The Sathya Sai Sports and Family Day 2016 can undoubtedly be acclaimed as one of the most memorable outdoor events in the history of the Trinidad and Tobago Sai Calendar.
The theme for the day “Life is a Game, Play it… with Love”, stirred much anticipation from the onset.
Amidst a period of extreme weather conditions, this day stood out as being cool and windy, yet it was a bright, sunny day.
Over 900 persons journeyed from all parts of the islands to the Eco-Park in St. Helena from as early as 8 o’clock on the morning of Sunday June 5th, 2016.
A well-received breakfast in the form of “doubles”, one of our local, original dishes was provided for all.
The activities, while geared towards creating a fun-filled day for the kids, had both the adults and children fully entertained.
To begin the day’s events, Swami was symbolically, but dramatically ushered in by a Motorbike Parade, followed by Prayers recited by the National Balvikas children.
Then the National Anthem was played on Steel Pan as the National Flag and Prashanti Flag were both hoisted.
The day’s sporting events started off with March Past by the Sai ECCE students, followed by Marching of the different regions.
The March Past presentation by all regions can be best described as “mind-blowing”, and exceeded any national and international marching standards.
The representation of the four regions for the March Past and events were embedded in Sai Values as follows:
Central Region – RED: Love, Family and Friendship
through activities that create and strengthen valuable ties
North Region – ORANGE /YELLOW: Warmth and Unity
through opportunities that encourage teamwork among the four regions
South Region – OCEAN BLUE: Waves of Peace and Purity
through activities that encourage cooperation and full participation
South-East Region – GREEN: Environment and Growth
through deeper awareness of environmental concerns and opportunities to recycle
The races provided a variety of athletic events and brought out the spirit of competitiveness in the kids of the different age groups.
The family activities after lunch were truly fun-filled.
Joy and Excitement flowed as families cheered the kids on the rock climbing, bouncy castle, ring toss, dunk tank, mechanical bull, horse-back riding and much more.
And when it seems like there was enough, then came the reptile exhibition of endangered species. Snakes, Caimans, Birds and Turtles were amongst the display of animals.
Persons were allowed to touch, hold and even cuddle the animals!
It was a thrilling experience for many, as they learnt more about the value of protecting these endangered species.
The variety of refreshments and snacks available to all put the “icing on the cake”.
The well-coordinated execution of such a complex event by persons volunteering their time and resources selflessly could have only been the result of excellent planning and divine blessings.
This event, would as a minimum have achieved the objective of bringing families together.
For the Sathya Sai International Organization of Trinidad and Tobago, the goal was accomplished: Life is a Game, and we are playing it….with Love.
