76 Years of Indian Independence Celebrated At SSSIHL

Azadi Ki Amrit Mahotsav

15 August 2023 marks the 77th Independence Day of free India. It also marked the celebration of 76 glorious years of freedom. Reminiscing the struggle and sacrifices made by Mother India’s brave and noble children, the students and staff of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning celebrated this momentous day with great pride in our hearts, across all four campuses. Here is a detailed report on the celebrations including the activities conducted by the students to commemorate all AKAM campaigns like Partition Horrors Remembrance Day, Meri Maati Mera Desh, and Har Ghar Tiranga.

The students and staff of the Prasanthi Nilayam campus assembled at the Institute to celebrate the 77^th Independence Day. At 8 a.m., the Director of the Campus Dr. R Raghunatha Sarma hoisted the national flag. The staff and students with great pride and joy saluted the flag, which was followed by the National Anthem. The Director then spoke on why the day was essential to remember the sacrifice, to review the readiness, to assess the progress, and to commit ourselves to building a strong nation. Remembering the great martyrs and their sacrifices, he said that the 13,500 martyrs recorded in the 5 volumes of the Dictionary of Martyrs are just a fraction of the men who sacrificed their lives for the country.

He reminded those assembled that freedom is at the cost of continuous vigilance and readiness and urged that we stay vigilant for seemingly non-violent wars in today’s modern world, like cyber-attacks, disinformation, and economic coercion, waged silently that have enormous ramifications on the country’s security and economy. He spoke on the immense progress made by our country on the path to becoming a fully developed nation soon.

Explaining the true meaning of the word ‘Swantantra’, he spoke about how Bhagawan during his interactions with students warned on how lack of unity could undo all the sacrifices and lead to us being enslaved again. He quoted Swami saying “Purity leads to true unity, and Unity leads to divinity”.

His speech was followed by a melodious patriotic song presented by the Music College students, that filled the air with nationalistic fervor and pride.

The Quest for True Freedom – A Short Play on the Life of Shri Aurobindo Ghosh

On the occasion of the 77^th Independence Day, the postgraduate students presented a play entitled “The Quest for True Freedom” in the Sai Kulwant Hall, Prasanthi Nilayam.

In commemoration of 150 years of the birth of Shri Aurobindo Ghosh, the students chose to showcase the life of the mystic patriot, whose actions were a perfect integration of patriotism and spirituality. The play sought to delve into the true meaning of true freedom, brought out through instances from the life of Shri Aurobindo Ghosh. Apart from the fact that He was born on the 15^th of August, the life of this true patriot saint, is an excellent example for people to emulate, especially at this time when divisions based on caste, creed, and religion are rampant.

The play was a clarion call for all of us to be united and together, harness the education we receive to serve the nation. More importantly, the youth of the country must inculcate spiritual discipline in their lives, which when coupled with patriotism, puts us on the path to true freedom. The play ended with a ‘one-India’ theme song summing up India’s all-round progress, followed by the National Anthem.

The staff and students of the Muddenahalli Campus were honoured to have Colonel T. V. Gopala Krishnan (Ret.) as the Chief Guest to celebrate the 77th Independence Day celebrations at the Muddenahalli campus. Escorted to the centre stage with a slow march by the senior students, Colonel T. V. Gopala Krishnan (Ret.) hoisted the national flag which was followed by the singing of the National Anthem by all present. Addressing the students and faculty, he emphasised the importance of remembering the sacrifices made by our brave freedom fighters and our Jawans. Then students sang patriotic songs describing the glory of India followed by planting saplings on the campus.

The celebrations at the Brindavan campus had our revered Chief Guest Group Captain Kashinath Damodar Bhat hoist the national flag. After the Salute, the National Anthem was played by the campus brass band. Later, the Director of the campus, Prof N Sivakumar, welcomed and greeted the audience on the 77^th Independence Day of the nation. This was followed by a speech by Sri Sai Shivam Shah of III B.Com. (H) in Hindi. The speech by the chief guest followed, in which he exhorted the students to always adhere to 100% quality, use technology effectively and serve the country with sincerity.

Kartavya – Writing for Freedom – A Short Play

The second event of the evening was a drama presentation by the III-year students entitled, “Kartavya – Writing for Freedom”. The drama revolved around an imaginary freedom fighter named Mahendra who inspired the country through his writings and defending freedom fighters in court cases.

The students and staff of the Anantapur women’s campus assembled at the grounds to celebrate the 77^th Independence Day. At 8 a.m., the Director of the Campus Prof. (Mrs.) M Praphulla hoisted the national flag. The staff and students with great pride and joy saluted the flag, which was followed by the National Anthem and the Pledge. A marchpast by all the students represented by their houses – Sathya, Dharma, Shanti, and Prema was then led by their house commander. The march past was followed by speeches in English, Hindi, Telugu, and Sanskrit languages, over the theme Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. The cultural programs included songs, poems, and dance performances, based on patriotism.

On this occasion, we fondly remember the words of our founder Chancellor Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, who said “It is the patriotism and spirit of sacrifice enshrined in the hearts of the people and their spiritual outlook that will protect the nation”.

Meri Maati Mera Desh – Maati Ko Naman, Veeron Ka Vandan

As part of the Meri Maati Mera Desh campaign, all the students and staff across our campuses took the pledge to serve the nation and contribute positively to society. The students held a fistful of soil as they took the Panch Pran Pledge. At the Anantapur Women’s campus, a plantation programme was organised under the theme “Meri Maati Mera Desh”. 99 saplings of different types of fruits and shade-giving trees donated by Mr. A.G. Anil Kumar, Founder of, the Green Army organization, Anantapur, were planted by faculty, students, and non-teaching staff at various locations within the campus. The students were very thrilled to know that they would be the caretakers of the sapling they planted for their entire duration of stay at the campus. As a part of the ‘Veeron Ka Vandan’ activity, students dressed as various unsung heroes took centre stage sharing their contributions to the freedom struggle.

Har Ghar Tiranga

The Har Ghar Tiranga program was celebrated with patriotic fervor by the students at Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning. The students gathered together on the eve of Independence Day and sang patriotic songs while holding the National flag. The hostels were adorned with multiple Tirangas and each person had a small tiny flag replica with them. Students and staff were encouraged to come and take photographs both in groups and individually. Various patriotic songs were played at the Hostel campuses.

Partition Horrors Remembrance Day

The students and staff of the Sri Sathya Sai Institution of Higher Learning observed 14 August 2023 as Partition Horrors Remembrance Day, across all its campuses, reflecting and recounting the sacrifices of our elders who were rudely displaced from their homes, and subject to violence on religious grounds.

Sri Prasad RLK, Assistant Professor, DMC spoke on the occasion giving the students a peek into the sequence of events that took place that led to the partition and the role of our leaders. He spoke about the trauma caused by the violence to men, women and children alike. Those who survived were devastated as they were displaced from their families staying in the current day Pakistan and had lost their loved ones to the violence. The students got a perspective into the impact it had on the lives of millions of people uprooted from their homes for no fault of their own, and the excruciating pain experienced by them seeing their families being torn apart, exposed to the violence of all kinds, surrounded only with hatred, fear, and barbarity of unimaginable proportions.

Selfishness, religious intolerance, lack of unity and brotherhood, and hearts devoid of love were to blame had led to one of the largest forced migrations the world has ever seen. The students were then shown the exhibits on the topic curated by ICHR & IGNCA. The session ended with the National Anthem. The activity helped sensitise them on various issues of society and life, reiterating how love, unity, and tolerance are the basis of peaceful co-existence. We are reminded of a powerful message our Master and Beloved Founder Chancellor Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba gave the world when He said:

“Where there is righteousness in the heart, there will be beauty in character

Where there is beauty in character, there will be harmony in the home

Where there is harmony in the home, there will be order in the nation

Where there is order in the nation, there will be peace in the world.”

—Jai Hind—

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