Shirdi Sai Devotee Solai Kannan from Qatar says: I am 54 years old and living in Middle East for about 28 years. I was spiritual but never into any religious activities or devoted to any God or saints. I have read many scriptures as well read about many great saints but never felt connected with any God or saints, until our Sai Baba entered into our life. My sincere thanks to the devotees who are maintaining this site for about 10 years, it gives the opportunity to know more in depth about the leelas of our Sai Baba. My apologies that this post is going to be lengthy as I wanted to open my heart and also to be detailed.

As I mentioned in the introduction though I was spiritual, I was indifferent towards Gods and saints. I was not getting connected. I used to go to temples along with family members to accompany them. But, I was never into prayers or asking wishes from any God. In this year (2018), as my children are away from us due to job and studies, I and my wife had plenty of free time. So, I started to refresh my painting hobby. My wife, though she never painted or drew anything in the past, she had interest. So, to kill the time she also started to paint. She started with painting Gods. I was helping her in final touches. After painting Shri Ragavendra Swamy and Lord Ayyappan, somehow she wanted to paint our Sai Baba. Though she was into many Gods and saints she was not deep into Sai Baba at that time. Until now she also doesn't know why she wanted to paint Sai Baba. But, I told her it doesn't matter if we draw the Gods or saints who lived long ago and whose photos are not available. Because no one knows their exact face so whatever we paint will be fine, but Sai Baba lived recently and we have His photo so if we couldn't make it exactly like His original face, we cannot either discard the painting or we cannot keep the painting. She agreed.

Then, one fine day when I returned from work, she said something forced her to paint so she already started the painting work. Since, it has already been started, I encouraged her to go ahead and the face didn't come well, but I did some touch up to make it better. (I didn't mean I did a better job than her, but I wanted to mention that I was made to get part of its making). We got that framed and hanged It in some place in our house. But after hanging we noticed the painting had taken a place in our house wherein we could look at the photo almost from anywhere in the house. I am still not into our Sai Baba, I just felt the painting came well.

In February 2018, my wife left to India for my mom's eye surgery. I was alone and I was suffering from prostate issues and it was hell of a pain to pass urine. One time I literally had to pass with unbearable pain and I came out of the bathroom and when I lift my head the Sai Baba painting was smiling at me. I felt some jolt in me. Then next time when I was about to pass the urine, my eyes went to the painting and I entered bathroom and the fear of the pain was too much and the pain also was more than unbearable, at that time I told myself, Sai Baba, if this pain disappears I will discard all my reasoning and logical thoughts and will accept You and will be devoted to You. Then onwards the pain started to reduce within a day and within a week’s time the pain disappeared completely. Until now, there are no such major issues except some discomforts then and there. So, that made me to get connected with our Sai Baba. But, still I was not getting deep into Him but kind of just looking at the painting and thanking Him then and there.

My wife returned in the first week of March and she did her laser procedure, which was hurting her a lot, so she was not able to paint or even look at anything. There were some post-operative care and follow up, which she couldn't do as she returned. So, it was causing some problem and she was not even able to open her eyes for about a month or so. I was pushing her to paint something to divert her depressed feeling due to eye issues. But, she said with her eye condition it was impossible for her even to look at. Again on one fine day when I returned from work she started painting Baba. (There is another branch miracle story for this day, which I will narrate later). This time it was just the face alone. It didn't come well as it was the close up painting, I reworked on it. But, this time when I was painting the feeling was different, I was painting with such an immense connection, though it was not with devotion, I was enjoying painting and it came well. But, during this process of painting, I was mostly into Sai Baba.

I wanted to stress that somehow for both the paintings I was drawn into having involved by the grace of Sai Baba. I started to read about Him and His life, at the same time, I started to watch the Mere Sai serial, and the more I know about Him the more I started to get into Him. Though I read about many saints I was not feeling the completeness with anyone and I felt somehow they were compromising or limited. Whereas I felt that our Sai was compassionate and uncompromising anything when it comes to serving people and helping and at the same time teaching the scriptures in a layman's way. Slowly I was into Sai Baba in all aspects. Then immediately I wanted to go to Shirdi and as my annual vacation was planned in August I wanted to go. But, my wife had some other important things to do with our children in Europe. She was right in many aspects. So, we all tried to make arrangements. But, somehow our every move towards going to Europe got into some mess up and things didn't materialise as we planned. So, we decided that Sai was inviting us to Shirdi so let us forget about Europe and go to Shirdi. We planned to take along with us my parents and her parents who are all between 76 and 85. My friends and relatives told it was risky to take them for such a long trip. But, we were determined to take them. There was one problem bothering us that was the food. Other than the home made food the old people would get into trouble if they ate outside or the restaurant food. If it was one meal, they could adjust but we planned to stay 3 nights 4 days in Shirdi. We thought of taking with us induction stove or rice cookers etc., but the practicality was not working well. Before proceeding further, I would like to stress that through the paintings, not only Sai Baba entered our house but He has entered our hearts and He sits there and blessing us with His compassion all throughout like Mega-mother, Mega-Father, Mega-Guru. I feel His hands on my shoulder and teaching me so many good things to do. It is a new connection, a new feeling for me. Normally, people go to Gods or Saints, but we are highly fortunate that Sai Baba blessed us by entering into our life. We should realise that it is with just snap of a finger that He made me turn around from Indifferent to devotion.

The day before when we were about to leave to Shirdi, my niece phoned me and told that there was one group of people from their place in Shirdi doing service to the Sai Devotees by cooking home food and giving as free prasad. It was from nowhere that this information came and we had food in that place all through our stay and the old people didn't have any discomfort. So, our Sai removed our one and only worry related to this pilgrimage trip. Can’t describe the feelings I had when I was in Shirdi and also the darshan. It is a memorable feeling. As I am just new to Sai Baba and Shirdi and I never interacted with anyone about Sai Baba or Shirdi, I went from Doha to Shirdi through our place. So, I did not know the procedures for Aarti booking through online. I wanted to go for the Kakad (Morning) Aarti and I was inquiring about it and the procedures they were telling me that I had to be in the temple from 11 pm or 12 midnight etc. So, for the first two days I was inquiring and later I found out that we could get through VIP counter. But, the only day left out for us was the next day and fortunately that was a Thursday. So, I wanted to go to that aarti. But, since it was a Thursday, everyone was telling it was highly unlikely all the availability would have been booked in advance. In any case we went to the VIP counter, as expected they informed the availability was overly booked and they could not provide. I was begging the counter staff, he was checking with his officer, who said it was not possible. I stayed in the counter and repeatedly asked and the counter staff again requested the officer and the officer was firm. The queue was moving and I was standing beside with the prayer and hope that Baba would do something and that miracle would make me to get into Baba with more intensity. The queue in the counter was over and I again approached the counter staff and now he issued the tickets without saying anything. I was shocked with a pleasant feeling. And we went to the Aarti and it was an unbelievable experience. I mentioned about another story on the day my wife started her second Baba’s painting. On that day we went to my health check as I was having weight gain and feeling lazy all the time and had severe migraine headaches. The test results were showing high glucose, high cholesterol, high blood pressure. It was shocking as about 8 months ago everything was normal. So, started medications and it was not helping and I was worrying what to do. Then some diet procedures were shown by Baba to my eyes, and I followed and I took my test the day before our pilgrimage and when we were travelling I got the test results through email, surprisingly everything was perfectly normal. Thanks for reading, as all devotees feel; we also experience the compassion and love of Sai Baba during our everyday life. After Baba entering our life I feel complete in life.

Source: As narrated by a Baba devotee Solai Kannan from Quatar - Shridisaiexperience