Om Sairam! With HIS Grace, I will try to explain how I am evolving into Babaful-ness. My father was a staunch Sainath Bhakta. My mother tells me that as soon as I was born she put me in Baba’s jholi and requested Baba to take care of HIS child.

I grew up seeing Baba’s photo in our Pooja room.  Our entire family is very devoted to both Shirdi and Sathya Sai Baba.  When I was in 7th grade I was in my aunt’s house in our village and I had misplaced my slippers.  We were supposed to leave next day to a wedding.

I was a believer of Shirdi Sai Baba but not like many others. I never gave it a moment to say that I would be going to Shirdi. But three times my friends just made the booking and said that we are going to Shirdi tomorrow or the day after. 

Shirdi Baba was introduced to me by my dear mother when I was around 12 years old.  My mother was seeking a different place of worship other than temples, and her Christian aunt told her about the Sai baba temple in Chennai (Madras in those days).

By Sai’s Grace, I am attempting to write about how Sai Maa came into my life...My parents were devotees of Shri Sathya Sai Baba and would always go for his darshan. Our neighbors would invite us for Ganesh Puja and my family would offer flowers and kumkum to Ganapati Bappa but would not offer anything to Sai. This continued for a long time. We visited Shirdi one summer when I was about 10 years old. For the duration of our stay there, we attended all four Aratis.

Shirdi Saibaba is my first ever understanding of anything that is close to God. When I was a little girl growing up in Africa we had our nightly ritual at home. My mother, my father and I would stand together - me in front, my mother behind me and my dad behind both of us - and say our prayers before that same,  lightly faded color photo of Baba with his leg crossed over.

As a child, I lived in "Ukai", a small town in Gujarat. I used to see Sai Baba's photo hanging in our house. I was really young and did not know anything about Baba. But whenever I looked into His eyes, they seemed to follow me.

As I enter the Milpitas temple, my heart starts to quicken because I feel the strength of His presence drawing me in. The same question fills my mind each time I visit - how will Baba look at me today? What a strange question you may ask. 

I marvel at reading personal accounts of people who speak of always having had Faith in their lives. No, I do not judge them; but I am amazed, even envious of them in some way. My own personal journey through the land of Faith, has been a bumpy one.

When my parents were looking for a groom for me I went to Baba’s temple and asked Him, “Please tell me if he is the right man for me”. Shortly afterwards, I visited a Devi temple and a flower dropped from the devi’s idol when I was standing before it.

I am eternally grateful to my Guru Shirdi Sai Baba for showering His compassion on me. Thanking Him or doing Seva to Him for a lifetime would not do enough to express my gratitude to Baba. I would like to offer my prayers to you, Shirdi Saibaba.

I was visiting Shirdi for the first time with my friends. I was so eager for Darshan, I was ready to go alone at 1.30 a.m. in the morning! I was fine with going without my friends! It was of paramount importance to me to get the morning darshan.

My mom passed away when I was very young. My aunt and family members started the search for a suitable match for my older sister, because they had to get her married within the first year of our mother’s death.

As a child I used to visit a friend’s house. They had Satya Sai Baba’s picture in their home. There were buckets of Vibhuthi emerging from that picture and people used to visit in order to collect it. We used to go there sometimes and pray.

My father was not a regular temple goer. His passion was to help the less fortunate. That was his religion. On the other hand, my mother went to the temple almost everyday and used to read the Ramayan.

My father's grandfather was a devotee of Shirdi Baba and kept a picture of Baba in his room. On that wall, there were pictures of various deities.  I used to visit that house often. When I was 7 or 8 years old, I saw Baba’s picture and felt like He was talking to me. All those deities, and I connected with this one in particular!

Sai Baba is Magical both in Name and Form. He attracts everyone and helps them walk along the path of self-realization. I feel blessed that I am attracted to Baba in this lifetime. I am not exactly sure when I was first attracted to Baba, but I have been a devotee from childhood.

After my wife's death, in Aug 2006 when I came to the USA, the immigration agent refused to let me enter. When I asked what my fault was, they didn't give me any answer. My passport got stamped as canceled.

I first met Baba through a friend. I was 36 years old. I would then try to visit the Sai Mandir close to home every Thursday. I felt at peace with myself after the visit. Gradually I began to sense how much stronger I had become. Slowly my husband also became a devotee of Sai baba because he also felt the same way.

Jai Sai Ram! My first darshan of Baba was in the late 1960s,  at a neighbor’s house in Ludhiana, when I saw His portrait. I did not think much of it at that time. I moved to the S. F Bay area  in 1976 and since there were no temples, people used to gather for Poojas in each others’ homes.