As part of the 80^th Birthday celebrations of Baba, three independent programmes organised by the Sri Sathya Sai Organisation, India, were held on different days at Prasanthi Nilayam. The programme entitled “Festival of Joy” was held between 22^nd and 24^th of October 2005. 3,000 Bal Vikas students from all over India participated in this programme. Baba lit the lamp on 22^nd morning and inaugurated the programme. Sri V. Srinivasan, All India President, Sri Sathya Sai Organisation, gave the introductory speech. A few Bal Vikas students were given an opportunity to speak in the Divine Presence. Baba then blessed the students with His Message. More than 300 children from 18 states of India offered Baba a grand musical presentation in Sai Kulwant Hall that afternoon. The Bal Vikas students from Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Kerala, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh presented an educative programme about the tenets, rituals and customs of five major religions of the world. This presentation was made in Sai Kulwant Hall after Baba’s Darshan at 8.25 am, on 23^rd morning. The students of Sri Sathya Sai Primary School, Prasanthi Nilayam, presented a musical drama entitled “Sai Prema Dhara” in Sai Kulwant Hall that evening. Baba had photographs taken with the children. The Bal Vikas students from West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and Maharashtra offered Baba heritage sports and games of rural India on 24^th morning. The children from Tamil Nadu presented a dance drama depicting the life stories of “Sant Tulsidas” and “Sant Kanakadas” that evening.

Baba lit the lamps in Sai Kulwant Hall amidst Vedic chants and inaugurated the All India Conference of Bal Vikas Gurus at 8.00 am on 25^th morning. Smt. Sarla Shah, All India Educational Coordinator, and Sri Nimish Pandya, Member, Sri Sathya Sai Trust, Maharashtra, addressed the delegates. Baba then blessed the delegates with His Inaugural Address. Baba blessed the Plenary Sessions of the Conference held in the Poornachandra Auditorium with His Presence that same day. The Valedictory Session of the Conference was held in Sai Kulwant Hall on 26^th afternoon. Dr. Usha Nair, Bal Vikas Guru; Smt. Nimi Kanwar, All India Joint Educational Coordinator; Sri A. V. Gokak, Vice Chancellor, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning; and Smt. Jayasree Bajaj, addressed the delegates. Baba materialised a gold chain and a ring for Smt. Bajaj. The conference concluded with Baba’s Discourse.

Baba lit the lamps in Sai Kulwant Hall and inaugurated the First National Conference of former Bal Vikas students, at 9.25 am on 28^th morning. Sri V. Srinivasan gave the introductory speech. Baba blessed three speakers to address the delegates. The programme that afternoon began with Baba’s Darshan at 3.55 pm in Sai Kulwant Hall. Sri Nimish Pandya presented the recommendations of the Conference. Baba blessed the delegates with His Message. The Conference concluded with Mangala Aarati.

An International Medical Conference was held at Prasanthi Nilayam, as part of the 80^th Birthday celebrations of Baba. This Conference was organised by Sri Sathya Sai Organisation of India and the International Medical Committee of Prasanthi Council jointly. The theme of the conference was “Sri Sathya Sai Health Care Mission – Sai Ideal Health Care”. More than 900 delegates from 27 countries participated in this Conference. This was the first Conference in the world that focused on the challenges and outcomes of delivering medical care with love, compassion and empathy to the suffering humanity.

Baba lit the lamps in the exhibition hall and inaugurated a medical exhibition at 8.10 am, on 3^rd September, at the Super Speciality Hospital. He went around the exhibition and closely watched the exhibits. Baba then returned to Sai Kulwant Hall and inaugurated the conference at 8.40 am, by lighting the lamps. The proceedings of the Conference commenced with the welcome address by Dr. Michael Goldstein, Chairman Prasanthi Council. After the speeches of two doctors, Baba blessed the delegates with His Inaugural Address.

The delegates were addressed by Dr. Michael Goldstein, Chairman, Prasanthi Council; Dr. A. N. Safaya, Director, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences (SSSIHMS); Dr. Allan Gradman, Chief, Division of Cardio-vascular Diseases, Western Pennsylvania Hospital, Pittsburg, U.S.A.; Dr. Narendranath Reddy, Chairman, International Medical Committee, Prasanthi Council; Dr. Kanwaljeet S. Anand, Professor, Paedeatrics, University of Arkansas, U.S.A.; Sri Kalyan Ray, Senior Director, United Nations; Dr. Kishore Udipi, Research Director, Medtronic Vascular, Santa Rosa, California; Dr. Neelam Desai, Head of the Department, Cardiothoracic Surgery, SSSIHMS, Prasanthi Gram; Dr. A. S. Hegde, Chairman, Department of Neurosciences, SSSIHMS, Whitefield; Dr. Ramachandiran Coopan, Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicines, Harvard Medical School, U.S.A.; Dr. Keki Mistry, Director, D. Y. Patil Dental College and Hospital, New Mumbai; Dr. Anil Nanda, Professor and Chairman, Department of Neurosurgery, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Centres, U.S.A.; Dr. Michael Rakoff, and Dr. Venkatraman Sadanand, Fellow Paediatric Neurosurgery, Chicago, U.S.A.

The theme and delivery of the Conference was reflected in excerpts from Baba’s Discourse which was given in the year 1976 during the month of August. The Valedictory Session of the Conference was held in Baba’s presence in Sai Kulwant Hall on 4^th in the afternoon. The delegates from all over the world resolved to practice the message of this Conference in their lives and in their work.

Baba inaugurated the International Seva Conference at Prasanthi Nilayam between 21^st to 23^rd. Baba lit the lamp at 7.00 am, on 21^st morning amidst Vedic chants. The inaugural session commenced with the welcome address by Sri V. Srinivasan, All India President of the Sai Organisation. Prior to Baba’s inaugural Discourse, Sri Kishin Khubchandani, Chairman, Zone 5 of the overseas Sai Organisation addressed the delegates. The Institute students presented a programme based on the teachings of Baba about the concept of Seva and its significance. The team consisted of Sri Rangarajan, Sri Deepak Anand, Sri Amit Ahuja and Sri Srikrishna, all from the Prasanthi Nilayam Campus of the Institute. Dr. M. Sainath, Lecturer of the Institute gave a summary of the deliberations. The devotees from Brazil presented in Poornachandra Auditorium, a musical programme that evening. Songs on the theme of human values were sung by the group. Baba appreciated their programme and went on stage to bless them. On 22^nd afternoon, Sri Indulal Shah, Chairman, World Council, addressed the delegates and observed that the Sai Organisation stands out in the field of social service, because the source of inspiration for the organisation was Baba, the Avatar of the Age. Baba then delivered a special Address to the delegates. The Bal Vikas students from Himachal Pradesh presented in the Poornachandra Auditorium, a dance programme entitled “Jit Deko: Ut Sai,” (seeing the universe as the manifestation of Sai), that evening. Baba went on stage and blessed the dancers.

The Valedictory Session of the Conference was held in Sai Kulwant Hall on 23^rd afternoon. The proceedings commenced with Baba’s Darshan amidst Vedic chants at 2.20 pm. Sri Indulal Shah addressed the delegates followed by a brief speech of Sri C. Srinivasan, Member, Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust. Baba then delivered His Valedictory Address. The Bal Vikas students from the Sultanate of Oman presented in Poornachandra Auditorium a ballet, depicting the message of Baba to humanity that evening. The ballet was a combination of dance, drama and shadow effects. He went on the stage and posed for photographs with them.