A tree is a tall plant that can live for a very long time. It has a single stem or trunk and branches that support leaves. Beneath the ground, a tree has a root system that acts as an anchor and stores the water and nutrients the plant needs to grow.

Before planting a tree in your garden, please contact your local garden centre for advice. Check if they are able to test a sample of your soil in order to advise on suitable types of tree.

Below are suggestions for trees that you can plant:

• Apple Tree
• Plum Tree
• Cherry Tree
• Pear Tree
• Winter Hardy Palm Tree
• Acer trees – Japanese maples and Canadian maples
• Flamingo Willow tree

On the occasion of Bhagawan’s 97th Birthday (in 2022), The Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust along with the Sri Sathya Sai Global Council launched, in the Divine presence of Bhagawan, a unique initiative called ‘Sri Sathya Sai Prematharu’ with the goal to plant 10 million trees worldwide as an offering to Bhagawan for His centenary birthday celebrations.

The Sri Sathya Organisation has taken the project by its roots, as it were, and is fully supportive of this programme as we believe that it is our individual and personal responsibility to do so.

There are opportunities to be involved individually, as a centre, or as a region. A number of regions have already been taking strides in initiating this project in their areas. We can plant trees that will benefit our planet either in our gardens, or by working with various organisations such as the Wildlife Trust, National Trust and local councils to name but a few.

By getting the Bal Vikas children involved, it will teach them about the importance of Mother Nature. They will be able to monitor their trees’ growth over the years and tell stories to their children about how they were involved in this wonderful project.

As we plant our trees individually, we need to keep a record as an organisation and keep track of the number of trees we have planted through the Sri Sathya Sai Prema Tharu website.

We need to make sure that we capture a picture of our tree and upload it to this international website – www.sssprematharu.org

We also need to keep track of how many trees we have planted in the UK. You can do this by passing details of any tree planting activities to your Centre/Group President or Centre/Group Service Coordinator who can log details with the Regional Service Coordinator.

Click the button below for signing up instructions for the Prema Tharu website – www.sssprematharu.org 

Things to consider:

• Please take responsibility for your own health and safety
• Conditions can sometimes be wet, slippery or frosty so ensure you wear appropriate footwear and clothing (wellington boots are suggested as footwear to navigate slippery surfaces)
• Be aware of what is going on nearby as other conservation activities may also be taking place
• You may also be working with volunteers from other organisations
• Children should always be accompanied by responsible adults
• When registering for the event, please ensure you have all the information to hand to help you plan ahead and make the most of the activity

This camp is an initiative to extend our service and compassion to those in need in the 3 different regions in Nepal where the camp will take place. The camp is scheduled to take place from 24th March and will run over a 9-day period, which will include travelling between locations. Volunteers and medical professionals will be invited to join hands in this noble effort to provide medical care, support, and comfort to the local communities. We encourage those with medical expertise and a passion for service to participate and offer their skills. The camp will offer medical consultations, treatments, and health education, ensuring that those in need receive compassionate care. 

Bhajans are one of the flagship activities of the organisation, setup and built by our beloved Bhagwan.

Swami says:

“People say that when you go Sai Baba, there is nothing but bhajans. Realize that there is nothing greater than bhajan. What bliss is there in bhajans! What a demonstration of oneness is it when myriad throats join in uttering the name of God! The vibrations emanating from them make the heart vibrant. If you sing alone in your shrine, the vibrations return to you as a reaction. But in community singing, what you have is not a reaction, but a wave of vibrations. They enter into the atmosphere and purify the polluted air. The atmosphere today is polluted by bad thoughts and feelings. When you sing the glory of God, the bad germs in the air are destroyed and the air gets purified by a treatment of antibiotics, as it were”.

Some guidelines to follow:

• Everybody should arrive and be seated a few minutes prior to start of the bhajan.
• No elaborate decorations are required. Please only have a simple altar for Swami.
• No elaborate prasadam is required. Vibhuti and fruit would be enough.• Men should sit on one side of the prayer hall and women on the other.
• Bhajans should be sung in two speeds: slow and fast. In the slow speed, sing each line twice and, in the fast speed only once except the last line which should be sung twice to signal the conclusion of the bhajan.
• Sing familiar bhajans so that most of the congregation can follow and give chorus.
• Overall bhajan session should be for 1 hour and include:
  • 3 AUMs
  • Bhajans (45 mins)
  • 3 AUMs after the last bhajan
  • 2 mins meditation
  • Asatoma
  • Om Tat Sat
  • Aarathi
  • Vibhuti Mantra (Paramam Pavithram)
• Musical instruments used during bhajans should not drown the voices of the singers and those who follow, thus maintaining a balance between the instruments and singing.
• PA system is not essential.
• People should return from bhajan carrying the elevated, uplifted, and sublime mood created by the atmosphere at the bhajan. Therefore, after the bhajan people should disperse quietly, maintaining silence. Then the joy and peace derived at the bhajan will linger and abide in the heart.

If you have any questions, please contact your centre or regional Spiritual Coordinator