2022-11-21 - A funeral during the Birthday season

Added in 2024: screenshot from this video - showing Dr. KBR Prasad more clearly, keeping away the mic after a Divine Discourse.

The second week of November is Your Birthday season at Prasanthi Nilayam - one blessed soul merged with Your Lotus Feet yesterday. When I attended Dr. KBR Prasad's funeral today, it was probably the first funeral I have attended at Prasanthi Nilayam after 1999. I went there just before the scheduled 3 pm rites, and joined in with the bhajan group to sing bhajans in front of the ambulance, a mini-procession till the gates of Sri Sathya Sai General Hospital. 

I have been associated with Prasad sir since 1993, since I was in the Audio-Visual department and he was the Mandir PA system in-charge at Prasanthi Nilayam. Bishu has a series about him in the Outside Inside Deep Inside radio series,
https://www.sssmediacentre.org/#/global-search-page/search/The%20inspired%20life%20of%20Dr%20K%20B%20R%20Prasad

Pasting below a conversation I had with him when we were seated together in the amplifier room at Mandir on 5 March 2020, about his first Darshan.

-------------------------

Sairam Sir, when did you have your first darshan of Swami?

1975.

A person from my native village, who was a devotee, had come to my house. He wanted to go for darshan. Since he was new to Bangalore, I went along with him to Whitefield. Summer Course was going on. The next day, I took my wife also, and for the next 15 days, we attended the evenings. Those days, the summer courses used to be for 30 days.

Were you in HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited) at that time?

Indian Institute of Science.

In August, I subscribed to the Sanathana Sarathi magazine. In the August issue, there was an article about seva, how seva is the straight and easiest path. So, I decided to join for seva. We came here (to Prasanthi Nilayam) in September and stayed till November - it was the 50th birthday celebrations.

My first job was to get wallpaper for the green room (in Poornachandra). Kutumba Rao instructed that I should go to Bangalore in a van and get 100 metres of 5 different designs, and that Swami would choose. When I went to the shop, they were not devotees - the proprietor said that his people are busy, he cannot spare people now. Right then, when I was there, he got a phone call from his uncle in Bombay, who was a devotee, and so was convinced to send some people with me and the material.

The people who came with me - one was from Bangalore, one from Tirupati, and one was a Marathi person. But all three could understand Telugu, since there were (Telugu-speaking) businesspeople in Bangalore in those days, and they had frequent dealings with them. But they were saying things like this Baba is only for rich people and so on, so I did not talk much with them - they had their own preconceived ideas. I had checked to see that the required number of bundles with rolls of wallpaper had been packed.

When we reached, Kutumba Rao instructed that 1 square metre of each pattern be put on the walls for Swami to select. Swami came and selected, saying this for this wall, this for the bathroom and so on. One particular pattern, He said, this is for this particular room, but they have not brought sufficient quantity, ring up to Madras (Chennai now) and get from there. And He spoke in Marathi to the Marathi man, in Tamil to the man from Tirupati, and in Telugu to the man from Bangalore - they were all stunned. We went and checked, the pattern which Swami had selected light green colour was only 4 rolls instead of 5, and the last roll was dark green. The workers said we will ourselves phone up to our proprietor and tell him to contact Madras and send the material.

Initially, the proprietor had said that he can spare his people only for two days. But now the three people who came said that they will finish all the work and only then return to Bangalore. We asked for 4 sevadal, but 10 sevadal came to help, because the green room was directly opposite where the Stupa work was going on, and Swami would often visit. He would go to the Stupa, then go to Poonachandra, and then go out - the cars used to be parked at Poornachandra.

Swami had said, let these people be given a room in West 1 C floor - very close to the work spot, and let them have food in Canteen, take rest and then start. But after their first interaction, those people said we won't rest, we will start work immediately, and work 18 hours a day. But they said they wanted money, so that they can go outside and "eat well to get strength" to work long hours. Meaning that the vegetarian food of the Canteen was not to their taste.

When they began work, Swami came. He enquired after them, saying they should have taken rest etc, they said they will finish the job. Then Swami told Kutumba Rao, give these people some money so that they can go out and eat, so that they can get strength to work for 18 hours! They were flabbergasted, said No, Swami, we will eat in the canteen itself. Those days, things were limited at the Canteen - they would not give as many chapatis as you wanted and so on. So, Swami told Kutumba Rao, let them have unlimited food in Canteen.

Then, while going to Canteen and returning, they saw the director of one of the big banks. They had gone to fix wallpaper in his house, he was a very rich man with 2-3 cars and a big bungalow, and here he was volunteering, carrying building material during the Stupa construction. Such a big man doing such work! Those people were amazed.

That was my first seva.

Later, Swami said, "Let Prasad work on the stage".

Those days, PA system used to be done by the Bombay people. The parking was near Eswaramma School. The people there requested for speakers, so that they could also hear the proceedings. The Bombay people said that they could not spare people, so I was asked if I would do it, material would be provided. I asked for 20 rolls of cable, and speakers. The next day, the Bangalore people sent the material. With sevadals, we set up the speakers, and the people beyond Eswaramma school were very happy. They said they could hear more clearly than in the hall itself - that is because it was an open area.

After Birthday, Swami said, He would give padanamaskar the next day. But He gave namaskar to the rest of the Bangalore group. They were all leaving. I went with them to the bus-stop. I could not stay back, so I also picked up my bedroll and left with them. Those days, we stayed under a tree near the Hospital - where the guest house is located now. So, I had left. Later, I learnt that Swami asked, "Where is Prasad?" the next day. Nobody knew. Then, Swami Himself answered, he had gone to send off the Bangalore group, and then left with them.

We had come for Vaikunta ekadasi. Bangalore people were given Canteen duty. Raman Rao came to Canteen and announced, "Anybody from Hyderabad who knows how to operate PA system?" Since I was not from Hyderabad, I did not answer. So, he went to Swami and told him there is no-one to operate PA system. Swami told him it was his mistake to ask 'Anyone from Hyderabad'. He told him to go again and ask "Anyone who knows how to operate PA system" - this time I answered, and was asked to operate the PA system.

Those days, it was a tube amplifier - it used to get very hot. We used to sit right next to the stage. So much proximity. Even the first time we went for the Summer Course - we were at the very back. But there were some seats in the first few rows, and Swami asked those of us at the back to come front! Again, very close.

Those days, the amplifier and other material used to be stored in the attic behind the Poornachandra stage, we had to climb a ladder and get the items down. When I was on the stage cleaning the items, Swami came. "Ay Prasad! Why did you go away without taking padanamaskar? Come, take!" and He gave me an apple from the car, and asked me to take namaskar.

And that is how I started doing the PA system work.

--------------------------------------

Edit - some more experiences of Dr. Prasad are listed at vedamu.org

Dr. KBR Prasad setting the microphones on the table for the Divine Discourse on 23 November 1992. From the video at https://saicast.org/1992/19921123birthday.html

Next: Reflections on fulfilling wishes

Blog home page

 

Previous: A long Swami dream