morning of Sunday 14th March saw the ground-breaking or Bhoomi Puja ceremony for a new Divine Mother and Child Care Centre dedicated to serving expectant mothers, new mothers and children. Many expectant mothers in rural India currently do not have access to medical care at this crucial time and therefore in order to address the struggles of these mothers, the construction new Centre christened as Mamatva (motherhood) was begun on this auspicious occasion.

As the Puja began and was underway, Sadguru arrived at the site at around 11:30am. Shortly after, Her Excellency the Honourable Governor of Chhattisgarh, Srimati Anasuiya Uikey also graced the occasion with her presence. Sadguru along with the Honourable Governor performed the ground-breaking ceremony with offerings to Mother Earth.

Thereafter, everyone proceeded to the auditorium at Sri Sathya Sai Sowbhagyam where the formal event began with a rendition of the National Anthem. After a welcome for all the guests and dignitaries, the event began with a summary of all the services provided by the Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Hospitals and in particular, the work done by the Hospital in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh, a very tribal part of the country which does not have adequate access to healthcare facilities. This was followed by a briefing on the services to be provided in the upcoming Divine Mother and Child Care Centre, Mamatva which will provide monitoring, regular healthcare and provisions of the SaiSure health supplement for expectant mothers and also children.

This was followed by an address by the Chairman of the Sri Sathya Sai Health and Education Trust, Sri C Sreenivas. Sri Sreenivas offered his heartfelt gratitude to the Honourable Governor for her gracious presence and also to all the guests present for the occasion. He spoke about the desparate need for healthcare which is being met by the Sanjeevani Hospitals and how the Mamatva Centre is a much required addition to the Hospital’s services.

Padma Bhushan Sri Sunil Gavaskar then addressed the gathering and spoke about the important role of Mamatva which is set to provide the care for mothers which is available for those living in cities, but mostly inaccessible to those in rural India.

Sadguru then granted His Divine message and spoke about the importance of women, saying that nari seva is verily narayani seva. Sadguru explained how even in the earlier days, Easwaramma had requested Bhagawan to build a hospital to serve mothers and even today, it is of utmost importance to ensure that mothers receive quality medical care. Explaining that a mother cannot exist without a child and a child cannot exist without a mother, Sadguru said that while the Paediatric Cardiac Hospital would save the lives of children, in tandem, Mamatva would be dedicated to serving mothers.

The Honourable Governor, Srimati Anasuiya Uikey then addressed everyone saying that it was only by the grace and blessings of Bhagawan Baba that such work in service of mankind, could take place. She also spoke about the need for such healthcare for the people of Bastar, where tribalism and poverty is prevalent and congratulated the Hospital for serving such a needy section of the population.

Sadguru then felicitated the Honourable Governor after which, the morning programme concluded with the National Anthem.

In the afternoon, Sadguru spent some time speaking to the students, staff and guests who had accompanied Him, along with the staff of the hospital. He spoke about the journey of the medical mission from its inception and the trials, tribulations and challenges that had come along the way. Sadguru also spent some time expanding on His plans for nodal centres in each taluk of the country so that medical care could reach the rural people of India right at their doorstep.

After a beautiful session filled with many insights into the immense medical mission of Sadguru, everyone gathered once again at the auditorium for the Gift of Life Ceremony. The evening began with a welcome for the dignitaries which included Dr Raman Singh, Vice-President of the BJP and Sri D Purandareswari, General Secretary of the BJP.

This was followed by an invocatory chanting of the Durga Suktam, after which Senior Paediatric Cardiac Surgeon, Dr Ragini Pandey gave a brief presentation on the journey so far. She spoke about the medical mission begun by Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba and how it has led to the establishment of Sri Sathya Sai Sanejeevani Hospitals today. Dr Pandey also spoke about how the hospital dealt with the Covid pandemic in 2020 and commended all the hospital staff for their sincere dedication which allowed the hospital to continue its operations smoothly.

Soon after, followed the Gift of Life Ceremony, which saw a beautiful celebration of life as a number of children who had undergone operations in the last seven years returned to tell their stories, standing as testimonies to the love and selfless service rendered by Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani. Each child along with their parents was felicitated, after which five tiny hearts which had been operated in the last couple of weeks were presented with their gift of life certificates. There was not a dry eye left in the room as each parent narrated the journey of hardship, they had faced in trying to save the life of their child, before coming to Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani.

Following this, Dr Praveen Neema, Mentor for Paediatric Cardiac Anaesthesia, addressed the gathering and spoke about how after coming from AIIMS Raipur, Sanjeevani provides a most unique sense of fulfilment in the opportunity to serve those who are most in need.

Dr Snehal Kulkarni, Mentor for Paediatric Cardiac surgery then elaborated on the task cut out for Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani in reaching each and every child in the country who is in need of cardiac care.

Addressing everyone next, Sri C Sreenivas recalled the early days of the hospital and how Dr Raman Singh, the then Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh had fully extended his support in establishing the hospital at Raipur and how immediately after connecting with the Chief Minister, the hospital had begun to take shape in a most miraculous way thus paving the way for the hospital to become what it is today.

Sri Sunil Gavaskar then narrated his own experience of the dedication and love at Sai Sanjeevani in saving the lives of little children and commended all the staff for the wonderful work being done.

Sri Sachin Tendulkar, who had joined the ceremony virtually then expressed his joy at the establishment of a new Divine Mother and Child Care Centre and applauded Sai Sanjeevani for all the work that has been done since its inception.

Thereafter, Sri D Purandareswari addressed the gathering and spoke about the heart-touching experience of the Gift of Life Ceremony, saying that it is something that everyone must experience. Recognising the urgent need for Paediatric Cardiac care, Sri Purandareswari congratulated all the hospital staff for touching the lives of so many.

Dr Raman Singh then offered a few words recollecting his lasting association with Sai Sanjeevani, Raipur and thanked the hospital for working hard to uplift the state of Chhattisgarh and offered his best wishes for the upcoming target of completing 25000 surgeries by November 2022.

Sadguru then granted His Divine message and narrated the events which led to the establishment of the hospital. Sadguru praised the hospital staff and showered His blessings on all of them.

Sadguru revealed that on the prayers of Dr Raman Singh, a new hospital would soon be constructed in Varanasi on the banks of River Ganga. Sadguru also announced the appointment of Sri Sunil Gavaskar as Trustee of the Sri Sathya Sai Health and Education Trust and blessed him for this new undertaking.

Sadguru then assured that until each and every child in need is treated, the work of Sanjeevani would not stop. Profusely showering His love and blessings on everyone, Sadguru brought the session to a close and after a rendition of the National Anthem, the Gift of Life Ceremony came to a conclusion.

March 15th – 16^th

In the morning, Sadguru spoke to parents of some students studying in PG college, post which he proceeded to the Hospital, where the entire Team Sanjeevani was eagerly waiting.

Sadguru interacted with the anxious parents who were eagerly waiting for echocardiogram to be performed on their child. He enquired about where they came from, how they travelled to the hospital in Raipur and then with great joy informed them about the upcoming Sai Sanjeevani Centre in Varanasi.

The first stop in the hospital tour was the Intensive Care Unit. Before getting into the ICU required personal protective equipment was donned by all. Sadguru then interacted with the little children who are recovering post surgery. He gave them much love and appreciated the nursing staff for the tremendous work they do in handling the babies so adeptly.

Post the ICU visit, Sadguru was lovingly welcomed by the nursing College students, who sang Swagatham (Welcome) song. He spent much time in the college library enquiring about the books and Journals which were prescribed.

From there on he went to the Blood Bank which he inaugurated just about a year ago. He enquired about where the blood donors came from and how they were cared for post-donation. He was also appraised about the various components that were prepared once the blood is extracted.

The newly inaugurated Research Facility was next in line. Sadguru enquired about the various areas of Research and talked about the importance of Research in prevention of CHD.

Before moving to the Department of Public Health, Sadguru enquired about the Charkas which were operated by team Sanjeevani. He spent much time enquiring about the various Public Health initiatives, including the recent started initiative in Bastar District.  He also went about enquiring the impact of the work done by Sanjeevani; talked to the counsellors about various aspects they cover in their interaction with the beneficiary families.

The newly inaugurated/remodelled Reception Area became the backdrop for a photo opportunity for the entire team.

From there he proceeded to the Dietary room and witnessed Echocardiograms being performed on tiny tots.   He spent much time in the Intensive Care Units where children are kept post Cath Interventions.  He interacted with some of the parent there, knowing about the hardships they face and reassuring them that their child will be taken care of in Sanjeevani and that they would have a healthy life ahead.

He also went into the Cath Lab, where the team briefed him about the kind of procedures done and the devices used.

The Laboratory which takes care of most of the investigations required, was blessed with his visit. From there he moved on to the Pharmacy, Stores, HR and Finance department areas. He told the HR team that their responsibility was to spread love amongst the team.

Not worrying about the mid-day heat of Raipur, he went to the Goshala where more than 50 indigenous cows are hosted, who fulfil the milk requirement of the campus, especially the children who are admitted for Surgery.  On the way he enquired about the ongoing Solar Power Plant installation and the savings it would bring, both monetary and environmental.

Two and a half hours later, there was no stopping his energy and enthusiasm in meeting people who make Sanjeevani what it is.   The entire medical teams, including doctors were waiting for him in Sowbhagyam.   He interacted with them for more than an hour; hearing from them the stories of Love and Compassion at work and teaching them a much-valued lesson about – Working for God, Working With God and progressing to a stage of Working As God.

Sadguru did not retire after returning to His abode, close to 3 p.m. He interacted with families of some doctors before departing to Delhi that evening. The next day, 16th March, Sadguru met several devotees.

 

March 17^th to 18^th

 

Sadguru Sri Madhusudan Sai left for Palwal, Haryana on 17th March and arrived at the Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Hospital, Palwal that afternoon, at around 1 p.m. Sadguru first interacted with the senior doctors of the hospital after which He retired for the afternoon. In the evening, there were several senior doctors and dignitaries who had arrived at the Hospital to see the miracles of healing for themselves. Everybody gathered for a session wherein there were presentations by the staff of the hospital including Dr Krishna Manohar, Chief Cardiac Surgeon. Sadguru too addressed the team, after which a tour of the hospital was given. Children receiving treatment were blessed by Sadguru, and those who were operated were given their gift of life certificates at the Gift of Life ceremony. On 18^th morning, there was a farewell gathering with all the hospital staff. Blessing everyone once again, Sadguru departed from Palwal and reached Sathya Sai Grama, Muddenahalli that evening at around 06:10 p.m.