What do SSSIHL students do after their classes on a weekday afternoon?
Plant trees, of course!
Neem, Banyan, Tamarind trees and a few other varieties of trees were planted by students across campuses.
Tree Planting – An Ode to Mother Nature
The trees were tagged and named after the student who planted them, so that when they back in the future to visit their Mother Sai, they can also pay a visit to the very Mother Nature that He nurtured.
The students were ably chaperoned by their teachers. Even the Directors of Campuses and the Vice Chancellor got involved and planted a tree.
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Sai Bandhan – A bond of Love
The Sai Bandhan program was a collaboration between students of Brindavan Campus, SSSIHL and Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences (SSSIHMS), Whitefield, Bangalore from 2015 to 2018.
It was a domiciliary outreach program where students set out to meet patients who had been previously treated at SSSIHMS, Whitefield. The objective was to assure the patients and their families of Sai’s continued concern for their well-being and get feedback about their experience at SSSIHMS.
The program spanned 63 districts in 19 states of India, touching the lives of 250-odd patients. It involved 123 students who voluntarily chose to spend their summer vacation time in this selfless manner. The patients visited belonged to different sections of society. They were of diverse caste, creed, religion, age groups and economic strata.
All patient information was provided by SSSIHMS and the logistical support to meet them was extended by members of Sri Sathya Sai Seva organisation in the state concerned.
Students often had to travel to remote corners of their districts or neighbouring districts to meet patients. A few even travelled out of state to reach out to patients. Sometimes, they had to trace patients who had migrated to other places to pursue their studies or vocations after the pause button pressed by the disease had been released.
The hard work was handsomely rewarded however by seeing the patients supremely happy, in good health and with renewed hope in life.
Patient Response
The response from patients and their relatives was overwhelming. The very mention of Bhagawan Baba’s name brought tears of joy to their eyes. Their eyes lit up when they came to know that Baba’s students themselves had come to enquire about their welfare. They were deeply grateful to Him (and the doctors, nurses, technicians and Seva dals at the hospital) for stepping in and saving them from a hopeless future when economic considerations had put the treatment out of their reach.
Their outlook had changed since and they have become positive contributors to the welfare of the same society from which they were once abandoned. They share the news of the existence of this hospital with all those in need. Indeed, they have turned into self-appointed brand ambassadors.
From the students perspective, this trip has been most beneficial and enriching. Having set out with the idea of enquiring about the welfare of the patients, they returned with the feeling that they too are beneficiaries of this program. It was a humbling experience to see the impact of Swami’s medicare project on the lives of poor people. Being the carriers of Sai’s love, they returned with a renewed sense of responsibility to equip themselves with knowledge to serve their fellow men and put the unique education they receive in the portals of the Institute to best use.
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