A New Note

I'm warning you now that this may not be such a good blog. Woke up
with bad sinuses due to a change in the weather and couldn't even
remember the usual bhajans I sing each morning. A little brain dead
but hopefully the imagination will make up for it. I was thinking
about music groups and music programs for Sai Graduates and wondering
why we hadn't thought of it earlier.
First let me remind everyone of our beginnings... I was told to leave
India by that FRO in Parthi...(I can think of another abbreviation
more apt) which happened to many of us, and Swami's question to the
4 or 5 thousand Sai Devotees two years ago...”Where are the Americans”
Maybe it wasn't that many anyway I found myself here in Florida
wondering if by 'Americans' He meant those of us with similar
non-Asian roots who grew up with pop music and a liking for church.
I'm deliberately leaving out religious theology. I thought that
perhaps we 'Americans' might be able to share feelings and interests
not found in the present Sai Centers. When I returned after 30 years
in India, I was dismayed and disparately sad but also somewhat felt
safe and comfortable to be here in familiar surroundings. Oh and let
me explain the derivation of, Sai Graduate. I believe that our
precious Swami is perfect and His teachings are perfect so what ever
we received from Him is the perfect amount for our total
transformation because we are one with Him. We are 'graduates'
whether we are willing to admit it or not.
Ok, two things. For years and years in India we had a group called
the 'Overseas Brindavan Bhajan Singers and we sang in Brindavan for a
long time 'Under the tree' and also in Sai Ramesh Hall. It was the
best thing we did because we were included in the Indian singing group
there...separate but equal. We practiced in my room in the Brindavan
College Guest House and we were pretty good too, I think. When He
was in Kodai and Ooti sometimes we stayed behind and did a morning
bhajan and an evening program very much like a Sai Center. When He
was in Whitefield we carried on with a bhajan in the evenings. Many
people first started singing bhajans there as we were open to
everyone. Anyway it was a time full of miracles as was all of our
time there with the Kali Yuga Avatar.
So this morning dead brain or no, I as thinking how wonderful our
group was and if we could reinvent the group over here. Dana
Gillespie is flying around the country inspiring devotees wit her
singing, just maybe we could do the same. Of course her performance,
'Love the Love' is absolutely out of this world but...we could give it
a go, maybe. The ex-members of the 'Overseas Brindavan Bhajan
Singers' could morph into the American Sai Graduate Music Group.
Most of us live sort of in the Eastern half of the US from Main to
Florida but I was thinking that a couple times a year we could have
week long retreats (at my sister's huge old family home) and then
give concerts in various places like L.A., New Jersey, Atlanta, Miami
and elsewhere. I won't mention what the programs might be for fear of
alienating some of the singers because we are all rather opinionated!
Anyway, it might be fun and...inspirational. I would vote for English
...maybe with the Sanskrit and maybe a speech or a reading of Swami's
words.