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Film producer Daggubati Suresh Babu spoke with Sadguru Sri Madhusudan Sai about the 'One World One Family' mission and its work in healthcare, education and nutrition at an An Evening Divine event in Hyderabad on Friday night, held to mark 50 years of the mission.
During the conversation, Suresh Babu, who described himself as coming from a business of storytelling, asked Sadguru to share the personal journey that led him to the mission. Sadguru recalled being 17 when he first saw the Sri Sathya Sai Hospital near Puttaparthi and learned a similar path of service. According to his account, he later studied at the institute for seven years, completing a BSc, MSc and MBA, before working at a bank in Bengaluru. He subsequently moved to Muddenahalli, near Bengaluru, where the initiative's journey continued. I think that was the first impression of what Baba and his mission were to me. And being a young, 17-year-old, spirited idealist, I was truly impressed, Sadguru said. The film producer also questioned whether the idea of bringing the world together was achievable amid geopolitical tensions, economic competition, technology wars and social polarisation. Is it really possible for us to try and bring this world together? Suresh Babu asked. Responding, Sadguru said that while the idea of 'One World, One Family' could appear impractical against the backdrop of conflicts, he had encountered people in several countries who supported the idea of peaceful coexistence. I have travelled to at least 50 countries, several times in the last 10 years, and I found there are so many good people out there, he said. They believe in a happy world where everybody can live together, love together, serve each other and look after each other. I think they are the majority. Unfortunately, they are not representing the countries, he added. Sadguru also spoke about the organisation's healthcare facilities and said the institutions were being developed to keep pace with changes in medicine. He mentioned areas including precision medicine, targeted therapies, genomics and longevity. During the on-stage conversation, Sadguru also spoke about social and family relationships, suggesting that people should spend more time together through activities such as sharing meals, singing and playing sports. Cuisine together, sing a song together, play a sport together, develop some social skills and slow down a little bit here and there. This is my advice to the Gen Z, he said. He further said families needed to adapt to changing patterns of communication, adding, We have to accept each other. Speaking to the media after the event, Sadguru outlined the three principal areas of the 'One World One Family' Mission, which are education, healthcare and nutrition. He said the organisation is headquartered at Muddenahalli near Bengaluru and has expanded its activities to around 100 countries. In Telangana, he said, the mission is running a Ragi Java nutrition programme for children in government schools in partnership with the state government. He put the number of beneficiaries at approximately 14-16 lakh children in one account and 16 lakh in his remarks to ANI. He also spoke about a residential school for girls at Kondapaka in Siddipet, Telangana, offering education from Class 6 to Class 12. According to Sadguru, more than 1,000 girls have benefited from the institution, with around 70 per cent coming from poor rural families. At the same location, he said, the Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Heart Hospital provides free cardiac treatment to children. He cited more than 500 surgeries at the facility in his conversation with ANI. Sadguru also described a model under which medical, nursing and allied health sciences students receive education free of charge, with an expectation that they subsequently serve in villages. "During COVID, we saw that many people living in rural areas could not receive proper medical treatment because there were no doctors, nurses or paramedical services available there. As a result, many people lost their lives.When we looked at the reasons, we found that doctors often do not want to work in rural hospitals. One reason is that they have paid very high fees for their education, and after graduating they need to earn money and repay their loans.Therefore, unless they are employed by the government, many are not willing to go and work in rural areas. To address this, we started free medical colleges, free nursing colleges and free Allied Health Sciences, or paramedical, colleges. We now offer 50 MBBS seats, 50 postgraduate seats, 60 nursing seats and 60 Allied Health Sciences seats completely free of charge," he said, while speaking to ANI. He added, "All they need to do is qualify through NEET. They essentially need just one set of clothes- that is enough. After that, they receive their entire education free of charge. We have only one expectation: after completing their education, they should go to a village and serve there. So our programme works on the principle that if they study for five years, they should serve for five years." Speaking to ANI after the event, Suresh Babu praised the work being carried out by the foundation. I've heard about these people and the really praiseworthy work they're doing. It's something that we should see that more and more people get into music and we're able to create more symphonies like this. Fabulous work done by the foundation. Really hats off to the outstanding work that they've done, he said. The Hyderabad event brought together the spiritual organisation's account of its five-decade journey with a discussion on service, social responsibility and the concept of 'One World, One Family'. (ANI)
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