Issue 136 - August 11, 2019
Inspirational Note...
During a Satsang held in the divine presence in California, USA, in 2016, the California center officer asks what should be one's direction, should one yield to pressure and quit, or should one serve with full capacity.

Here is what Swami said:

Do your duty as an individual first. Follow your heart, not the body, not the mind. Do what your heart says. Follow what your heart says and you will benefit. Don’t follow your mind; it is the mind which creates all the confusion. You must do whatever helps you become closer to God.

This congregation, or a center, an organisation or institutions – all these are ways and means to help you become closer to God. As long as it is serving the purpose of taking you closer, you must follow it. If it is becoming an obstruction in your movement towards God then, obviously, you have to decide accordingly. However, consult your heart; your heart is the one to tell you.

If you follow the heart, you will immediately be at peace and there will be no confusion. If you follow the mind, one day you will feel this way and on another day, you will feel differently. If you follow the heart, you will know immediately what it is you need; it will make you happy and it will be constant happiness, not something which comes and goes. Each person has to make the decision for him or herself. Just as no one can eat for you and nobody can sleep for you, nobody can make the decision for you; you have to do it yourself. The path that may be good for one, may not be the right one for another, so everyone has to consult their own conscience and take their path accordingly.
Guru Poornima 2019 Special
Tribute to Gurunaam Guru - Sri Sathya Sai - on Gurupoornima 2019

“A day will come when you would be me and I would be you”, said He and I almost instantly dismissed it as an impossibility.

Today that day has come to pass.

23rd November 2017, the 90th birthday of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, is when for the first time I experienced a feeling like never before, when every part of my being shook with the sudden gush of purest love for one and all who had assembled in the newly opened Premamrutham hall, and the illusion of the ephemeral world melted and dissolved away in the incessant involuntary streams of tears that flowed from both my eyes. In those silent sobs of bliss the river reached the ocean at last and I disappeared into Sai.
Service Updates
CSR Event with Oracle
A team of volunteers from Oracle joined hands with the volunteers from Annapoorna to conduct a CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) event at Nagarbhavi Government School in Bangalore, where Annapoorna provides breakfast for the children.

The team concentrated more of their efforts on providing an educational session for the children, followed by a session of playing sports with them. The team further encouraged the children to 'go green’, by helping them participate in a tree-planting drive.

The Oracle team took this opportunity to gift the children with stationery.
Medical Checks for Anthargam
village students
The volunteers from Annapoorna conducted a medical check for the children at Anthargam village in Telangana where the Breakfast Programme was recently started.

About 15 girls were observed to be having lower levels of haemoglobin. In order to immediately address this, Annapoorna volunteers have provided them with the required supplements as per doctors' advice.
Medical Camp in Hubbali's School No.Two
Annapoorna volunteers from Hubbali arranged for a free medical camp in School No. 2, located opposite the Town Police Station in Broadway area in the city of Hubballi. About 89 children benefited from this medical camp!

The Annapoorna Team from Hubbali plans to conduct free medical camps every month in various schools across the city.
Breakfast for Tribal School
in Amboori village
Annapoorna Breakfast Programme has been launched to provide breakfast to school children of the Puravimala Tribal Lower Primary School. This school is in the village of Amboori, in the Trivandrum district of Kerala State.
CSR event with 'Anarock'
Annapoorna and 'Anarock Property Consultants' came together to conduct a CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) activity. The teams conducted the event at Sanghameshwara School in Byrasandra in Bengaluru, where Annapoorna serves breakfast to the school children. Anarock's employees engaged the school children with fun filled games!

Annapoorna appreciates Anarock for taking the time out to interact with the children!
Annapoorna's Collaboration with Tata
Annapoorna is happy to share that Tata Sustainability Group’s (TSG) project "Tata Engage" has approved and listed the Annapoorna Breakfast Programme under their current "ProEngage10" edition!

With this, interested folks from Tata Group can avail the opportunity to visit an Annapoorna supported school as a mentor/faculty and conduct classes on various subjects.

On these lines, a project will be launched for six months to help the Annapoorna supported Sri Suraj Sarwajanik M. E. School in Bistupur, Jamshedpur.
Shaping the future of slum children
The Annapoorna team from JP Nagar in Bengaluru serves breakfast daily to children belonging to the Ragigudda slum. The Annapoorna chapter here has always been unique in terms of engaging the children, beyond nurturing them with healthy breakfast, they arrange for activities ranging from festival celebrations, medical camps, cleanliness drives to picnics and outings.

One other important aspect of the volunteers' selfless efforts deserves to be highlighted - Academics! The volunteers felt the need to help the children to sharpen their academic performance. They take extra time out during the weekends to help the children with their studies by donning the hat of a tutor!

What is also heartwarming is that the volunteers support a few needy children with academic fees, school uniform, and so on.

Kudos to the volunteers for their selfless efforts in shaping the future of these wonderful children from the slums!
Middle East Seva – July 2019
The holy month of July saw the youth planning their visit to Muddenhalli for Gurupoornima celebrations, to pay homage to their Divine Master, to thank Him for guarding and guiding their lives with a new meaning, to find their purpose and to do selfless service for others.

July and August mark the beginning of summer in this region. For those youth who could not travel to India, the Seva activities proceeded with the help of the elders who ensured that the Seva continued undisrupted. They all enjoyed the opportunity of serving the underprivileged. 
Sri Sathya Sai Sathyanikethanam
Hassan Campus Visit
During His previous visit, Swami had commanded the devotees from the region to visit His Hassan campus, lovingly named Sri Sathya Sai Sathyaniketanam by the Lord Himself! He had asked the group to spend some time with His children there. As much as the group looked forward to the visit, the children too awaited their arrival. Already, the unseen relationship of love was taking form!

The students welcomed the group with flowers and with enthusiasm, took each member by the hand to show them their artwork, classrooms and living spaces. At meal times, the boys themselves served the guests whom they lovingly called parents and siblings, and often came by to ensure that all their needs were met. They ate only after serving their family.
Seva Update for Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka has entered the monsoon season when heavy storms and strong winds occur throughout. The roads are often filled with a rainbow of umbrellas, as people rush to and fro in ankle deep water. Amidst such conditions, many are still at work, including the Government workers who toil away from house to house to gather garbage and other disposals. The youth had the blessed opportunity to provide these workers with steaming cups of tea, coffee and some shelter, to enjoy it under! The youth were also fortunate enough to be able to provide a tasteful lunch of ‘dosa’ along with a few home-made curries, enriched with homeland spices. These were a feast for the taste buds during the cool afternoon!