NewsLetter

General Announcements

  • The Raleigh Sai Center in person meetings are closed until further notice due to the Coronavirus.  Programs are migrated to virtual sessions.

    PRAYERS FOR HEALING:
    Sairam,
    As you all know, the severe health crisis in India (and other places across the globe) has touched the lives of all of us both directly and indirectly. The huge surge of COVID-19 cases and an overloaded health system continue to have devastating effects on so many people’s daily lives. In these challenging times,  let’s all come together to pray for everyone’s well being. Let’s send the positive thoughts and power of healing through daily chanting of Sai Gayatri.  We will be chanting 108 Sai Gayatri every day between 6:30 and 7  PM via Zoom.  Please check below link for signup and timings
     

    Seniors group (NEW!):

    Sairam,

    We would like to inform that our senior group has been making prayer bracelets.  If you or anyone you know of could use it, we would like to offer it to you.  Please email seniors@raleighsaicenter.org if you wish to get a bracelet or join the group.   Virtual sessions happen every Thursday afternoon.

    Fresh Fruit brown bag service for Cumberland county older Adults –  May 23, 2021
    With Swami’s Grace, we are planning to continue Fresh fruit brown bag service as a monthly service project. Please drop off items at 248 Hillard Forest Drive, Cary by 12pm on Sunday May 23rd.

    Please click here to signup for Fresh Fruit brown bag service.

    Pediatric Clinic Food Distribution Project :

    Sairam, This project involves distributing grocery bags to Lincoln Community Health Center Pediatric Clinic’s families in need. Any identified family visiting the pediatric clinic who is facing food insecurity will be given a grocery bag filled with dry/canned goods as well as a list of local food resources in the Durham area.

    With Swami’s grace, this weekly Sunday service project currently supported by Pre-SSE and Group 1 is opening to all members of our Sai Center.

    Signup sheet has instructions and Grocery list.

      
     Recurrent Virtual Programs:
    • Saturdays at 11 a.m. ET – RSC Study Circle (via zoom). Details to be announced
    • Sundays at 6 pm ET – Region 3 weekly virtual devotional program at www.sairegion3youtube.org  

    RSC Library:

    • The Vahinis Online, written by Sri Sathya Sai Baba
    • See list of books available. If you would like to borrow a book, please contact Prabhakar at hpkamath11@gmail.com or text 919-561-3465, listing the name(s) of the Book(s) interested in borrowing and the time and date you would like to pick up. Address: 1961 Weaver Forest Way, Morrisville. Anyone wishing to return a currently borrowed book, can drop off the book at the front door box. Please write your full name on a piece paper and put it in back of the book. Sairam! 

    Power of Prayer
    It is good to remember Swami’s guidance to remain calm in all situations. We need to follow the guidance of our national and local medical and infectious disease experts. We should remember that prayers are very powerful. The Sai Gayatri mantra as well as the Gayatri mantra is being chanted by Sai devotees around the world for the welfare of humanity. Let us all be united and pray with intensity as often as possible. This is an important spiritual practice which can alleviate this global health threat due to the Coronavirus.  

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Devotion

  • Sunday Sai Center Activities Schedule
     

    The Raleigh Sai Center in person meetings are closed until further notice due to the Coronavirus.  Programs have been migrated to virtual sessions.

    Recurrent Virtual Programs

    • Saturdays at 11 a.m. ET – RSC Study Circle (Study Circle Cancelled for 5/8/21)
    • RSC Bhajans Every Other Saturday at 4:00 PM ( Next Session on May 15th)
    • Sundays at 6 pm ET – Region 3 weekly virtual devotional program at www.sairegion3youtube.org  
 
  • Bhajan of the week

    Deity: Sarva Dharma
    Raag: Natabhairavi

    Taal: 8 Beat / Keherwa / Adi

    Lyrics:

    Allah Allah Karo Pukar
    Sathya Sai Ki Jai Jai Kaar
    Yesu Pitha Ki Jai Jai Kaar
    Mahavir Ki Jai Jai Kaar
    Zohrashtra Ki Jai Jai Kaar
    Sarva Dharma Ki Jai Jai Kaar

    Meaning:

    Victory to Lord Allah, Yesu, Mahavir, Zohrashtra and Sathya Sai who is the embodiment of all religions.

     

    Audio Link:
    allah-allah-karo-pukar.mp3

     

     

     

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Service

  • RSC Service Activities
    NEW  ANNOUNCEMENT! :
     
    Fresh Fruit brown bag service for Cumberland county older Adults –  May 23, 2021
     

    With Swami’s Grace, we are planning to continue Fresh fruit brown bag service as a monthly service project. Please drop off items at 248 Hillard Forest Drive, Cary by 12pm on Sunday May 23rd.

    Please click here to signup for Fresh Fruit brown bag service.

    Raleigh Men’s shelter Breakfast service – Supplies – May 15, 2021
     

    Monthly Breakfast service on 3rd Saturday to support Raleigh Men’s Shelter. Please drop off items at 719 McRae Rd, Cary on 3rd Friday(May 14) by 8pm so volunteers can deliver supplies at the shelter on Saturday morning.

    Please click here to signup for Raleigh Men’s shelter breakfast service.

     To participate in active service projects, please see list below.

     
    Service name and Date/time Service Activity Details Locations & Sign up
    IFC Sunday Food Service (Every alternate Sunday)   Preparing Dinner at Volunteer homes & Dropping it off at Inter-Faith Council for Social Service(IFC) at Carrboro, NC by 1 PM

     IFC address: 100 W. Main St. Carrboro, NC

    Please click here to sign up for Sunday.
    IFC Thursday Food Service (Every Thursday) Preparing Dinner at Volunteer homes & Dropping it off at Inter-Faith Council for Social Service(IFC) at Carrboro, NC by 3 PM.

    IFC address: 100 W. Main St. Carrboro, NC

    Please click here  to sign up for Thursday.

    Growing Sai’s Love – Garden project

     

    		 RSC’s pilot program Growing Sai’s Love to help our Sai Community members get more self-reliant by learning to grow their own fresh, healthy vegetables, fruits, flowers, in their backyard. Members can also use these for service and center activities.

     

    NOTE: Please contact service coordinator service@raleighsaicenter.org if you would like to participate in this service.

    Raleigh Men’s shelter Breakfast service – Supplies

     

    		 Monthly Breakfast service on 3rd Saturday to support Raleigh Men’s Shelter. Please drop off items at 719 McRae Rd, Cary on 3rd Friday of the month by 8pm so volunteers can deliver supplies at the shelter on Saturday morning.

     

    Please click here to signup for Raleigh Men’s shelter breakfast service for May 2021

    NOTE: Due to COVID, at this time we are only supplying materials/ingredients.

    Recycling project

    		 Recycling project that involves used batteries, medication(s), small electronics and bulbs.  NOTE: Please contact service coordinator service@raleighsaicenter.org if you would like to participate in this service.

    Pediatric Clinic Food Distribution Project

     

    		 This weekly project involves distributing grocery bags to Lincoln Community Health Center Pediatric Clinic’s families in need. Any identified family visiting the pediatric clinic who is facing food insecurity will be given a grocery bag filled with dry/canned goods as well as a list of local food resources in the Durham area.

     

    Signup sheet has instructions and Grocery list
     Food drive for Inter-faith Food Shuttle, Durham by Group 3 SSE Students every month  Group 3 SSE students form leads in their communities and conduct food drive. Please contact Group 3 teachers for more information.

    Collected food will be delivered during first week of every month at 

     Inter-faith Food Shuttle

    2436 S. Miami Blvd, Suite 200-9

    Durham, NC
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SSE

  • Pre-SSE

    CLASS DATE: 05/02/2021 TEACHERS: Patti, Thatha,  Sharanya, Saideepa, Bhuvana, Mona
    SUMMARY:

     Graduation Party

    		 ATTENDANCE: 26

    We started the class with 3 Oms and Gayatri. 15 children are graduating from Pre-SSE class this year. We had a fun party today. We watched our graduation video which will be shown to everyone on coming Thursday When our Center is celebrating Easwaramma Day. We played different games with Bhuvana aunty and Mona aunty. Saideepa aunty asked us to do freeze dance with our parents. It was lots of fun watching our parents dance. We made graduation hat with Sharanya aunty. Most exciting part of our party today was eating ice cream with our family while watching slide presentation by Sharanya aunty. She put together the slide presentation with all the activities that we did throughout the year. At the end of the party Thatha blessed all the graduates with couple of lines from Swami’s teachings. It was a fun year. Have a good summer. 

     

     

     
  • SSE group1

    CLASS DATE: 4/17/2021, 4/18/2021

    TEACHER(S): Aruna, Sunita, Jagruthi, Resmi 

    TOPIC:

    Prayer- Gayatri Mantra 

    SUB-TOPIC:

    Silence 

     

    		 CLASS Timings: The class meets every Saturday and Sunday at 11:00AM  on Google Meet until the current pandemic resolves. For  meeting details, please check our group Whatsapp or contact one of the teachers directly.

    Lesson Plan:

    This year we are focusing on Swami’s teaching of Unity is divinity, purity is enlightenment.

     Lesson of the day :

    We are almost toward the end of SSE school year and so in this class we decided to review our learnings from the entire year. We did this in the form of games and quizzes. Children enjoyed them thoroughly and the best part was they remembered every detail of what was taught several months ago. We also had a session of Q&A- where children could ask questions or doubts that they had while practicing the value. 

    Some of their questions were ( paraphrasing  the questions)- How does swami remove impurities from the food we eat? Why is the Gayatri Mantra named so? How can we control our thoughts with our breath? How old is swami? Does swami have any siblings? Have we (to teachers) seen swami? How do we talk to God? 

    Children also shared their favorite topics/stories /experiments that they learnt in class. 

    Life  Application :

    Practice silence sitting  by focusing on breath before chanting Gayathri Mantra. Set aside a particular time for everyday prayers, appointment with God

     Continue chanting the food prayer, track your screen time and green time with the time  tracker.

    Note to parents

    Please encourage children to work on their Sai Samarpan articles

    Click Here for Previous Class Notes 
     
  • SSE-Group2

    CLASS DATE: 
    TEACHERS:Hitha Raj, Senthil Kumar
    Summary: Class to resume after summer
    ATTENDANCE: 
    CLASSES TO RESUME IN FALL

    PLEASE KEEP AN EYE FOR SUMMER PROGRAMS

     May 6th: Easwarmma Day presentation

     
    Click Here for Previous Class Notes 
  • SSE-Group3

    CLASS DATE: 3/14/21 TEACHER(S):  Nalini, Gangadhar

    SUMMARY:  Experience Unity thru Service 

    		 ATTENDANCE:  23

    3/14/21

    We started with prayers. We had discussed earlier different ways to experiencing Unity, Service is one way that we all agreed. While Group 3 is participating in many service projects (Inter Faith Food Shuttle, SAI Tutoring, Group 1 buddy, Go Green & Recycle), one group 3 student came up with 2 more service projects for our group

    1. School Attire Initiative- This service is to gather new and gently used clothes and donate it to School going kids from underprivileged families and children living in low income communities.
    2. Sai Happy Readers: This service is about collecting books, which include story books, workbooks, text books, and School supplies and donating them to non profit organizations. These organizations are working towards providing maximum literacy resources to everyone including low income families and under funded schools. By doing this we are giving equal resources for most kids in those communities for learning.

    We reviewed eday program framework & student leads 

    3/7/21

    We started with prayers.

    Today’s class was dedicated to discuss eday drama ideas. We read thru compilation of Swami’s discourses.

    https://www.sathyasai.org/sites/default/files/pages/study-guides/studyguide-unity.pdf

    Click Here for Previous Class Notes 

    Note to Parents:

    Please encourage students to follow (virtual) class best practices.

    Students were asked to participate in their academic/extra curricular activities with enthusiasm to see the difference in learning process. If possible discuss this topic as a family.

    Do not give yourself too much importance. Be less self centered

    • Take time to socialize (in person)to identify oneness. Set goal for without digital device time.
    • Listen when people are talking, make an eye contact during a conversation and be respectful.
    • Get to know someone you don’t like. Try to guess why someone is the way they are. Be kind to someone who gets on your nerves.
    • Accept your mistakes 
    • Look out for service at home & community. Service starts at home.
    • Notice every time you are judging someone, this is a first step towards realizing oneness
    • Consciously remind yourself , the same Divinity is present in the person, bug, tree you come across.
    • Be confident, you are divine, same divinity is in you as well. Give this affirmation to yourself everyday morning, Turn on video in zoom, you are beautiful/handsome 🙂
    • Develop qualities of pure heart Karuna (compassion), Muditha (appreciation), Mytri(friendship), Upeksha (disinterestedness).
    • Do not raise voice against your parents to prove you are correct.

     

     

  • SSE-Group4

    CLASS DATE:  May 2nd 2021
    		 TEACHER(S):  Mouli and Nirmala Aunty
    SUMMARY: 

    Group 4 Class Activities and Presentations, Final Class for 2020-2021 SSE Year

    ATTENDANCE:

    12

    Main topic:

    AGAIN, THANK YOU GROUP 4 SSE STUDENTS AND PARENTS FROM GROUP 4 TEACHERS ON YOUR SURPRISE VISITS OVER THE LAST WEEKEND!  INCREDIBLY THOUGHTFUL AND WE GREATLY APPRECIATED IT!   For the class on MAY 2nd,  we provided a brief update and status of SAI Tutoring Project for Durham elementary schools, Women’s shelter Dinner service status for May 7th, a discussion and request for G4 volunteers for potential Summer SSE Programs and completing the SSE Survey, and Eshwaramma (EA) Day update.  The Group 4 Presentation for EA Day will include a Year-in-Review of key virtual activities along with the graduation videos of our 9 graduating high school seniors.  The EA Day Program for Raleigh Sai Center will be on Thursday May 6th from 6-8:30pm. We hope all SSE Group 4 students and parents can attend the virtual program. In conclusion, we would like to sincerely thank our Group 4 students and parents for their support during this year.  Thank You  & Jai Sai Ram!

    Note to Parents:

    Sairam Parents –

    Group 4 will continue to do virtual classes and our next class, and final class for this SSE year was today, Sunday, May 2nd.

    -Group 4 Gurus

    Jai Sai Ram!
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Young Adults (YA) Updates

  • GAYATHRI BEADS BRACELET SERVICE

    SERVICE TO MAN IS SERVICE TO GOD

    Sairam,

    We will chant and energize beads using the power of Gayathri Mantra, make them into bracelets and offer it to people in need like hospital patients and people in senior care homes.

    Steps to follow:

    TAKE ONE BEAD IN YOUR HAND
    CHANT GAYATHRI MANTHRA 108 TIMES WHILE HOLDING THE BEAD
    AFTER CHANTING 108 TIMES, PRAY THIS BEAD HELP SOMEONE
    KEEP THIS ENERGIZED BEAD SAFELY IN A SEPARATE BAG FROM THE OTHER BEADS
    PRAY AND ENERGIZE AS MANY AS POSSIBLE
    ONCE READY, EMAIL  ya@raleighsaicenter.org  TO DELIVER AND RECEIVE MORE BEADS  
    BEADS WILL BE CONVERTED TO BRACELETS AND GIVEN TO HOSPITAL PATIENTS OR SENIOR CARE HOMES

 
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Seniors Corner

  • Seniors group (NEW!):

    Sairam,

    We would like to inform that our senior group has been making prayer bracelets.  If you or anyone you know of could use it, we would like to offer it to you.  Please email seniors@raleighsaicenter.org if you wish to get a bracelet or join the group.   Virtual sessions happen every Thursday afternoon.

     

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Interest Groups Updates

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Regional Update

  • MULTI-REGIONAL RETREAT (MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND!)
    Sairam, We will be having a combined Sai Regions 1,2,3,4 &8 Memorial day weekend two day virtual retreat entitled “Why Fear When Sai is Here” on  May 29th and 30th 2021.  Please visit  Regional retreat for the flyer
     

    SAICARES REGISTRATION

    To: Subburaj Narayanasamy <subburaj@gmail.com>
    Cc: Balu Karanam <bkaranam@sathyasai.us>
    Subject:SaiCares Registration infomation
    Good morning and Loving Sai Rams

    Please find the registration link for Skilled volunteers registration link and forward it to your center members

    1. Go to https://saicares.org
    2. Login with “sairam” as password (lowercase)
    3. Click on Register as a volunteer (Right-top corner)
    4. Follow the instructions (select all applicable)
    5. Happy volunteering

    BCC: All Center Presidents/Group Leaders/Service Coordinators

    Thanks

    Subburaj N

    Region 3 Service Coordinator

    Be! Do !! Tell !!!

    Please Call SAI CARES at(857) DIAL SAI [342-5724]

    http://sathyasaihumanitarianrelief.org/updates/

     
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Media Repository

  • The media repository for all past events is now available in our main page under this link. If you need the password, please email info@raleighsaicenter.org

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Sai Center Officers

  • Officer Role
    Name
    Email Address
    President
    Senthil Kumar
    president@raleighsaicenter.org
    Vice-President
    Gopal Somu
    vp@raleighsaicenter.org
    Education (SSE) Co-ordinator
    Aruna Shankar
    education@raleighsaicenter.org
    Devotional Co-ordinator
    Shubha Nagaraj
    devotion@raleighsaicenter.org
    Service Co-ordinator
    Param Dasana
    service@raleighsaicenter.org
    YA Co-ordinator
    Sayee Shruti Manickam
    ya@raleighsaicenter.org

    If you have any questions, please email the respective office bearer. Click here to access their phone numbers (password protected). 

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Thought for the Week

  • All founders of religions heard the impersonal voice of God revealing Atma that activates the entire Creation. Just as Vedas were ‘heard’ and propagated as ‘heard’ (Sruti), Quran too was ‘heard’ by Hazrath Muhammad. The Quran has Salat and Zakat as two eyes. Salat means prayer; Zakat means charity. Those who consider charity as a high duty and elevate their consciousness through prayers and continuous meditation on God are Muslims. Islam is a word which denotes not a particular religion but a state of mind, a state of total surrender to the Will of God. Islam means dedication, surrender, peace, tranquillity. Islam denotes a community whose members achieved supreme peace through surrender to the All-Merciful, All-Powerful God and who vowed to live in peace with their fellowmen. Later, it came to be applied to communities that considered themselves separate and different from the rest. Islam taught something higher. It directed attention to One in the many, Unity in Diversity and led people to God.

    – Divine Discourse, Jul 12, 1983

    .

    – BABA

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