It is therefore no surprise that Sai Sure was conceived there.
In a country like India, where approximately 250,000 children are born each year with congenital heart diseases- diseases often linked to inadequate or improper nutrition of the mother during pregnancy—such a condition cannot simply be treated; it must be confronted at its root.
And so a nutritional supplement was designed and produced, adapted to the different needs of pregnant women, infants, toddlers, children up to sixteen, and adults. Its value is so high that a single glass of milk enriched with Sai Sure covers half of the daily nutritional requirements for each age group.
In this way, the programme addresses what is known as “hidden hunger”—a hunger that is not solved merely by eating, but by receiving the essential nutrients required to keep the system strong and healthy. Great care was taken to ensure the supplement had a pleasant taste, and for those with lactose intolerance, an alternative was provided in the form of a cereal bar.
We visited the facilities where the raw ingredients are collected and where the supplement is produced. The cleanliness, the discipline and the skill were exemplary, beyond what one would expect even from many modern businesses.
Yet what moved us most were the people.
Their competence, diligence, and devotion could rival that of a seasoned entrepreneur.They left a deep impression on us. Though they were simply members of the programme’s staff, they carried themselves as though the entire project belonged to them—as though they personally carried its responsibility. A rare fusion of competence, humility, and unwavering devotion.
SaiSure is a ragi-based supplement. Ragi is a variety of millet—a true superfood, rich in nutrients and of remarkable nutritional value.
We heard a wonderful story from a gentleman who oversees the farmers of Tumkur, the very people who supply the ragi used for SaiSure. He travelled all the way from Tumkur to Sai Grama simply to share his joy over something extraordinary that had happened.
Tumkur is a dry, semi-arid region. Yet its ragi farmers consider themselves blessed and deeply proud—not only because they serve such a noble purpose, but also because they feel genuinely respected and properly valued by the Annapoorna Trust.
So, this man came to tell us in a tearful speech he gave in the Auditorium, that after many long years, the rains came in abundance in Tumkur—almost as if only Tumkur had been chosen—while the neighbouring regions remained dry.
It felt as though a cloud of grace had opened above them only. So strange...
Our new friends took us with them to the schools. We served the children. The kids told us the Story.. We laughed together. We tasted that milk...
And then our eyes got filled with tears, and our hearts grew sweet in joy. Peaceful, simple joy.
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Week 3
Tunisia, Mongolia, Palestine, Syria
“The borders between countries are a human invention, not Nature’s.”
That was the central message that remained with us from the third week of the Festival.
A week of deep emotion, shaped by the presence of people who seemed to have come out of hell itself—simply taking a breath of air, for a while, in a place of beauty; a place that felt like the garden of God, for a moment.
They reminded us of something essential: life looks different to those who hear bombs falling nearby. To those who do not know whether they will still be alive in an hour, or whether the ones they love most will survive the night.
We were deeply moved by the gratitude expressed by two long-suffering lands—Palestine and Syria—toward individuals and countries who dare to disregard those borders to act as brothers and sisters. People who choose to stand beside them in their hardest hour, sincerely and through real, compassionate action.People who rise above fear and go where their presence is needed. Who help practically where is needed, when is needed, instead of remaining safely sheltered behind slogans—voiced in all kinds of verbose, barren protests and demonstrations, in all kinds of coffe shops and gastropubs.
They reminded us to say “thank you,” and that when we feel the urge to complain about every absolutely insignificant and petty thing in everyday life, it is better to be in silence. And even that, at the very least, would be a meaningful contribution—the minimum that falls to our share in the pursuit of peace in the world: in our tinny world, and in the bigger one.
The ambience of the Tunisian concert mesmerised us and mellowed our minds into prayer, and the traditional Mongolian play carried us somewhere altogether different.
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