From San Francisco Airport to Home in Mill Valley – 11 Apr 08

From the San Francisco Airport, our son drove us down to Mill Valley in his Toyota Camry, a spacious prestigious black car better equipped than a Toyata Carolla, back home. The drive was simply wonderful and we instantly fell in love with San Francisco and its Bay Area. When we came out of the Airport there were at least 5 flyovers I think, one on top of the other and then on to Highway no 101 an amazing Freeway ,with 5 lanes for incoming and five lanes for outgoing traffic ,where cars were traveling at speeds of a minimum of 70 to 80 miles per hour. Incidentally the Americans believe in the F.P.S. (Foot Pound System) and not M.K.S. (Metric Kgs System). And Americans do not believe in traveling on the left. They believe in right hand travel.

From the Airport we had to travel North across the Golden Gate Bridge, built in 1937 across the Pacific Ocean - a technological marvel. Had only read about it in my Geography book in school and here I was traveling through it .The structure was simply amazing. And as we sped past the Golden Gate bridge, I was thinking about Swami all the time, in awe, about the wonderful and totally different beautiful aspect of His creation and thanking Him for granting Latha and me the privilege of coming to this part of His World and for enjoying the same.

We traveled further North before arriving at Mill valley, a suburb of San Francisco in which my son had a taken a two bedroom Apartment and a drawing room plus a kitchen .He had shifted from his bachelor's one room apartment to this apartment only recently so that we could be accommodated for our 6 month stay. (For locating us go to http://www.maps.google.com/ and type Mill Valley and follow instructions on the map).

We were home in 25 minutes - a complex of 10 to 12 dwelling units called the Reed Boulevard. Each dwelling unit is single storeyed but having four two bedroom apartments each .And each apartment has a drawing room (Sai has his own 56 inch plasma flat TV) two bedrooms, a well equipped kitchen with electric heaters / a microwave oven / large refrigerator, a clean excellent bathroom, with a 24 hour hot and cold water suppy.We just started unpacking our luggage quite excited. Completely forgot about the jet lag .We then had a very pleasant shower and changed and Sai cooked some excellent Rajma for us .We had to use two Rajais in the night .Boy was it cold!! About 45 deg Fahrenheit i.e., about 8 deg centigrade. Winter had still not left the city and was in the process.

We slept peacefully quite late that night talking talking about Secunderabad.

At San Francisco Airport - 11 Apr 08

We moved down from the plane on to the Airport lobby .The San Francisco airport is huge ,maybe ten times as big as the old Bangalore or the Hyderabad Begumpet or even the Kolkata airports. We were marveling at the infrastructure and the meticulously clean airport as we walked along the carpeted / flat -elevator entry points. And finally we reached the Immigration check counter.

Unlike India there were not very many passengers around except for those who had just arrived in another flight .Very pointed questions were asked by smart Immigration officials (in US police like dark blue uniforms) as to why we were in SFO to which I gave the ready made answers. It was a mini visa interview! After we were through with the Immigration check, we had to pass through another point which was checking whether we had brought any “unauthorized agricultural” items.

En route to the “Agricultural” counter, we saw a US official (in police like uniform), who was asking questions from the passengers. I thought that he was merely controlling the queue. A passenger just before me was questioned by this gentleman as to whether she was carrying any mangoes, to which she replied in the negative. When I heard the question I exclaimed “ You check mangoes also is it ? “ and myself and Latha were promptly put in the “ Agricultural” queue by this man !! It was then that I realized that the said person was allowing those giving satisfactory answers to go outside the airport, without opening and checking their baggage. Me and my big mouth!!

Fortunately there was an Indian American (a Punjabi) at the counter who asked me in Hindi – “Are you from India?” Totally taken back I said “Yes”. “Carrying any spices" he asked again in Hindi! By now I had gathered sufficient courage and I told him boldly in Hindi “No spices no Achar no mango. We know that we are not supposed to carry any of these items.” And he smiled and told us to go, without opening up and checking our baggage. So Swami gave us an excellent welcome, in the form of the Hindi speaking Indian American and saved us a lot of inconvenience, in the bargain, a hassle free travel indeed.

Loading our luggage on to two trolleys we moved to the Exit gate of the Airport. And there stood our son!! It was one of our happiest moments of our lives. Here we were in San Francisco, pinching ourselves to check whether we were dreaming. No this was too good to be true. Swami had at last fulfilled our dream and sent us to the US, undoubtedly with a Mission which He alone knew.

But then the grandeur of the moment ,immediately after setting foot in a foreign land , meeting our son , six years after he had left India, was something unexplainable .The moment was unique , exciting ,unforgettable; a moment which we will cherish for ever for the rest of our lives. - struggling to hold back our tears of happiness, as we embraced him, hugging him tightly. No words were exchanged – we were choked for words. But that was it – Happiness of a kind which cannot be expressed in so many words. And once again I thanked Swami for all the Grace bestowed upon us by Him, for having given us such a loving son and allowing us to come to the States to experience the joy !

From Hong Kong to San Francisco – 11 Apr 08

At Hong Kong we were to board another Cathay Pacific flight (CX 872) from Terminal No 67 which was quite a distance away from Terminal No 2 where we had landed. As we got down from the plane, one air hostess was waiting to collect all the passengers going to San Francisco. We moved together as a group to a cabin baggage security check point .But after the check was over the Air Hostess mysteriously disappeared. And we were left to fend for ourselves!!

Here we were in a new place, in a foreign land, totally at sea. We certainly did not want to miss our flight and wait for another one. The whole process would have been complicated and we would have reached San Francisco late giving several anxious moments to our son in the US .Our baggage would have gone by our original flight which we were to board. We did not know as to what to do as time was running out .We had precisely 15 mts left to board our next flight. Confusion and anxiety confounded. And were we nervous? When you are in trouble where do you turn to? The Lord of course. Latha and I started continuously chanting “Om Sri Sai Ram “.Swami says “Why fear when I am here”.

Suddenly we saw a male purser who was taking a group of passengers to the Tokyo flight .We rushed to him and asked him to guide us to Terminal No 67.He very kindly took us to an elevator which took us three storeys down below and told us to catch a train out there. Worried I asked him as to how much time it would take for the “train journey” and he replied ONE MINUTE!! We thanked him profusely and took the elevator to the “rail terminal” below .Boarded the “one bogey” train and fair enough, within one minute we were at the end of our “train journey”.

Continuously chanting “Om Sri Sai Ram “we then used another elevator to climb three storeys up and rushed to Terminal no 67, which was still a good half a km away. Fortunately we had only a light small hand baggage with us, making the “run” that much easier! Latha had a tough time though, keeping up with me. And – Whew – we were finally in our fresh flight with just five minutes left for the aircraft to take off.

Most of the passengers had already boarded the aircraft and the Pilot, through the PA system was welcoming all of us aboard Flight no CX 870. For a moment I froze because we were to board Flt No CX 872. Did we get into a wrong plane, by mistake? Fortunately within seconds, the Pilot corrected himself, apologised for the error and welcomed us aboard Flt No CX 872. I heaved a sigh of relief and re checked with the air hostess that the flight was indeed our flight and we finally took our allotted seats. Swami’s Sankalpa again prevailed.

The journey from Hongkong to San Francisco was very peaceful .We could see on our mini TV screens, the route the pilot was taking to complete the 12.5 hour non stop flight We kept hugging the coastline of China and Japan and finally we flew straight across he Pacific Ocean. It was dark throughout the journey and we kept eating, sleeping, eating, sleeping ……We were woken up for snacks (Biscuits pastries, rasagollas and fruits, coffee), Lunch (Dal, boiled vegetables, Rajma, Nan pulao, ras malai) and Breakfast (Paratha, fruits, upma, ras malai).Our air hostesses did not allow us to open up the window blinds so that we were not confused about the changing night and day outside!!

As were nearing San Francisco the pilot announced that we were about to land .I opened up the window blind and saw the beautiful coast line .It was about four in the evening – Pacific Time (San Francisco) time. My watch was no longer relevant. We had left Mumbai on 11 Apr 0450 am and almost 24 hrs later we were nearing San Francisco and still on 11 Apr 4.00 p.m.

We finally landed at San Francisco airport at 4.45 pm about 20 mts behind schedule. As we were about to deplane, I saw a lot of people doing their job on the ground below, the first thought that crossed my mind was – 15000 miles away from India - in San Francisco Swami you are very much here and I was reminded of His statement: “I am above you, I am below you, I am behind you, I am around you, I am within you – there is no place where I do not exist – I am Omnipresent and present everywhere”.

From Mumbai to Hongkong – 11 Apr 08

The Cathay Pacific flight (CX 750) from Mumbai to San Francisco via Bangkok and Hongkong was to take off at 0450 hrs in the morning on 11 Apr 08 but we were all packed and ready to leave on 10th Apr 08 at 10.30 pm itself, although the official reporting time was 1.50 am on 11 Apr 08, 3 hrs before the scheduled departure time.

We finally left Chembur at 11.00 p.m by taxi for the Sahar International Airport after being told by Vasantha ( my octogenarian mother -in -law ) umpteen times to take care of our passports and baggage during the flight !! We reached the Airport by 11.45 p.m. taking our own sweet time .Our luggage was quite bulky and to take the entire lot on one trolley was indeed very cumbersome .And the corridor having the check in counters of various airlines was quite long making me puff & pant and sweat profusely as I moved first to the Cathay Pacific counter, weighed the luggage and moved back to the Security check.

Check in started at 1.30 am on 11 Apr 08 and after handing over our baggage and immigration check we had nothing better to do than wait for boarding the aircraft .We were ushered in on time .I had a window seat and Latha sat next to me .The third seat was vacant throughout the flight .

It was a great experience as the plane started taxiing down the tarmac and soon we were airborne. So finally we had left the shores of India for the first time in our lives. A peculiar feeling of happiness, joy and calmness descended on us, as the plane started climbing higher and higher.Latha could not believe that we had taken off and finally left India. Swami’s words resounded within me – Remember not even a blade of grass moves without My Will. And here we were moving to San Francisco, as per His Will, His Divine Plan, and His Divine Sankalpa.

Within one hour of our take off, breakfast was served. My watch showed 5.50 am, Indian Standard Time (IST) as I had not changed the timings on my watch!! We had an Asian vegetarian breakfast - Masala Dosa, Upma with chutney sambhar, 5 rasagollas, and fruits followed by coffee!

Within three hours or so of our departure, we were in Bangkok, but it was afternoon there, although my timing was 8.50 am. We did not get out of the aircraft .It was supposed to be a technical halt but a number of passengers got down and new passengers boarded the flight .We halted for about one hour .It was interesting to see a horde of Thai cleaning staff going about their work in the aircraft in a time bound, efficient, meticulous manner. During our flight from Bangkok to Hong Kong we were served Lunch - Rice pulao, palak paneer, Nan, boiled potatoes, dal, fruits and 5 rasagollas again.

We reached Hong Kong airport, Terminal No 2, one hour late, at 3.20 pm in the afternoon (Hong Kong time) after having spent 8 hours in the flight.

A visit to the Sathya Sai Institute of Agriculture & Bio Technology, Mumbai - 10 Apr 08

On 10 Apr 08, I paid a visit to the Sathya Sai Institute of Agriculture & Biotechnology (SIAB), which is very near INS HAMLA, an Indian Navy Training Establishment, and is located in Aksa village, approximately 6 to 7 kms away from Malad, a suburb of Mumbai on the Western Railway route.

I had the privilege of traveling with Shri TVC Nair, an Industrialist/Organisational active worker/Director of the Institute, in his car, from Chembur (where I was staying) right up to the Institute, which was 70 kms and a 2 hour drive away. Geetha my sister in law and Latha my wife escorted me to a suitable meeting point near Chembur where Shri TVC Nair picked me up.Needless to say that the visit was extremely fruitful.

The Institute, the first of its kind in our country – set up on Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s (Swami’s) directions - is based on the principles of EDUCARE, MEDICARE, and SOCIO CARE and where an integrated training of the farmer is done. In fact it is an ideal location for the training of all progressive farmer youth of our villages in our country, involved in the Sathya Sai Village Integrated Programme (SSVIP).

The SIAB is being run by the Maharashtra Sathya Sai State Trust and trains a batch of 30 to 50 farmers at a time, for a period of 4 to 6 weeks, free of cost .The training programmes are conducted throughout the year except during the monsoon months of June – Aug 08.The training is conducted by eminent experts in the field of Agriculture/ Bio technology /Banks /NGOs/Micro Finance Institutions amongst others, in Hindi and Marathi, as per a set syllabus.

The Institute has all the latest machinery/gadgets /technology in the agricultural sector. It has its own air conditioned tissue culture laboratory; easy to construct economic mini food processing plants which can be used in our villages for creating simple processed foods. Spacious classrooms with adequate seating arrangements also exist. There are vast vacant stretches of land around the Institute which are used for practicals.

The classes are very practical oriented and tailor made to address the problems faced by the villagers in their areas of operations. They are also trained and encouraged to try the latest in agriculture farming methods and taught as to how to make their farming cost effective.

They are taught “value addition” to their agricultural products through simple methods of food processing with minimum sophistication and using natural resources available to them .Stress is on EDUCARE and not education alone. A typical training day begins with Omkaram and Nagarsankeertan followed by breakfast and then only the classes begin. Study circles on Swami’s teachings are conducted during evening hours

The Institute has its own kitchen/dining hall and a dormitory where more than 50 farmers can be accommodated .An active worker of our Organisation Shri Anantanarayan is the Warden and stays in the Institute itself.

Many of the youth from the villages who have been trained have given excellent feedback to the Institute about how they have progressed in life and how well they are doing in the agricultural/food processing sector. Although the Institute is not very large, it does show signs of becoming an independent Deemed Sathya Sai University of Agriculture and Biotechnology in the very near future, with Institutes in all the States of India ,with it its own unique value systems – a silent revolution is indeed on!!

Mahatma Gandhi often used to say that if India has to prosper India’s villages have to prosper.

Indeed in Swami’s own words Grama Seva is Rama Seva and Manava Seva is Madhava Seva - Service to Man is Service to God.

At the Secunderabad Railway station – 07 Apr 08

The train finally arrived at the railway platform and we got in comfortably although the coolies had taken their heavy toll! Twenty minutes before the train was to depart, Col Kishore and Saraswati Kishore came rushing to the platform and handed over a small package to be delivered to their son Teju and daughter- in-law Swapna in San Francisco. It was a golden ornament for Swapna.

Saraswati became very emotional as she had not seen Teju and Swapna after their marriage, for almost 3 to 4 years and stated that our going to SFO was just like her going to SFO. The mother’s sentiments were to be seen to be believed.

In spite of all our problems in our country, we are still progressing because and just because we respect Motherhood. In fact it is an institution by itself. Mathru Devo Bhava; Pithru devo Bhava. Mother is God; Father is God – the scriptures say. And if at all you want to see this institution of motherhood still being respected - a mother’s love for her son and a son’s love for her mother – this can be seen only in India.

A very comfortable night’s journey which was made more special by Latha’s Roti and aloo ki subji, we were in Mumbai Dadar station early in the morning on 08 th Apr 08.Still in India and still not believing that we were going to meet our son in SFO!!

We were in Mumbai from 08th to 10th Apr 08 midnight. Spent the time making last minute purchases and rearranging our luggage so that we had 2 packages of approximately 32 Kgs each and two hand baggages of 7 Kgs each.

I also paid a very interesting and useful visit to the Sathya Sai Institute of Agriculture and Bio Technology in Mumbai.

Your’e on your way to San Francisco ,Your’e on your way to San Francisco

It was the 7th of Apr 2008 - the date we were to leave for Mumbai on our way to San Francisco.And were we excited !! First time going to the States and that too to stay with our beloved son for 6 months . It was indeed unimaginable.

Our train for Mumbai was to leave Secunderabad Railway station at 1.20 in the afternoon .But we were ready to leave home at 11.00 am. itself ! Of course there were a lot of things to do - like closing the valve of our pipeline ,so that our house did not get flooded due to a tap leak as had happened only a few days back when we had gone to Puttaparthi !! And yes we also had to put the electricity mains off so that we did not get an electricity bill retrospectively !!

And finally we left at 11.30 am because we had to weigh our luggage at the local kirana store on his electronic weighing machine .Permitted only 4 packages of 32 kgs each only .Our call taxi arrived on time but the driver- a young man turned out to be grumpy . So we had to bring a smile on to his face so that at the kirana store we could take his help to unload the luggage from our van on to the weighing machine !!Whew !! And weigh we did - fortunately the luggage was almost as permitted by Cathay Pacific.

We were there in the Secunderabad railway platform one hour before the departure of the train - in fact the train had not yet been shunted on to the platfom - still unable to believe that we were really moving to Mumbai on our way to SFO.I asked Latha - what is "Truth" in life - the past that has gone by ,the present or the future ? She had no answer and I said - The present which is Omni present is the only reality in life .And we should live only in the Present at all times .