Grenada PM: Sai Baba's followers in TT helped hurricane recovery

GRENADA Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell said love from Sai Baba’s followers in Trinidad and Tobago helped restore his people after the devastating impact of Hurricane Beryl one year ago.

Sai follower and CEO of Pennywise Cosmetics Ltd Dalvi Paladee, who extended a helping hand to Grenada after that incident, pledged to use that same love to fix some the ills in TT, specifically crime.

The men spoke as thousands gathered at the Centre of Excellence, Macoya, on November 22 for a vibrant multicultural celebration of the 100th birth anniversary of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba – an event that brought regional leaders, diplomats, government ministers and devotees together in a powerful show of unity and service.

Hosted by the Paladee family and Pennywise Cosmetics Ltd, the programme featured cultural performances and video presentations highlighting Sai Baba’s global humanitarian legacy and his enduring principles: “Love all, serve all” and “Hands that help are holier than lips that pray.”

Mitchell delivered one of the evening’s most moving tributes, recalling the devastation caused by Hurricane Beryl in 2024 and the rapid response of the Paladee-led Sai team, which built and furnished 27 homes in Carriacou and Petite Martinique in just three days.

“They restored hope, restored faith, restored love – seeking no attention or validation,” Mitchell said. He credited their example for inspiring his attendance despite a packed schedule, calling humility “a superpower” necessary for leaders and societies.

“Humility helps us focus on what really matters – our service, our purpose and our impact,” he said, extending gratitude on behalf of Grenada and St Vincent and the Grenadines, where another 27 homes were built.

Dalvi Paladee said it was “love that brought thousands to the centenary celebrations and urged citizens to infuse acts of service with genuine spiritual love that transforms both giver and receiver. Addressing the rise in crime, he said TT is "our motherland and we cannot abandon her when she is down.

“This is our motherland. We will share love to help fix it.”

Justice Minister Devesh Maharaj, representing Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, said her government is guided by Sai Baba’s teachings. To this end, he said she strongly believes that “politics is about service. If you do not serve the people, you will pay the consequences.”

He praised the Paladees for “bringing the Caribbean together through service.”

Local Government Minister Khadijah Ameen described Sai Baba’s philosophy as reflected in community acts of compassion and in national leadership: “Service is the highest expression of love.”

Sri Sathya Sai Global Council president Terry Maharaj outlined the local mission’s work – building a home each week, feeding 250 people daily, and conducting medical and rural outreach –while India’s High Commissioner Dr Pradeep Singh Rajpurohit said Sai Baba’s message that “the world is one family” continues to guide millions worldwide.

The evening closed with a vote of thanks from Satnarine Paladee, who said the celebration was filled with “love from every faith and culture,” honouring their late parents for instilling a lifelong devotion to service.