Can I say it was great? Can I say it was a most memorable experience? Can I say it was highly educational? Maybe I am trying in vain to summarize all my thoughts and feelings regarding this event into a single phrase, when in reality it's not possible. Yet, if I had to, I would simply say that: It was beyond this world…it was simply Divine!!!.

It was Friday January 26^th and the first-ever Sai Devotional Music Workshop (of this magnitude anyhow) was to happen take place the following day. Some of the primary objectives of the workshop were to:

Several guests were invited to participate in the workshop. What started originally as a wish to enjoy the presence of at least three of these guests, by Swami's Grace, turned into a unique feast, lead by 11 extraordinary musicians from around the country.

Bhagawan's grace was evident as most of the logistical problems were set to rest at an early stage. Excitement rose as each of the guests landed from different places. The weekend began with an evening devotional singing and experience sharing session, which took place in the home of a local devotee. The session grew in numbers by the hour and not convinced they would get this chance again and thus requesting story after story, song after song, local devotees enjoyed satsang until 3 am the next morning (workshop day)!

Workshop Day

The day started auspiciously with "Aumkar" (chanting of 21 "Aums") and the punctual recitation of Vedic chants. These chants set the tone for the great day ahead. An aura of pure and divine presence was evident, as ex-Parthi students and members of the Dallas Youth group performed the chants. At the end of these chants, our guests treated all of us with a great devotional singing session to start the Music Day Workshop on the appropriate "note". In a matter of seconds, as S. . Kumar started the classic "Vighneshwaram Bhajore Manasa…" in the very same way he used to sing it at Baba's feet; the hall was turned into the very same Parthi Mandir. Each melody and tune, sung in the very original "Parthi Style", stirred profound memories of Darshan, bhajans and Sai related experiences. No doubt…it was Parthi!

This session was lead by Mr. Venkat Subramanian, a Dallas devotee who is classically trained in South Indian music and who has a wealth of knowledge and experience in music altogether. He stressed the tremendous spiritual value of singing the Glory of God, and thus, the responsibility that all lead singers have to "treat lead singing as service (seva) itself". He emphasized that although devotional singing should arise in the heart and everyone should dynamically participate, that leading songs is a different story altogether. Devotion is only between the devotee and God, yet the lead singer has the responsibility of creating an atmosphere of harmony, which facilitates the flow of this devotion. In this respect, he stated that the lead singer need not be classically trained or highly proficient, but that he/she should, as minimum requirements, sing in the correct tune of the melody, be able to correctly follow the beat and have a pleasant voice. After such introduction, Mr. Subramanian spent close to 90 minutes. teaching basic technical concepts of music, such as identifying and singing in the correct sruthi (pitch/scales) and following the various types of thalams (beats), common in devotional singing.

Rarely do we find every individual in the main hall completely immersed in every note that is being sung and played. This session was one such rarity in itself; each song was a gem. Inspired by the steady and pure flow of love from Swami, Srinivasa Raghavan (and his divine guitar) has composed themes like " Eashwaramba, Divine mother of Sai ", which not only praises the Glory of God, but narrates the story and teachings of God. Each song had a unique tune and was technically beautiful. It's inspiring to learn that many SSE students around the country are now learning these songs. We all tried our best to stretch this 60-minute session endlessly, yet we were bound to proceed with the program as scheduled.

Music has no language; personally, I thought this was the theme of this session. This 60 minute session was dedicated towards learning devotional songs in languages such as Hebrew, Arambaic, Spanish and French and traditions such as Jewish, Muslim / Middle Eastern and Afro-American Christian. Some of the songs were real tongue twisters and yet, the tunes and beats from these songs were so highly magnetic, that everyone in the hall participated in however whatever way they could. Only God knows what we were all repeating with our lips, but again…He also knows what we all meant with our hearts. Although Sai is our chosen form of devotion and worship, if we are to be consistent with His teachings, we should be able to embrace all ways and traditions of worship. Thus, the main aim of this session was not only to introduce songs of cultural traditions that people might not be aware of, but also to make many of such songs part of our regular center booklets and singing sessions throughout the entire region.

Join S. Kumar and Srikanth's voices, Ravi Teja's flute and Sai Subramanian's harmonium and what do you have? Bliss! Add their experiences with Swami both, related to music as well as others, and what do you have? It's simply beyond words…this was a unique session where these ex- Parthi students shared for the first time ever as a group, their profound memories of their lives in Prashanthi Nilayam. These students had not been, shared or performed all of them together in this manner, since they left school in Puttaparthi. Their own emotions were running high at the "Sai Reunion" and it couldn't but be divinely contagious. The stream of stories was only broken by some of the magical tunes these students composed as "classics" in the Prashanthi Nilayam sands.

A session originally scheduled for 2 hours became so enthralling that it lasted for 3 ½ hours…without a single break!!! And yet people hadn't had enough, as these students described Sai as the Mother, Father, Guru, God and even Child they have come to know. Among many of qualities the Divine qualities from Sai they experienced and narrated, they shared various incidents related to Swami's complete and automatic love AND detachment during and after an incident. Examples of how Swami would concentrate on extremely minute details of a drama, like what type of dress, make-up and jewelry the person should wear for the drama and why. After the drama or the particular incident, while all students and people involved kept drawing upon the experience, Swami would have left that particular moment completely behind and proceeded to the next (i.e. living in the present to the fullest). The only reason this interrupt this session was interrupted was the fact that there was still an evening program to setup, and the fact that some people had a long way to drive back to their places after it, in the late night.

Among some of the technical aspects of devotional music they touched upon were:

The "informal" evening session turned out to be nothing less than a professional talent "extravaganza". Accompanied by our own regional talent such as Vidyanand (Harmonium and Vocal), Durjathi (Veena and Mandolin), Jai Kasthurirangan (guitar), Priya Balachandran (flute), Vasu Subramanian (vocal) and Senthil Ramani (vocal), our guests covered all types of vocal and instrumental music, group and solo pieces. Compositions of Meera, Tulsidas and Haridas were sung and played. The guests performed a scintillating piece in the Raga Revathi and followed that up with Hindustani Music in the Rag Bhageshri. Various examples of Swami's favorite pieces were sung and played, many of which were composed by Swami hHimself, to suit the particular voices and instruments of the very same guests we had on stage. Now, how closer does this get to Divine Music? What more, we had a memorable "jugalbhandi", which included a percussion medley (Mridanga, Classical Khanjeera and Tabla) from direct students of Zakir Hussain and other renowned Indian percussionists, which we have in our Sai community here in the US. Many wished the session could have gone continued but practically and logistically it was not possible and within 2 ½ hours of such an evening program, the day ended with an energetic Aarthi and memorable pictures.

In due honesty the evening did not actually end there…. As with the prior night, many devotees and youth members gathered in the home of a local devotee and continued the "saga" until dawn, filling the air with more talk about Swami and devotional singing.

In summary, one of the key points that this workshop implicitly taught us was that Devotional Music is one of the primary instruments to communicate with God. One does not need to be classically trained to render a devotional song. Anyone can sing a devotional song; but music sung from the heart will definitely find a place in Swami's heart! Understanding of the sacredness of this activity is essential though, so that we may take due responsibility as devotional singers and practice before we offer any melody to the Lord. It is incredible now to sit back and think that most of us got 4 hrs of sleep in about 3 days!!!! Oh, how the Rhythm-and-Melody-filled experience still lingers…

It is important to mention that this event would not have happened without the great efforts from the regional youth and the unstinted support from the devotees from the local centers. Special thanks to the Dallas youth and center members s aas they, were fabulous hosts. The proceedings have been recorded in audio/video (set of 3 videos available). Get one for yourself, and trust me, it will be a gem in your multi-piece collection.

We invite all those interested to get ready!!! This workshop will take place every year from now on in Region X, every January most likely. Given the level of attendance and demand, this workshop will now be extended to a 1-½ or 2 day workshop. We would love to have each and everyone of you attend, so please let us know if you are interested and book your flights…leave the rest up to us (and Swami certainly). If you feel you would like to participate or offer your knowledge, skills and experiences to this workshop, please contact us as soon as possible.

Thank You Dear Lord…Thank You, our Swami…

Jai Sai Ram!