Everything “Sai” and “Religious” is not Free – Respect others hardwork

Sairam friends,

Its 10 :12 :2010 – 101 years since shirdi sai baba’s chavadi procession has started in Shirdi.  I have something to say …i hope it helps sai servants around the world in the years to come.

Its truly the most frustrating thing in life when a human being has faced set backs all his life in his career and lots more personal issues. He chooses to atleast serve sai baba with the little he knows to do.

Its been 6 years..from 2004 i have been doing all i can for sai devotees through StarSai.com and the little service i do in saibaba temple in my hometown cleaning dwarakamai, taking care of dhuni etc.

It was sometime in 2007 that i decided to sell photos of shirdi sai baba and did photography with lots of effort …My sai friends and parents helped me in doing this project. Few of these sai baba photos can be seen in starsai.com

My heart din’t let me sell shirdi sai baba photos to earn a living :

Everytime i wanted to sell sai photos to earn a living, i feel sai will surely show me a better way to earn .It was my habit between 2005 to 2007 to print around 1000 to 2000 photos of shirdi saibaba and give it as a gift to sai devotees … I used to have good quotes of our sai in it. I feel really happy when a devotee feels good to have a sai photo as a surprise.

So when i had no way to earn and decided to sell saibaba photos , i did try it in january 2010. Thank God it din’t work out..I had the site live for a month and then turned it off….i felt may be surly saibaba will show me a better way to earn.

People spend for everything but forget to respect hardwork of sai sevants :

Lets take for example you are planning a trip to Shirdi.

You have to Pay for Bus ticket , flights or Train. Now that a new airport is coming to shirdi, we understand sai devotees are going to spend thousands of rupees for travel expenses alone.

And you go to the shops in shirdi, do you get anything for FREE ?

Leave the other commercial shops, even the prasadalaya of shirdi saibaba sansthan charges 10 rupees or less or more ( am not sure ) for a meal. Only when some devotee sponsors for that day , you are provided free meal which means someone has payed on behalf of you.

A luxury bus charges 450 Rs just to take you from Mumbai to Shirdi. People are ready to spend for all this because its real. So many shops around the world sells shirdi sai baba books, pens, photos and calenders and people are ready to pay for it.

But why is it that everything “Sai” and “Religious” is expected for FREE :

When it comes to internet, things are different.

FREE…FREE….FREE….

Cummon, there is a real human being working to do what ever you see and learn from here….You don’t have to pay us but please don’t hurt us asking things easily.

Most importantly some sai devotees who build temples, who are running commercial business and give free sai gifts etc …these people expect every thing “Sai” for “FREE”.

When i am myself going through hardships and struggles in life people cooly come with such a mail…

‘Sai Ram Venkat,

Our organization gives saibaba calenders every year as gift . Can i get original file of your saibaba photos ”

( i told them i dont want to give pictures for calender as this year sai wil be happy and next year who knows what will happen to sai in the calender. Someof the pictures took a entire days time to photograph ..i used to travel all the way to flower market in hot sun , get flowers, my parents help me decorate them and i do photography… Is it not hardwork ? )

and here goes another mail

” Sairam Venkat,

We are making a magazine for sai baba, Is it ok to use your baba’s photos ”

Din’t these people clearly see what i wrote in the homepage of starsai. All photos are copyright protected. Then why should you hurt me more and more…ya its for personal use…the devotees whom sai wish to come to starsai , will come here, see him , find peace and if they wish save in their computer.  Thats all i need.

And let me ask one thing…why don’t people understand i am here sacrificing my life …my only happiness is doing the little things i can for sai through starsai and yes ofcourse i want it to be safe in starsai …Its my sweat, my blood.

People enjoy comforts of big life, good career and come to my website, simply ask me, can i use this…fine, you can ask but where is the message of sainath…

What does Sai Satcharitra teach you :

Remuneration for Labour

One day at noon, Baba came near Radha-Krishna-Mai’s house and said – “Bring Me a ladder.” Some men brought it and set it against a house as directed by Baba. He climbed up on the roof of Vaman Gondkar’s house, passed the roof of Radha-Krishna-Mai’s house and then got down from the other corner. What object Baba had, none could know.

Radha-Krishna-Mai was, at that time, shivering with Malaria. It may be to drive off that fever, that He may have gone there. Immediately after getting down, Baba paid Rupees two to the persons who brought the ladder. Somebody asked Baba, why he paid so much for this. He replied that nobody should take the labour of others, in vain. The worker should be paid, his dues promptly and liberally.

Sai Satcharitra is not to read for desires to get fulfilled, Its a pearl thrown in ocean :

Every single word  in the holy book sai satcharitra has a pearl in it…but its hard to find when you read it just to get your desires fulfilled. Try to realize how beautifully saibaba has helped poor people like us .

Everyday i come home cleaning Dhuni with a shirt thats covered with dark ashes…my feet get burnt, my palm get swollen and i love doing what i do. My mother once showed me the shirt i wore on the way home n shout at me saying “even a labour will wear cleaner shirts”

with all the hardships i come home, write articles in starsai , i also have desires for my career and for my personal life…I know sai will show me a way sometime in my life.

Meanwhile when i am struggling , please understand do not hurt me more by asking cooly ” Can i use this …can i use that…the worst word to add is “Is it OK to use ”

well its not OK.

At 32 , can these people handle the set backs i have gone through…i am not able to make my old parents happy

Can these people come and see what it means to sit inside the hot dhuni tank while cleaning dhuni in darkness over heap of sacred udi and shedding tears to saibaba hoping sai will show me a way atleast today ?

I am not saying i alone can do this. There are so many sai devotees who are serving sai in thousands of ways  in temples and some through their websites. You don’t have to pay us but please atleast respect our emotions.

Most importantly , this message is not for regular sai devotees. Only people who are associated with some sai seva take others for granted. As theres another incident in Sri Sai Satcharitra where saibaba don’t like one devotee intervening in others seva, please you do your seva in your way to few sai children and let me do seva as i wish …

Our goal is one and Guru is One.

Let us understand each others emotions, hardships and respect everyones hardwork.

This message is not only for sai sevaks but also for everyone involved in any religious work, please give some respect to them. What worth is your money. Give some value to the work done.

I respect the men and women sweeping temple, the labour who makes garland for  Gods/Goddess, the people who clean bathroom and toilet in temples ( The temple i go regularly does not have water pipe in 2 of the toilets…so everyday evening i am pouring water and cleaning it before i enter temple… i don’t feel ashamed for it when devotees see me doing it. ) ,

The people who do cooking for annadhan , people who take care of water and electricity in temple…everyone are there to make the temple feel peaceful …Its not just the God but the people who work for God matters too to make your life good.

I am hurt and i wrote it…

Aum sri sainathaya namaha

C.Venkatraman