Instituted by Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba in the early 1970s, the Summer Course continues to serve as a unique platform for moulding young minds by harmoniously blending academic excellence with spiritual wisdom. This year’s three-day course is centred on the theme “Antar Jagarana – Inner Awakening: The Guiding Light in Life’s Journey.”
Welcoming the participants, Dr Srikanth Khanna, Registrar of the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, reminded students of Bhagawan’s profound declaration that education is the process of drawing out the divinity already present within. He emphasised that the five cardinal human values—Truth, Right Conduct, Peace, Love and Non-violence—cannot merely be taught through books but must blossom from within through sincere effort. Encouraging students to balance academic discipline with spiritual depth, he urged them to awaken their inner light, which alone can illuminate the world around them.
Setting the context for the course, Dr Srirangarajan, Controller of Examinations, explained the deeper significance of Antar Jagarana or inner awakening. Drawing an evocative analogy of a lamp, he described knowledge as the flame, humility as the oil, skills as the light, self-confidence as the wick, and the Summer Course itself as the spark that ignites the journey towards self-discovery.
Addressing the gathering, Mr RJ Rathnakar, Managing Trustee of the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust, fondly recalled his own student days in Bhagawan’s divine presence. Reflecting on the holistic educational environment envisioned by Bhagawan, he explained that a student’s life revolves around the three sacred classrooms represented by HIM—the Hostel, where one learns to live harmoniously with others; the Institute, where academic excellence is pursued; and the Mandir, where culture, devotion and spirituality are experienced in daily life. He encouraged students to embrace lifelong learning, affirming that through sustained sadhana and practice, nothing is beyond one’s reach.
The inaugural day’s keynote address by Mr Amol Anil Majumdar, Head Coach of the Indian Women’s Cricket Team, offered a contemporary perspective on the theme through his talk on Inner Awakening and Inner Resilience. Speaking about Samatva (equanimity) and Sthiratva (steadfastness of mind), he described resilience not as the absence of adversity but as the refusal to allow adversity to define one’s life. Quoting the Bhagavad Gita’s immortal teaching, “Karmanyevadhikaraste Ma Phaleshu Kadachana,” he reminded students that while effort is always within our control, the results are not. Comparing life to a game of cricket, he concluded that the true measure of success lies not in the runs scored but in the number of lives one has positively touched.
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