An Evening Divine in Bengaluru: A Conversation on One World, One Family
Bengaluru witnessed an inspiring evening of music, meaningful dialogue and a powerful vision for humanity at An Evening Divine, where Sadguru Sri Madhusudan Sai and Grammy Award-winning musician and environmentalist Ricky Kej came together for a special fireside conversation on the vision of the One World One Family Mission at Palace Grounds, Bengaluru.
The evening was emceed by Sai Prasad Ivaturi, Trustee & CFO, Sri Sathya Sai Annapoorna Trust, who guided the audience through the evening’s conversations and proceedings.
The evening brought together leaders, public representatives, social contributors, students and well-wishers to reflect on a simple yet profound idea rooted in India’s ancient wisdom — Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam: the world is one family.
Beyond Borders: One World, One Family
Opening the conversation, Ricky Kej reflected on the breadth of Sadguru Sri Madhusudan Sai’s work across education, healthcare and nutrition, describing an ecosystem centred on caring for human beings throughout their lives.
Responding to what One World, One Family means to Him, Sadguru explained that the idea is deeply rooted in India’s civilisational ethos. It is not about limiting family to those connected by blood, nationality or geography, but recognising every human being — and indeed all of creation — as part of one larger family.
He emphasised that India has historically welcomed and assimilated different cultures, traditions, religions and philosophies. In a world increasingly divided by an “us versus them” mindset, the message of oneness is more relevant than ever.
From Sympathy to Compassion
The conversation explored the deeper meaning of compassion.
Ricky Kej articulated three stages of responding to human suffering — sympathy, empathy and compassion. While sympathy is feeling for someone and empathy is experiencing their suffering as our own, compassion takes the crucial next step: doing something to address the problem.
Sadguru described this as “actionable compassion” — compassion in action, which has become a defining principle of the Mission. He explained that compassion must not remain only in the heart; it must translate into action.
For this culture of service to become institutional, he said, it must begin with leadership and permeate every level of an organisation. He shared three guiding principles inspired by Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba: be selfless, be fearless, and be “shameless” when it comes to compassion — without worrying about what others may think.
Stories That Bring the Vision to Life
The evening became especially moving through the stories of young students whose lives reflect the true meaning of a world without borders.
Shreesha Rokaya, a student from Nepal at Sri Sathya Sai Loka Seva Gurukulam, shared her dream of becoming a doctor and returning to her village to serve her community. Having experienced the loss of her mother at a young age due to lack of access to medical care, her aspiration is deeply personal.
Sadguru shared how Shreesha represents hundreds of young students who have found opportunities through the Mission, regardless of where they come from. He described her journey from Nepal to India as an example of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam in action — where nationality does not become a barrier to education and opportunity.
He also recalled an encounter in Enugu, Nigeria, where two young students, Precious and Christopher, approached His car at night after hearing about the free medical education available in India. They eventually travelled to India, completed the additional academic preparation required, cleared NEET and joined the medical programme. Their journeys exemplify how education can create bridges between nations and enable young people to return and serve their own communities.
Education, Healthcare and Nutrition as Human Rights
The conversation highlighted a fundamental belief underlying the Mission: nutrition, education and healthcare are fundamental human rights and society has a responsibility to make them accessible to those who need them.
Speaking about the Morning Nutrition Programme, Sadguru traced its beginnings to a simple question: if an adult finds it difficult to study or work while hungry, how can a child be expected to learn on an empty stomach?
What began with just 50 children near Bengaluru has grown into a large-scale programme reaching millions of schoolchildren. The initiative combines nutrition with education, while also creating a positive impact on attendance, health and learning.
The wider humanitarian work has similarly evolved through identifying needs and responding to them — from paediatric healthcare and medical education to initiatives in Nigeria, Fiji, Sri Lanka and the USA. The approach is simple: wherever there is a genuine need and an opportunity to serve, the Mission seeks to respond.
A Symphony of Unity
One of the evening’s most memorable reflections came through music.
Speaking about the Sai Symphony Orchestra, Ricky Kej drew a beautiful parallel between a symphony orchestra and India.
An orchestra brings together different instruments — each with its own character, sound and identity. A violin does not have to become a tuba, nor a harp a timpani. Each remains uniquely itself, yet all come together to create harmony.
Similarly, India’s strength lies not in uniformity but in its ability to bring together diverse languages, cultures, religions and traditions as one harmonious whole.
Ricky Kej described the Sai Symphony Orchestra as a unique homegrown ensemble and expressed his hope of collaborating with the young musicians in the future.
The evening concluded with a stirring orchestral performance by the students of Sri Sathya Sai Loka Seva Gurukulam, turning the message of unity into music.
A Journey of One Step at a Time
During the audience interaction, Sadguru was asked whether He could see the end of the journey undertaken through the Mission.
His response reflected the spirit with which the work continues: one step at a time — doing what is needed today and taking the next step tomorrow.
The aspiration, however, remains clear: a world where no child is hungry, no child is out of school and no person is denied access to healthcare.
The gathering was also graced by K. H. Muniyappa – Minister of Social Welfare of Karnataka, T. B. Jayachandra – Pro-term speaker of Karnataka Legislative Assembly, Chalavadi Narayanaswamy – Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Council, Dr. C. N. Ashwath Narayan – MLA, Malleshwara, Former DyCM, Govt of Karnataka, B. L. Shankar – Member, All India Congress Committee, B. A. Srinivasa Gupta — Managing Director and Chief Promoter, Bhagyalakshmi Group and B. N. Narasimha Murthy – Chief Mentor of Sri Sathya Sai Loka Seva Gurukulam, along with leaders, well-wishers and members of the community.
An Evening Divine was more than an evening of conversation and music. It was an invitation to move from feeling to action, from compassion to service, and from seeing the world as divided into “us” and “them” to recognising the timeless truth:
One World – One Family – One shared responsibility.
