As autumn unveiled its rich tapestry of foliage, in a myriad of colours, as the winter slowly crept into our lives, a certain warmth spread through our collective consciousness. It was time to prepare for the Akhanda Bhajan, our annual multi-faith non-stop 24-hour event , where different faith groups sing for world peace.
As a prelude to the event, our thoughts and minds were energised by an illuminating Study Circle on the “Importance of Multi-faith Integration to the Individual and to the Community”. This was conducted by Brother Dr. Vickneswaran from the Ilford Sai Centre, and very well attended by devotees from our Sai Centre, and by Mr. David Rennie, the Chairperson of InterFaith Milton Keynes Interfaith group, and other faith representatives. The Study Circle began with prayers from eight different religions and an appreciation of the similarities between them. The engaging conversation explored factors that could encourage the bonding between different faiths and overcome the hurdles that lay in this path. At the conclusion, the minds of the attendees were filled with respect for other religions and an appreciation of the cultures therein. This primed the devotees for the Akhanda Bhajan that followed two weeks later.
Akhanda Bhajan 2014 was held at Jubilee Wood Primary School in Milton Keynes on the 8th and 9th of November.
The event began at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday 8 November with the chanting of the sacred Vedas. Our minds were tuned to the plethora of musical performances that followed. The Luton Sai Centre began the first Bhajan session followed by the Foster Hill Sai Centre, from Bedford.
The Mayor of Milton Keynes, Councillor Derek Eastman graced the occasion in the evening. He experienced the atmosphere and was very pleased with the efforts to promote Inter-Faith cohesion through this unique event.
Mr David Rennie and Louise from the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification enthralled the audience with their rich blend of contemporary music with vocals, guitars and flute accompaniment, parts of which were original compositions. Next, the Kiln Farm Gurudwara and St. Augustine’s Catholic Church brought in a multi-faith flavour to the event. The Milton Keynes Sai Mix (comprising the Sai Spiritual Education (SSE) children and our youth members) carried the musical baton across midnight into the early hours of the morning with a unique assortment of multi-faith choral tunes.
The silent breeze of the early morning was filled with Ram Bhajans by the ladies and electrified by Balu Bhai’s powerful Bhajans leading us to dawn.
Omkar Suprabhatham and Vedam chanting were the perfect beginning for the events that unfolded on the second day. An early morning Bhajan session by the Milton Keynes Sai Centre was followed by Buddhist prayers and chanting from the Hare Rama Hare Krishna Group. The younger generation then took the stage – the Bal Ambika Group ignited the event with their rhythmic tunes and their flying cymbals. The SSE children from Milton Keynes and Luton presented a beautiful bouquet of Bhajans for Swami. Two new groups performed in the afternoon session – Mr Divecha from the Jai Sitaram Seva Charity, and The Sanatan Mandir of Luton. The MK Synagogue, the Bhakti Sugandh Jain Group, the Baha’i group and the Free Peace Band led us to the final exhilarating session by The Milton Keynes Sai Centre. The final medley lit up the evening. When the Aarthi concluded the proceedings, everyone present was lifted to a new level of bliss as Swami’s blessings showered peace on the gathering.