
Maharaji and Sai Maa loved to feed people together. Many times I saw these two great masters strolling the dining halls, shouting directions to staff to ensure everyone was fed fully. And so to honor Maharaji, Sai Maa invited all of Varanasi to be at the Sathya Sai Maa Moksha Dham on Maharaji’s birthday.
More than 1200 meals were served by Just One on this day. To cater for this many, the ground floor was set up as a waiting area. The first floor and part of the second floor were set up as dining halls. And the kitchen itself was created on the second floor. The cooks arrived the night before and began their preparations early. This was to be a full meal, and many were to be served.
The secret to a great bandhara is the taste of the food. The menu for today was spinach and paneer, vegetable curry, puris (fried bread), a sweet and spicy yoghurt, chutney and 2 gulab jamun, a favorite sweet delicacy in India. As I walked around the dining halls I asked some sadhus, pundits, and all the guests, "How does the food taste?" I received more positive responses and excellent reviews than I could have imagined.
It was a tremendous joy to be part of paying homage to one of Varanasi's great citizens in this way and feed 1200 people as part of this. Om Jai Jai Sai Maa!