Baba's Festivals

Once Gopalrao Gund, another steadfast devotee of Baba, thought of celebrating the Ram Navami festival at Shirdi and holding also a fair along with it. Baba was exactly thinking of the same things and so he readily agreed to Gopalrao's proposal. The Ram Navami festival and the fair were started in 1911 and are continuing from year to year to this day on better and bigger scale. Thousands of devotees from all parts of the country attend this festival. Three days there is kirtan, at the end of which there is Gopal-Kala.

Lord Krishna's birthday is celebrated on the Gokul Ashtarni day when the popular sport Dahi-handi is held. There are also wrestling bouts at which tempting prizes are given. Physical culture and solidarity among the people - the two main features of Krishna's life - are achieved through this festival. This is the very foundation of a healthy society.

Guru Pournima is celebrated in the month of Ashadh. This is the day of paying yearlv tribute to one's guru. Though Baba never called himself a Guru, still the Bhaktas offer special worships to Baba on this day out of love and veneration. Artists voluntarily present their performances before Baba. The underlying principle of the Ram-Krishna festivals is to foster a feeling of equality among different sections of the society. On such occasions people forget their differences and freely mix together. Mahatmas like Sai Baba want exactly to achieve this and that is why they celebrate various festivals.