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Anil Kumar Talk
October 2001
From: Tarun Chudasama
Yesterday wish you were all there when Anilkumar shared his
personal experience with all of us at Dharmakshetra. It was
filled with crackers and he continued his monologue for over an
hour enthralling each one of us.
He began his talk with an old Sai Bhajan " Sathguru Nathanee Vaa
Vaa Vaa, Satchithanandane Vaa Vaa Vaa...." While singing he was
as if powered with a Sai turbo engine and started the Bhajan
directly in the second speed. He was so excited while singing that
he demanded the "Dafli" from us started playing while rendering
Bhajan.
He said that he was born in Guntur which is almost like a furnace
during summer and to cool down, they ate "green hot chillies" !
He was born to a Bhramo Samajist. His great grand father was a
Bhramo missionary in Calcutta and his father too was a staunch "Bramho"
who never believed in rituals and idol worship.
His mother is the first Andhra lady to come out from the college
and that too with a gold medal. Because in those days girls were
not sent out to schools and colleges. If they did, they were
ostracised from the community.All his brothers along with him were
the most eligible bachelors, because"Bramhos" did not believe in
dowry !
His wife was born in a devout hindu family and would attend the
temples regularly. However Anilkumar never went to any temples
being a staunch Bhramho. He had hired a rickshaw for her to go to
the temples. They would both go in the same rickshaw. His wife
would go to the temple and he would stand outside the temple for
temple visit was forbidden to Bhramos. Then his wife fell sick in
1970s. All the 13 doctors whom he met advised them to undergo
surgery for a growth found in her stomach. That was the end to
all the delicious chilly food. She was only allowed to take curd
rice.
Soon after she came back from the hospital while returning from
the temple one day, they heard a Bhajan and they both visited the
place. It was a Sai Bhajan and after returning home, Anil Kumar
says "my plight was that of Dasharata confronted by Kaikeyi". She
said if you want me to be alive, you must take me to "Puttaparthi'
" He agreed on two condition that she will never force him to come
inside the Asharam premises and the second was that they will
return after one week. And so they both went to Puttaparthi. She
would go inside and Anilkumar with his two children would be
roaming around outside the Ashram premises. After 3-4 days he was
curious to see what was happening inside so he came and stood
outside the gate to have a peep of what was going on.
It seems Swami came directly to him and just looked at him, he
also stood and stared back without offering pranaams. Then he saw
Swami was distributing Ladoo prasadam to the workers who were then
building the Poornachandra Auditorium. That's the time he saw the
first miracle. He saw plate with Ladoos appearing in his hand and
mysteriously disappeared after distribution of the Ladoos. He
wished Swamy gave ladoos to his children but then that did not
happen. Since he was a voracious reader, he bought Sathya Sai
Speaks volume 1 and went back home. When he started reading, he
found that it was all the Bhramha Samaj principle, the Sarvadharma
and the Universal fatherhood of God and Love etc.. He soon went
back and bought the rest of the volumes.
Next day Swami again came near him. This time his hands and legs
were shivering He offered his pranaams and Swami gave a nod and
left immediately. It seems Swami did not talk or acknowledge his(Anilkumar's)
presence for nearly seven years. He said it was like university
exams. Appear for exams, if you fail appear again in September and
even that failed again reappear in April and this went on with him
for nearly seven years!
Because he loved debates and lectures, he would always snatch the
available opportunity and speak. Once he was invited to speak on
Sriram. Most of the other speakers were eminent scholarly persons.
"So amongst the list of eminent professors of literature and
philososphy, there was my name in between Mr. Anilkumar without
any titles!" When he saw the invitation he rang them up to say
that want to be "dropped" as he did not fit himself to be the
right person amongst those scholarly people. The organisers
turned down his request saying that they have already printed and
posted the invitations to everyone.
So just like the way he would prepare for the lectures, he would
sit with Swami's "Ramakatharasa Vahini" and prepared himself which
turned out to be the best. The following month he heard that
Swami was in Hindupur and so he took a bus to go there. On his
way to Hindupur, he saw Swami's red car going towards Ananthpur.
He alighted from the Bus and took another Bus towards Ananthpur.
He says being from a Co-ed school and college I did not know at
that time that, at Ananthpur Girl's college no males were allowed,
not even a male mosquito!! And without knowing this he barged
into the campus where he was duly stopped by the watchman and was
asked to stand out.
But Anilkumar wouldn't
give up he requested the watchman, that all that he wanted was a
mere glimpse of Swami. At last the watchman told him. "OK keep
your luggage here and you may go up to the tree, that's all..not
even an inch further". After keeping his luggage he went near the
tree to have a closer peep. He was not aware that there was a
meeting of all central trust members going on there comprising of
Dr. Goldstein, Mr. Craxy, Mr. Subba Rao, Mr. Gokak etc. etc. Then
after sometime, he saw swami coming out of the complex and he
waved out "Hey Anilkumar Come here". Anilkumar it seems thought
that Swami was calling the watchman. And Anilkumar asked the
watchman, what's your name. He replied his name was "Chellaiya".
Then Swami again called, "Hey Gunturkara Anilkumar, ikada raa" (hey
Gunturman Anilkumar come here) And so Anilkumar was called by
Swami for the first time and was introduced to other trust members.
"This is Prof. Anil kumar. A good Botany teacher, He also
conducts special classes for aspiring medical students and all his
students have become Doctors. He is also a good aurator and
recently enthralled a jam packed audience with Raamkatha !!"
Anilkumar says I was flabbergasted beyond words to see my bio data
coming out from the Lord. After the lengthy introduction, Swami
created Vibuti and said this is for your wife who is sick and not
for you!!. Anilkumar was wondering Where was Swami all these years
?" Then Swami told Anilkumar that you will speak on Dassera Day.
And he spoke. Next day when he came out for Darshan, Swamy told
him to go and sit in the veranda, "Which was then heavily guarded
by huge sized Delhi Sevadals" Swami came closer to him at the
veranda later and put an
envelope into his pocket and Swami said stitch a pair of pants and
shirt and this money
includes the stitching charges as well. Come for the birthday
wearing the new clothes. Then it seems Anilkumar told Swami that
his birthday was over. Then Swami told him, "for my birthday"!!
And ever since I have been asked to speak and translate on many
occasions.
Source:
http://www.geocities.com/saicenter_us/snl/snl_112801 |
