Several of us Bhaktas of Sri Sri Babathakur have often thought of contributing articles for publication in Sri Sanai. Extreme inertia, lack of focused time and lack of experience in writing for an established magazine have been key factors in preventing us from expressing ourselves. Appropriateness of topics has also been a big question mark in our minds.
Early last year, Sri Sri Babathakur asked Sri Partha Guha to look into the formation of a North American Chapter of Saccidananda Society. Per Sri Sri Babathakur’s suggestions, Mr. Guha met face-to-face with several Bhaktas in North America. He also organized a meeting between the overseas Bhaktas and Sri Sri Babathakur on the occasion of Guru Purnima in Kolkata.
At that meeting, Sri Sri Babathakur asked his Bhaktas to begin the publication of a “hand-written” magazine – preferably monthly. He wanted us to use this informal media to express ourselves on various topics. He did not limit us to write on any particular range of topics. In fact He said – “Let them contribute whatever they like”.
While we received clear guidance on starting the publication, we simply did not know where to begin. Over the 2008 Christmas holidays, some of us got together for a Bhajan session at Mr. Soubhik Pataranabis’s house in southern Oregon. It was snowing outside and we were all enjoying the savory snacks that were being dished out by the ladies in the house. This got our creative juices flowing and we quickly nominated Sroddha Patranabis and Anjan Dasgupta to be the editors. We agreed that creating a “blog” would be the closest thing to a hand-written magazine (It's pertinent to point out that Sroddha is the founder of a blog named “Banglar Bodhu” on Orkut). We also agreed that the magazine would be published quarterly. Quick emails were sent out to Bhaktas informing them of our decisions. That was the easy part – what about the content ?
As we brainstormed further we were reminded of what Subirda had once told us about Sri Sri Babathakur – he said "Tini to amader Mata, Pita, Bondhu, Shokha" …(He is our Mother, Father, Friend etc.). We soon realized that all along, He has been advising us on almost every aspect of everyday life – our diets, cooking tips, gardening tips, bringing up children, fine arts, travel, prescribing homeopathic medicines… Each of us has received customized guidance on leading a successful daily life. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to put it all together in writing and share each other’s experience ? In this issue we begin with Sharmila Dasgupta sharing cooking tips received from Sri Sri Babathakur (as related to her by her mother-in-law) .
Saraswati Puja is the auspicious day on which our Master obtained His current body. It is also the day when we all pray to Ma Saraswati for wisdom – not just material wisdom but the power to understand and realize the Supreme Wisdom being imparted by our Master. Hence we also have chosen to begin the publication of our blog on Saraswati Puja with a prayer to Ma Saraswati to enable us to:
* Share our experiences in a frank and open manner
* Learn from each other’s life experiences
* Live a successful life based on the advice and teachings of our Master
* Leave a lasting legacy of His teachings for our children and future citizens of this society.
We sincerely hope that the readers of this blog will willingly contribute their articles in the quarters to come. Your suggestions and feedback with regards to the blog are most welcome, and we request that you send them to sanai.na.editors@gmail.com
