Sri Sathya Sai sends Gujarat Earthquake Relief Material in 70 trucks...

Wednesday, February 7, 2001 

After the evening Darshan and interview, coming towards the students, Swami said… 

Swami : (For Gujarat earthquake relief material) 66 lorries! They are putting up 500 tents and on them will be written ‘Sathya Sai Gram’. (Swami mentioned the name of Sri Sanjay Singh, Doctoral Research Scholar, Department of Chemistry, and few members from the Ashram including Sri Chiranjeevi Rao, whom He was sending along with the material.) I am also sending 20 Seva Dals for helping them.

Rescue operations in progress after the earthquake

Prof. A. K. : Is it from Hyderabad? 

Swami : No, from Parthi. In the place devastated by the earthquake, many robbers came and took away things. All the people there do not have anything. Boys are having exams, otherwise I would have sent them. 

Warden : (Mentioning the name of a teacher) Swami, he can go. He stayed in Ahmedabad for a long period of time. 

Swami : Not Ahmedabad. It is to nearby villages. He may not know those areas. 

Prof. A. K. : How many days are they going to work there? 

Swami : They will be there, as long as it takes to distribute all the material directly to the people. Andhra Chief Minister (Sri Chandrababu Naidu) was very happy and said that only Swami could do it. I am also providing basic vessels for the people there who do not have anything. 

Prof. A. K. : Are these for all people there? 

Swami : For 2,000 families. I am also giving rugs because it is very cold. The total expenditure comes to ₹3 crores. 

Prof. A. K. : You sent ₹2 crores worth of material from Bangalore. 

Swami : That is different. That time, we sent medicines, clothes and food. Four lorries of material were collected from Puttaparthi alone. (These were in addition to what Swami had sent.) 

Prof. A. K. : They collected all the material near Hanuman temple. 

Swami : As soon as they asked, so many people came forward and gave clothes. It is good. Tomorrow, the materials will go to Bangalore; from there to Hyderabad; then to Sholapur and finally to Ahmedabad. From there it will be distributed to the villages. 
(To Sri Sanjay Singh) Are you ready? (He nodded in the affirmative.) 

Prof. A. K. : Swami, he can wear (waist) belts like foreigners for keeping money. 

Swami : Foreigners do not keep money in their belts. They only keep kerchief and other such things. 

Prof. A. K. : There is so much material being sent there from various countries. In the papers also, they show the photos of the materials, which have arrived by planes. But there are no people to coordinate and unload the materials from the planes. 

Swami : Ours is not like that. We are sending everything fresh, which can be used immediately. We are sending 1,000 bags of sugar too. We are sending all that in big trucks. These trucks’ capacity is 20 tons each. If the exams were over, I would have sent the boys. 
(To Sri Sanjay Singh) Do you have a sweater? I will give. Only you have got the chance to go. 

(To teachers) In Rajkot Hospital (Sri Sathya Sai Heart Hospital at Rajkot), Patel and Shah are there (for receiving the relief material and for coordinating). They will distribute the material from there. 

Sathya Sai Heart Hospital, Rajkot

Principal : Swami, You can send some teachers. Other teachers can share their work here. 

Swami : Exams are coming. They have to teach the students; hence they are necessary here. If teachers are not here, boys will say that there is no one to teach. When they do not get good marks and you ask them why they got less marks, they will reply that it was because the teachers were not there. 

Students : No Swami! No Swami! 

Swami : Now you will tell like this. But if the results are not good, you will tell that teachers did not teach you. 

Principal : Swami, you can send some students. We will adjust. 

Swami : What will you adjust? 

Principal : Swami, we can postpone exams for 15 days and boys will be able to help. 

Swami : No. If boys go there, they will forget all that they have studied and all those things there will come into their minds. It will affect their studies. 

Prof. A. K. : (Punning with words in Telugu) Bhukampam Nunchi Burrakapam Aitundi (From earthquake, it will become brain quake). (All laughed with Swami.) 

Swami : I am making arrangements for those who are going there. Lot of work is there. (Then, Swami went back to the interview room.) 

Source: Students with Sai: Conversations (2000-2001)