This morning woke up at 4.30am.
Ready for my walk, left at 5.31am. Took the road around Mandir, passing accommodation office, Rama shrine and then Ganesh Temple. The Rama Shrine had a new arrangement of fresh flowers. Suprabhatam was over and Vedam was yet to start. Devotees were seated neatly waiting for the Nagarsankirtan. Bowed to Ganesha as I walked out of the Ashram and moved towards the Stadium. There were just few people on the road. Saw a couple pushing their cart to position at the Vidyagiri arch. In half an hour they would be ready with their offering of dosa, idly, puris etc. for the people who find them neat and great value for money. At the Higher secondary school gate wished ‘sairam’ to the sevadal and entered the ground. It was still dark. The labourers working on the decorations and motifs were fast asleep under the galleries. Walked up the steps of the gallery. The huge posters of Swami which adorned the galleries on the northern and eastern sides had been replaced with bigger ones with beautiful pictures of Swami with the quote “Glory to our Lord Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba”. They looked really nice.
Could see the Hanuman statue with the lower half of the scaffolding yet to be removed.On the main ground the usual barbed fence which separated the cricket ground from the rest had been removed. The ground now had lots of wooden barricades which ran across it. Just thought how much it would have pained the gardeners who water and maintain the ground to see these poles being erected at will.
Slowly walked to the pavilion. The gents gallery had another gallery in front of it with a raised platform almost the height of the new platform which has been erected in front of the Shanti Vedika. The huge platform in front of Shanti Vedika looked nice. It is just a replica of the Shanti Vedika(one can say it’s a semi permanent structure). The pillars and the roof made up of plywood and plaster-of-paris look just like the ones of Shanti Vedika. There on the top of the front ceiling the fresco of Ganesha too. The Yagna kundas on the platform and the false roofing with freshly painted designs looked magnificent. Walked up the steps to go the Hanuman statue. All along the wire fence on the western perimeter of the stadium halogen lamps had been fixed. They were also for the Shirdi Baba statue. As I walked past Krisha Statue the sevadal there shouted ‘sairam’ I replied ‘sairam’. Then he shouted
‘do you have permission?’(in tamil of course). I shouted ‘yes’ and moved along. Slowly the dawn was breaking. Reaching Hanuman, went round the statue admiring its beauty. Hanuman on the hill is the most majestic and beautiful of all the huge statues of Hanuman that I have seen at various places. Could hear the bhajans by a groups of students doing nagar sankirtan(it may be ok to call it ground sankritan). Walking back down the hill the eastern horizon was getting crimson awaiting the rising Sun. Now could see the ground clearly with the barricades all around crisscrossing it dividing it into donot know how many parts. But there was one clear path cutting across the ground from the primary school to the Shanti Vedika, must be for Swami’s car. Few self motivated boys were in the ground doing their exercises. The rear of pavilion has been cleared of bushes and neatly done up for car parking. Saw few labourer warming themselves around a small fire. Few boys were playing mundu cricket in the basket ball court(why not coin a new name for the game!) . Behind the Easwaramm school temporary structures of the dining hall and kitchen for the priests have come up. Looked almost done. Difficult to say that they are temporary structures they looked so well fortified. Under the eastern gallery the bathrooms were almost done. The laboureres were still sleeping under the galleries. Their tools and accessories with bags of plaster-of-paris were all around. The various moulds they were using to cast the decorative motifs were for all to see. As I walked out, the new fountain in front of the school looked nice, probably it too came up at the right time. Few school boys were moving around in their track suits enjoying the cool morning air. Walking back on the main road couldn’t avoid noticing the institute garden which has got a new look in the last few months with the beautiful fountain, ducks, rabbits and the neatly laid out paths. There were far more people on the road now. Entered the Ganesh gate and bowed to its presiding deity as I moved to my room along the South Prasanthi Road. Met the ever smiling septuagenarian Dave sir and we exchanged "Very Good Morning!"s.
