“I was simply praying to God, 'O Lord! Use me as Your instrument, O Lord! Use me as Your instrument' and Sathya Sai Baba responded. He said, 'Yes, yes! I will use you as My instrument.' What else can I say about Sathya Sai Baba other than that He is God. He is the God of my forefathers, the God to whom all Africans have been praying from time immemorial. He is Sathya Sai Baba – truly God Incarnate.”

That was the indomitable faith and conviction of late Victor Krishna Kanu. No wonder in 2001 when Father Charles Ogada earnestly prayed in the interview room asking Swami to come to Africa, Baba's face brightened up with a beautiful smile and then came the revelation: “I am already in Africa... I am working through Victor Kanu.”

So what kind of an instrument of the Lord was Kanu? Several years ago, when the book Sathya Sai Baba: God Incarnate authored by Victor Kanu was first released, Baba saw a boy reading the volume in the mandir portico and asked: “What is it in your hand?” The student then lifted the book and showed it to Bhagawan. Baba took one look at it and instantly said: “Good man! Good book!”

Kanu Shone with Sai's Light

Victor Kanu was God's good man through whom the Lord wrought miracles. The most astounding of them all is the Sathya Sai 'Miracle' School of Zambia where Baba worked through Victor and created beacons of character and goodness out of students who were earlier absolute economic and social rejects of society. “Victor admitted the 'zeroes' and transformed them into all round 'heroes',” says Father Charles Ogada and continues: “Have you ever experienced total joy that made your heart want to jump off your breast – ripples of bliss arising and raising you beyond the limits of human possibilities! This was the joy we experienced as we watched the pupils unfold the divine within – like fragrant flowers in the garden of Sai! Victor loved the children with the same passion with which he loved the Lord. Truly he was for us the ambassador of God who erased the gap we create between the human and the divine.”

	Dr. Victor Kanu, an ambassador of divine Love

“Since the beginning of time,” says Dr. Goldstein, chairman of the Sri Sathya Sai World Foundation, “the Lord has brought forth men and women who were born into certain places at certain times where and when there was a great need for the light of His love, the enlightenment of His wisdom, and the succour of His compassion. Our beloved Baba brought forth Victor ‘Krishna’ Kanu to be such a light of His love and wisdom in Africa.”

It is for this reason that when this valiant messenger of the Lord decided to bid adieu to this earthly sojourn on September 3, 2011 following an unfortunate cardiac arrest, it instantly arrested the minds of thousands of brothers and sisters of the Sai family, not only from Africa but from all over the world. “The mighty oak of education in human values of the Sri Sathya Sai Organisation of Africa has fallen. Africa has lost a great Sai-son...,” said Mr. Kishin Khubchandani, the Zonal Chairman for Zone 9A (UK and Ireland), earlier he was the  Zonal Chairman for Zone 9 which consists of the whole of Africa, UK, Ireland, Middle East and Islands in the Indian Ocean.

For Mr. Kalyan Ray, chairman of the Education Committee of the Sri Sathya Sai World Foundation, the loss of dear Victor Kanu was irreparable. He condoled: “Over the years, I have had the opportunity of enjoying his loving and uplifting company and receiving his sage-like wise counsel while we travelled together attending meetings, workshops and conferences in Africa, Europe, North America and above all in Prasanthi Nilayam. He was known for his roaring voice in meetings, which he affectionately called the 'lion's roar from Kilimanjaro'! But I will always cherish his soft, sweet voice of reflection and the pearls of wisdom borne out of long years of nearness and dearness with the divine and his extraordinary experiences with Swami. The name and image of Victor bring to my mind his unflinching devotion and total surrender to his dearest Lord Sai, his single-minded dedication to Swami's mission, and above all, his love, wisdom and courage of conviction which always shone on his face so bright!”

Undoubtedly Dr. Victor Krishna Kanu was the Chosen One of the Lord especially for the continent of Africa; he was the face of Africa to Sai devotees the world over. And, how Baba prepared him for this significant role is an elevating tale not only because it is generously peppered at every twist and turn with amazing and mysterious instances of His omnipresence and grace but also because each instance of life is a profound lesson for every individual that aspires to be a genuine devotee of the Lord.

His Early Years and Oxford Education

Victor was born on July 14, 1929 in a small town called Yonibana in the Tonkolili District of Seirra Leone in West Africa. At that time, the country was under British rule; in fact, it was the headquarters of British West Africa that consisted of three other nations: Ghana, Nigeria and Gambia.

Victor was also heir to the chieftaincy of his land, the Dunamaro chiefdom, where he had the right to become the Provident Chief if he wished to. It was a different matter that he was never interested in this role. In fact his birth name was Sissy and he got his name Victor while being baptised in the Evangelical Mission School in Yonibana where he did his schooling.

Later he moved to the capital city of Freetown for his secondary school education in Albert Academy and followed this up with a teacher’s training course in Union College in Bomemahun. Following this, he taught for a while and then thanks to a very kind Englishman who sponsored his higher studies, Victor joined the Oxford University. This was a major turning point in his life. Victor was 25 years old.

Until then, he had been brought up as a god-loving and religious youngster. “Well, I had a wonderful life growing up as a young boy,” recalled Victor during an interview with Radio Sai in 2007. “One thing that interested me very much was that my father was a Christian and my mother a Muslim. And I grew up to believe in God. In Africa, God is at the center of everything that we do. People pray to Him and believe that there is some Supreme Being who is responsible for all that is created, that all this just did not fall from thin air, that ‘creation’ is not an accident. So they believed in this African cosmology wherein there is a Being who has spirits or deities or angels; it was therefore a triangular structure of this Great Spirit, the spirits, and then the ancestors. So I learnt to be ‘religious’ if I may put it that way; the word ‘spirituality’ was not used then.

“As long as you went to the church, you were a religious person. I enjoyed this life and I liked the life of Jesus Christ very much, especially His love and compassion; He made us feel that there is something beyond us that is more important than just eating, drinking, dancing and so on. This attracted me intensely, and so did all the stories about Him - like His power of bringing back the dead, or touching and transforming the blind, or commanding the lame to walk and so on – all of them mesmerised me. Only later in my life, I was to come before the Master who in fact did more than what Jesus did.”

Coming from a humble, caring and god-fearing background, Victor was unprepared for the culture shock he was to experience at Oxford.

“It was a frightfully difficult time,” recalled Victor. “I remember, nine days after arriving at Liverpool I joined a train to go to Paddington. It was actually a very long train; I had never seen something like that before. And as I sat inside, I saw all the passengers facing each other. It was a lengthy journey but nobody spoke. People were just silent; they were either busy reading papers or sleeping or looking outside the window.

“To me, this was unusual. When I arrived, in my first letter to home I wrote: 'Father, I have come to a strange country where people do not speak to each other.' Because in Africa, at least in Sierra Leone, when you meet someone for the first time, whether you have known him before or not, you greet him and ask the person’s name, where he has come from, what his condition of life is and so on. But to travel in a train for 4-5 hours without speaking to someone – it was a huge cultural shock.”

Nevertheless once he got started with his classes, Victor cultivated a liking for Oxford. He studied what in those days was called Modern Grace and included philosophy, politics and economics. Victor loved the intellectually stimulating environment at Oxford and by the time he returned home, Sierra Leone had gained independence from the British. This was in 1961.

The High Life as a Government Diplomat and Its Lessons

Victor joined the civil service as an Administrative Officer in the Establishment Secretary’s Office. Even though this was a good position, he soon left this post to join the British Diamond Company. For years, diamond mining has been the economic mainstay of Sierra Leone; even today it is among the top 10 diamond producing nations in the world. It was during this time of his career that the government appointed Victor as ambassador to the United Kingdom with further accreditations to Norway and Sweden. He served in this capacity for four years. But, once the government changed hands, he had to leave the position.

This experience taught Victor much more about life than diplomacy. Talking about this, he said: “On reflection, it was not good because life as an ambassador was very superficial and shallow. I am saying this because that was the time when people thought that sitting and dining with the Queen, going to the House of the Lords, and attending those big cocktail parties was all that life was about. This was considered to be the highest - the pinnacle of success in one’s life. But later on, I came to know that it was not. Once I lost the position and having been a former ambassador, I thought I must have a comparable job, which was impossible. Let me give you one instance.

“When I was an ambassador, the British companies that were based in Sierra Leone held me in very high esteem. I remember on one occasion, the United African Company invited me to lunch at their headquarters in London. At that time, I had a Rolls-Royce with a flag and a chauffeur, also a large house and 42 staff members in the embassy. And when we arrived at this headquarters of the United African Company, I saw this line of men dressed in black-ties waiting to receive me.The Managing Director shook my hands and introduced me to all the senior staff. I was then escorted in the elevator to their dining hall. And what did I see there? Lobsters, champagne, caviar... it was all so fantastic. I thought this was great; these are my real friends.

“But when I lost my job, after applying to many places without any success, I thought I should turn to my friends at United African Company; I remembered how they had received me earlier. When I rang the office, the secretary told me to hold on, and then a little later said: 'Mr. John said that he cannot see you now, but you could come some other time.' And she gave me an appointment.

“When I went to their offices the next time, I went by taxi and not a Rolls-Royce. I saw that the front of the building was empty. None of the people who once received me were there. I had to go up the lift myself. And I sat in the secretary’s office for about half an hour. At the end of it, she finally said to me that her boss could not see me. I was really shocked.”

The incident marked the second major turning point in Victor’s life. Such hard knocks by destiny during this period propelled Victor to get back to his roots. He started reflecting deeply about the religious upbringing of his childhood, and began to visit the church which he had not done for over two decades since the time he first came to England.

Talking to the Spirits to Heal the Sick

Eventually Victor and his wife Genevieve decided to go to the Spiritualist Association of Great Britain. This organisation was about communicating with the dead and transferring messages from them to the living. To put it simply, the 'medium' would talk to the dead father or mother or any other ancestor and find solutions for people's problems. Victor soon rose in this organisation to become its President in London. He was now healing people.

“I was very good at it,” Victor recalled, “I would touch people and they would get well. So I began to pray: 'O God, please use me as Your instrument for Your glory and for the betterment of mankind.' At that time, I wanted to become a famous healer. We were connected to 22 churches in London and I wished to become successful in healing and preaching.

The Unforgettable 'Lion and Joy' Experience

It was during this time, one morning after he had said his prayers that Victor had an unusual experience.

“That day after I uttered the prayer, I saw the room filled with light. It was not electricity light; it was of a different kind. And I saw this coming through the door; it looked like smoke - very deep blue in colour. This smoke came into the room, moved in front of me, and then slowly took the shape of a lion – in fact it became a live lion!

View Video: http://player.vimeo.com/video/30120232

“I was not scared but I was sitting there and watching all this with my eyes closed. And then right in front of me, suspended in the air was the word 'JOY'. This vision lasted for about three minutes; it was the first such experience in my life ever. I didn’t know what it was all about until two years later.”

The Mind-blowing First Vision of Sai

The incident happened in 1978 and when Victor saw Baba for the first time in 1980, everything became clear to him. And, it’s fascinating to learn how Baba was silently and mysteriously drawing him to His physical form during those two years.

“That year (1978) as president of the Spiritualist Association, I went to the Christmas Eve service. A play was narrated there by a woman priest, Ms. Rosa La Robles, who gave an account of the birth of Jesus, His wonderful works, and so on. And during her talk, she said: 'Do you know there is a young man living in India today who is doing exactly what Jesus did 2,000 years ago. His name is Sai Baba.' This was the first time I heard the name Sai Baba.

“My heart jumped. A man on earth doing the sort of things that Jesus did? I decided I needed to find out more about this man. But this was during the Christmas season and it was difficult to find more information because all the bookshops were closed. Finally I came across Sai Baba - Man of Miracles by Howard Murphet. When I turned its pages, I could not believe what I was reading. I would read this book during the weekends too; actually all of 1978, every weekend, I read this book, again and again.

	Dr. Kanu being blessed by Bhagawan after a speech in the Sai Kulwant Hall, July 2008

“And then, I got more books on Baba and learnt that if you prayed to Him, He would hear you and respond. So one night in February 1980, I prayed to Him directly; this was at about 11:00 p.m. I said: 'O Sai Baba! I don’t know You but from what I have read and been told, I have no doubt whatsoever that You are God Incarnate. My wife and I would like to be Your devotees. If You accept us, please give me a sign.' These were the exact words; I will never forget them.

“I prayed and went to bed. At 2:30 a.m., I woke up, perspiring and shivering. Sai Baba had come into our healing room and sat on the healing table. And when I turned around and saw Him, I was afraid, and I cried. I said: 'O God, help me. O Jesus! Help me. Sai Baba! Help me!' Then I woke up.

“In other words, from 11:00 p.m. - 2:30 a.m., in those few hours, Sai Baba, whom I had asked to accept us as His devotees, responded immediately. He had come in my dream. This was the first call and I accepted this as a sign straightaway.”

Even though Baba had been preparing Victor to come to Him for no one knows how many years, this was the first time He had given him a glimpse of His physical form. However it was not the first sign from the Avatar because three years prior to 1978, Victor had a series of dreams all of which at that time were ‘inexplicable’ to him. Victor spoke about this in a speech he delivered to the students of Baba's university in Prasanthi Nilayam in 2002.

Sai Purifies and Prepares Kanu for His work

“In 1975 I had a dream; this was after I had returned from the pub. In London, it was fashionable during those days - I suppose it still is - for gentleman to assemble in the pubs after dinner and have a good drink; it is almost a ritual to go to the parlour and share a cigar with your colleagues. So I did that one day and returned home. When I woke up the following morning, I saw myself fully dressed with shoes, coat, tie et al as I was the previous day. I then realised I must have been drunk that night but let me tell you it was in that inebrious state that I had a dream.

“Two angels came for me and the three of us were in the air; I was in the middle. We did not speak to each other at all; the sky was deep blue and calm, and we were going to a place I knew not. But as we approached our destination we began to descend just like an aeroplane does. And finally we passed through an arch before entering a village. On the right hand corner of this arch stood another angel with a bunch of flowers; he gave me this bunch and said 'Welcome'.

“So we went through this narrow road. On the left hand side was a high wall, and the angels left me at the main gate of this wall, and then disappeared. And there I found people from all the nations of the world including my ancestors who spoke to me in my language. There was healing and preaching, and discussion about spiritual matters going on there.

“I then woke up and saw myself fully dressed. But from that moment onwards, something happened to me. I loathed the idea of alcohol. I disliked going to the pub to drink or smoke. I could not explain the reason; I just stopped all of this suddenly in 1975. At that time I knew nothing about Sathya Sai Baba, not even about India.”

So Baba through His angels had brought Victor to Prasanthi Nilayam and begun to transform his heart long before he had even heard His name. Five years later, as Victor entered the ashram through the Gopuram gate his memory immediately flashed back to the dream; he could clearly identify the location where the angels had left him.

After the vivid dream experience of 1978, his desire to see Baba only intensified. Finally he did make his first visit to India in 1980. And, how this materialised is another fascinating tale.

The Puzzling Manifestation of Money for the India Trip

“Ever since I had this dream of Baba, I was searching and looking for people who knew about Him. Fortunately there was a Sai Center which was a 15-minute walk away from my home. I went there and met Kirit Patel, the leader of this center. That year (1980), Kirit organized a trip to India to see Sathya Sai Baba. I said my wife and I would like to join the group and he put our names down. Actually we had no money for the fare.”

When Kirit Patel knew about Victor's financial predicament, he offered to reserve the tickets for the Kanu couple. But Victor refused. Kirit suggested that Victor could pay him back later but that too was not acceptable to Victor. Soon after, something interesting happened.

Out of the blue, an Englishman who was not even a friend and was least aware of Victor's journey sent the money for the two fares. Victor narrated this, saying:

“So the money came via the post. There were actually two letters that the postman dropped through the door that day. One was from this man; when I opened it, I found this cheque. I ran upstairs with great joy to my wife. I said: 'Look, we got money. We got money to go to India!' It was 500 pounds.

“The second letter was from my mother. She was in Sierra Leone crying for help saying that there was drought in the land, and that I should send her money. Two letters! One containing 500 pounds in cash, and the other from my mother asking for money. I turned to my wife and said: 'Genevieve, I think this man – Baba – is testing me.

"I could easily send this money to my mother, but it would be wrong; this is a test. He would take care of my mother.'

Sai Reveals the 'Blue Mystery'

“So, this was how we used the money to come to Puttaparthi and I saw Him for the first time. In fact three months before our departure from London, He again came in my dream; He was in His red robe but His face was blue. And I was very worried; I thought He was ill. So I started asking the devotees what this meant.

" When I queried, Kirit Patel said: 'Oh! well, Krishna was blue.' And he showed me a photograph of Krishna on the wall.

“When we finally came to Whitefield (in Bangalore), on August 14, 1980, Bhagawan performed a spiritual marriage of my wife and I, and while thanking Him, He said: 'Oh, you thought you would not come, and then I sent you a cheque.'

"I said: 'Yes, Swami, But Your face was blue! And I was very worried.'

"He then looked at me and said: 'Ah! Blue! Deep! Mysterious!'”

This was his wonderful experience in Brindavan in 1980.

Victor's first darshan of Baba actually happened in Puttaparthi, an experience that he could never forget.

Victor's First Darshan: “I simply believed Him Straight Away”

“In Puttaparthi, we sat on the sands. And when He came out my eyes fell on Him; it’s difficult to describe because I had never seen someone like this on earth. I was filled with joy; I was very, very happy within. All of a sudden, all my fears disappeared. And I just loved Him; I simply believed straight away that indeed this man is God.

“And when He came and said 'Go!' we went to the interview room, and I saw the first miracle. I saw Him waving and producing rings and several other things. Then He said something about my wife which none of the members who were with us knew about. He disclosed so many details to us, and then suggested that we should follow Him and go to Whitefield where He would perform a spiritual marriage.

"I had never seen someone like this on earth" - Dr. Kanu

“We went to Whitefield. There Baba called us into His house; it was a small place. Outside this building, we saw an Italian cripple; this woman could not walk. One boy had to lead her into the interview room. She sat there waiting for Baba.

“Once Baba came, He called my wife and me, and recited some shloka’s (hymns) or whatever that was and then produced plums, saris, and several things for the wedding ceremony. When He was through, He looked at this woman seated in the corner there and said: 'Lady, get up and walk!'

“All of us turned to her. She hesitated but Baba said: 'Come to Me'. Then this woman got up and really walked towards Him! Baba then took her into the inner interview room and gave her a sari. When we came out of His building, this woman raised her hands in praise of God.

“When I saw this, I was reminded of Jesus Christ making the lame walk. Here was Baba doing this without even praying to anybody; just simply by a command. I witnessed this with my own eyes.”

During this same first trip in February 1980, Baba asked Victor and his wife to follow Him to Ooty. Victor narrated that memorable experience too:

“He asked us to accompany Him to Ooty. We were so immersed with just seeing Him; we had never seen a human being like Him on this planet. We would just follow Him everyday; Baba was our lead. We came to realize we had found something which the world had never given us – something which was far greater than what we had been taught in our Christian religion.”

That's how powerful and profound was Victor's first experience in Baba's presence. He just fell in love with Baba, the place, the people and the ambience around. And since 1980, Victor came to Puttaparthi every year, sometimes twice or even three times. He just adored Baba and just as he had thought, He did take care of his mother's problem. Someone in his home country offered her the required money. For 25 years from then, Victor never went to Seirra Leone; his only destination was Puttaparthi and His only goal – Baba. 

Unravelling the 'Lion and Joy' Experience   

Actually the puzzle of the vision of the 'lion and joy' too was solved, even before he reached Puttaparthi that year.

Kirit Patel took Victor to the office of the Sri Sathya Sai Organisation in Mumbai and introduced him to Indulal Shah, the then International Chairman of Sri Sathya Sai Organisations. Shah greeted Victor warmly and in turn introduced him to Mr. Java, who was the owner of Joy Ice-creams. The Sai Organisation was at that time operating out of the premises of the Joy corporate building.

View Video: http://player.vimeo.com/video/30120658

It was only then that Victor figured that the vision of ‘Joy’ was perhaps Baba's way of indicating to him that he was soon to be drawn to the Sai Organisation. And slowly, the vision of the lion too became clear. Lion is the king of animals and at the time when Victor had the vision he was seeking to know what kind of God Baba was. Baba was indeed the King among Gods. “This is what the vision was telling me,” Victor said to himself later. So through the vision of the lion and joy, Baba was saying to Victor: “Yes! You will belong to My organisation which has its headquarters in the 'Joy building'.”

While this was how Victor understood the visions, it could also be interpreted in another way. Probably Baba was indicating that Victor was to be a lion in His organisation as that was what he shaped up to be. Ms. Carole Alderman, the former director of the British Institute of Sathya Sai Education, says: “Victor was a lion of a man with a huge heart... He served others and was cheerful till the end... What an amazing man! He did so much to get SSEHV (Sathya Sai Education in Human Values) started and known in his area of South London where he taught in a large secondary school.”

EHV Captures Kanu's Heart

After Victor saw Baba in 1980, he returned to Prasanthi Nilayam in 1981 for a Bal Vikas Conference organised by the International Sai Organisation. It was on this occasion that he was exposed to the five human values of Truth, Righteousness, Peace, Love and Non-Violence. So impressed and moved was Victor when he heard about the Education in Human Values program that as soon as he returned to London he set up a Sai Centre at his home in Longley Road, Tooting, to create awareness about Baba and His SSE values.

Students from the primary sections of the Sathya sai school of Zambia

Shortly thereafter, he became involved with the Inner London Education Authority and was successful in introducing these ideas in some of the schools in London. As Mr. Isver Patel, the former chairperson of Sai Organisation in UK says: “Victor and His wife Genevieve were the pioneers of the EHV movement in UK.”

Victor - God's Instrument to Start the Sai Movement in Turkey Victor saw Baba physically for the first time in February 1980 and he was so drawn to His form, His miracles and His message that from that time he made several visits to Puttaparthi every year. Even as Baba was constantly shaping him to be His ideal devotee what is interesting is He also was using him as an instrument in His mission of touching and transforming lives. In fact the story of how Mr. Kaya Gunatha, the person who founded the Sai movement in Turkey in 1989, became a Sai devotee is fascinating. Not Baba but Kanu appeared in his vision in his meditation one morning! He didn't know who that person was but soon all became clear as many things orchestrated by the Divine unfolded in a span of just a few days. See the video below for the full account of this riveting episode:   View Video: http://player.vimeo.com/video/30180992 Mr. Kaya Gunatha of Turkey narrates how by divine design Victor appeared to him in a vision in early 1980s to begin His journey to Baba

Soon Victor was deeply engaged in carrying this message of human values to the African continent. He was instrumental in Sai devotees from Africa attending courses of SSEHV at the First Bal Vikas Training Course for Overseas participants held in Prasanthi Nilayam in 1983. This course evoked in them a deep sense of appreciation for the concept of value education and also created awareness of the inadequacies of the multifarious systems of education prevalent in Africa. Thereafter attendance at similar and more intensive courses on SSEHVat Prasanthi Nilayam and Europe became compelling for these teachers. Thus the period 1983 to 1985 witnessed the rapid expansion of the SSEHVprogramme in training and development in Europe as well as Africa.

“In August 1986, Victor was one of the Sathya Sai faculty members conducting the Sathya Sai African Conference on Education in Human Values and Community Services in Accra, Ghana,” Mr. Kishin Kubhchandani shares and adds, “He gave an excellent account in the African context. He was blessed by Swami to conduct such workshops in Nigeria (two in Lagos and one in Ibadan), Kenya (Nairobi), Zambia (Ndola), Zimbabwe (two in Bulawayo) and South Africa.”

“Go To Zambia” - Baba

The response was tremendous and Education in Human Values, thus became the mission of Victor's life. He kept visiting Puttaparthi often to seek Baba's guidance about this programme and Baba too always gave him special audience and clear instructions about taking this movement forward. However when Victor came to Baba in 1989, He had something else in store for him that just blew Victor away. This was how it unfolded in Victor's words:

“One day, in July 1989, when we came to Baba, He called us for an interview and said: 'Go to Zambia and spread My message of Love through schools - build a school.' We had briefly been to Zambia before to conduct a workshop for three weeks, that’s all - we didn’t know anybody there. But He was very clear: 'Go there and build the school, and spread My message of Love.'

“And when we were about to come out of the interview room, Genevieve was a little bewildered, so she turned around and asked: 'But Swami, where are we going to get the money from?' Baba said: 'Sell your house and use that money to build the school, and if that is not enough, borrow from the bank!'

View Video:

http://player.vimeo.com/video/30120730

“Being a Christian, I was reminded of the story of Jesus Christ and the rich man who went to Him and said: 'Master, I have done this and that… what else can I do to redeem my life?' And Jesus said: 'Sell all that you have, give to the poor and follow Me.' And as soon as Jesus said that, this man ran away! I thought about that and I knew this was a test. If Baba wants to create anything, He can build it anyway. He can produce money and construct it. But why did He say we should sell our house? This was a test!

“So we were very happy. In fact we felt extremely fortunate that God should ask us. What was in the Bible was being repeated. And, this was how we went to Zambia. We left London on December 22, 1989, after we had packed all our things; of course, we could not sell the house straight away because it takes time to finalise these things. We had some savings and insurance and cars; we sold all of these and even window curtains, and pots and pans, because Baba said 'leave nothing!' In other words He wanted us to cut the bridge!

“That’s how we went to Zambia. We were in a strange country but with faith in Him, it took us eighteen months to build this school. He said: 'Build it all!' It had 24 classrooms at the time. This was how we started the school in Zambia - the first Sathya Sai School outside India.”

Zambia is located in the south of the African continent. It is among the world's poorest nations. Even now in 2011, nearly 70% of Zambians live below the recognized national poverty line and most children drop out of school after Year-7 because they cannot afford the fees. Imagine the situation more than 20 years ago. In 1989, Baba directed Victor to go to Zambia.

Sai Directs the School to be Started Not in the City but in the Poorer Area

Now, born and brought up in Seirra Leone, a small nation in West Africa, Victor was almost as unfamiliar with Zambia as he was with India. That was why he called it a 'strange country'. So how did he go about building the school in this 'strange' but needy country? What were the challenges? And how did Swami guide him during all those trying years? Victor had wonderful tales to share:

The Sathya Sai School of Zambia under costruction

“Well, first of all, the question was about locating the site for the school. The field expert wanted us to build it in the heart of the city. But there was another area in the middle of the township. So I sent Genevieve to Swami to ask Him in which of the two sites should we locate the school. Baba said: 'Go to the township - that is a poor area.' That was in fact a greatly disadvantaged place with no electricity or water supply; even the roads were very rough. We selected that spot. Of course, the situation there is a bit different now; the roads are relatively better and there is some water.

The School started as a twenty four-classroom building in a backward area of the town in 1991

“My problem was we had never built anything there. And we didn’t have enough money to hire a contractor; so I did the building myself. In other words, I got the master builders from the village itself - the men who were employed by the companies. Generally, when these corporates get contracts, they employ these people and pay them very little, retaining the bulk of the money for themselves. I brought these people and worked with them 12 hours a day. I learnt a lot about how to build houses. Now, I can construct many; in fact I did build the institute (Institute of Sathya Sai Education) we have there!

“Doing up the school was not easy at all; sometimes I had to fly to Lusaka (capital of Zambia) from Ndola to get materials such as bolts or nuts. But we overcame all these difficulties. We were just too happy that we had been asked by God to start a school. Our faith was so strong that we never doubted; we were just happy to do His work. We felt this was a wonderful opportunity given to us to take Swami’s mission to Africa, especially the mission of education.”

The Sathya Sai School of Zambia Achieves the 'Impossible'

Dr. Kanu and his wife receiving the prestigious Business Initiative Directions (BID) award at the 22nd International World Quality Commitment (WQC) Convention in Paris held on May 30, 2005. Go here to read the full account.

That he was specially chosen by the Divine to work for His education mission always thrilled Victor immeasurably. He dedicated his life completely for this cause because of two reasons. One was His great love for Swami and the second was his deep conviction that Baba's education in human values programme is the only panacea for the troubled world, especially for the African continent. So he went about implementing these principles in the new school which he called the Sathya Sai School. In fact the first time the locals heard the words 'Sathya Sai' was when they saw the name written on the number plate of a second-hand van that Victor bought for the school. Slowly, they figured that it referred to a holy man in India by the name Sathya Sai Baba.

Baba had directed Victor: “Study the system, build the school in one year, and start with three classes". Thus even though major construction work commenced on June 10, 1990 by June 1991 the school, set in fourteen acres of beautiful grounds, was open to the public for admissions. Initially there were three primary classes, and also three secondary classes for boys who had failed in their grade 7 national examination. But why failed students for the secondary school and what were the resulting challenges? Victor explained: “It was easy to start the primary school because the children were many. You only had to blow the whistle and they would come running. But it was difficult to begin the secondary school because to start this, the student must have completed their primary school education and passed well.

Their happiness shows! The ebullient tiny tots of the Zambia School

“Our primary school students were taking their public exams but we were not listed. This was a national examination and they didn’t know us. When the results came out, we had no candidate who had passed. We, therefore, had to go to the Minister of Education to look at those numbers that were below the cut-off points, that is, the failures. We pondered: 'Could we take the failures?' Because those who had passed had been given places but the others did not know where to go. So we selected candidates from among this basket of unfortunate ones and brought them to our school. People thought we were crazy. They said: 'How can you take failures to the secondary school? These are unteachables; they are difficult and retarded.' We said: 'We will try.'  

“And it was these boys of the secondary school that made the school famous because after two years, when they took the grade 9 exam, which was a national examination, their grades were the highest in the country.”

The School has been creating beacons of character out of 'social rejects' for close to two decades now

The first national results for Grade 9 produced 99% passes with 30 distinctions, and in subsequent years there have been 100% passes and over 50 distinctions

The Secret Behind the 'Miracle School'

The Sathya Sai School of Zambia operates within the statutory framework of the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Zambia. It prepares boys for the well-conceived and proven Zambian General Certificate of Education/School Certificate. Apart from 14 classrooms in the Primary School section and 10 in the Secondary School section, the school complex consists of an Administration Building which houses the offices of the Principal, Vice Principal, Director of Studies and Secretariat. Additionally there is a separate auditorium with a seating capacity for 2000 pupils.

As mentioned earlier the excellent results of the school have come from boys who had been earlier classified as 'drop outs'. It is perhaps the only institution in the world which lovingly accepts 'failures'! But how does this amazing transformation in the calibre and character of its students happen?

The special auditorium attached to the school has a seating capacity for 2000 pupils and is used mainly for assemblies, cultural programmes, celebration of major festivals of world religions and dramas

“It is because of the Human Values Program,” Victor asserts. “They (the authorities) saw the practical application of Truth, Love, Peace, Righteousness and Non-Violence by us – the teachers, my wife and I. We groomed the students, we made them become exemplars of love. We made them feel that they were our children. We just poured love, love and more love into them; this was something they had never experienced at home.”

How exactly did Victor and his team 'pour love' into the children?

“By sharing what we had and spending long hours with them; by caring for them; by sacrificing ourselves and our lives for their sake, and by working very long hours to help them and make them believe that they were not failures but achievers. By sharing, caring and forgiving them when they made mistakes. By correcting them without hurting them like Swami does with all of us - He guides us without causing us pain.

“And when we put all these values into practice, the students responded! They worked hard and made it. That’s how year after year we started generating 100% success stories with children from grade 9 to 12. Soon the school came to be known as the ‘Miracle School'. It was a miracle because what was impossible in Zambia became possible.”

	The Sathya Sai Scool of Zambia is the first Sai School to be opened outside India

The secret of the Miracle School was simple – unleash the power of human values by practising them passionately. But we all know that this is easier said than done. Could human values be really integrated into subjects such as biology, math and English? If yes, then how?

Victor explained: “Bhagawan tells us: 'Elicit the values'. He says that values are not only within us but also in everything including the very subjects that we teach. So we are not trying to contrive or create values where there are none. For example, in the school curriculum we treat each subject and topic in an academic way so that it is understood correctly for the purpose of the examination. But we also see to it that the values inherent in them are drawn out and explained so that the children can apply them in their lives.

“For instance, in the very English language that we are using to communicate now, there are twenty-six alphabets – A to Z; each alphabet can of course stand on its own, but for each of them to be more meaningful it has to be associated with the other alphabets. This is how words are formed leading on to purposeful sentences, paragraphs and so on. So what we see here is togetherness, co-operation and unity – all of these can be brought out in a lesson.

“Let me give you another example. Take osmosis – the process by which plants intake their food; this is such a beautiful subject. It is very difficult to find a root that is straight; they are always twisted. Why? Because in their search for water, they come across obstacles – rocks, clay, sand or whatever – but they don’t stop; they never give up! They find alternative ways; they are always in search of water even while they are performing their duties. And when they do find water, they don’t keep it to themselves; they share it. So even as the children learn about the scientific explanation and observe all this in a laboratory, there are so many other lessons to be taught here.

“Therefore in this way, the human values program brings into the classroom what perhaps would have been taught outside.”

Authorities Applaud, Society Supports and Parents are Impressed

This novel approach to education based on Baba's teachings was what produced miracles in the Sathya Sai School of Zambia. But did everyone accept this philosophy? Wasn't there resistance from any quarter in this predominately Christian nation where there exists a wide variety of religious traditions including a host of deep-rooted beliefs? How did Victor tackle these issues?

“Well, we were guided by Swami. He always says that education should be anchored to the culture of the nation where it is being introduced; we just followed this advice. By culture, we mean the beliefs and practices of people through time, and tradition refers to the manner in which these beliefs and practices have been transmitted from state to state.

“So what are the beliefs in Zambia? In terms of religion, it’s Christianity. Are there values in Christianity? Of course, yes. We carried out a research in the school wherein we combed the Bible and extracted all or most of the relevant verses pertaining to Truth, Love, Peace, Righteousness and Non-violence; in fact the whole Bible is about these values.

“We also looked at the Koran. Prophet Mohammad has said: '50% of religion is Righteousness'. The Koran is all about such values. We have these documents in the school – the Bible and the Koran – and the Human Values. And the two say more or less the same thing! The local society accepted it because we also looked at the African culture.”

The children of the Sathya Sai School of Zambia, therefore, had a solid grounding of their value systems and the local society understood its importance and appreciated this initiative. Besides these groups, there was another segment that benefitted tremendously from this unique experiment of value education - parents.

Victor witnessed any number of such real life transformations as outcomes of the value education imparted at the school. One of the most encouraging signs for this institution is that on Parents' Open days at the school the participation and cooperation of the parents is 100%. Not surprisingly, within just a few years of its operation, the school that was scouting for children to impart secondary school education is today flooded with applications. It is not only the poor who come to this school now, there is a competition to get seats even from the very well-heeled.

On this shifting scenario, Victor said: “Well, when we opened the school, we had difficulty in finding people but today there are more children coming from middle class families living in the town than the local poor kids. When we started, there was only one Mercedes car that used to bring a Muslim boy. But today there are many cars. There are cruisers; in other words, even the rich bring their children to this school. It is now recognized nationally as one of the best in the country.”

Now among the children of the school there are sons of Chief Inspectors of Police, Ministers, Mayor, Inspectors of Schools, Members of Parliament, police and army officers, and other professionals. However  no preferential treatment is given to any of them.

Boys from Grade 1 to 11 clean their own classrooms, the environment, the teachers' rooms, the auditorium, and also willingly the toilets, even though there are cleaners to do this. And they do all of this happily and together as they sing bhajans and devotional songs.

A few years ago a large ministerial delegation from the office of the Vice President of the country including the Deputy Minister of Educational Development came on an inspection of the school in order to assess the SSEHV value-oriented programme. They marvelled that there was 'no graffiti, no rubbish, not a single broken window, and the fifty-one pupils' flush toilets were so spotlessly clean!' 'How boys who earlier indulged in vandalism in other schools have now changed into such angels!' they wondered. Infact they were so impressed that they wrote in their official report: 'We recommend the building of Sathya Sai Schools all over the country.'

One interesting outcome of all this is that the government sometime ago granted 20 acres of land for the construction of a Sri Sathya Sai Girls' School. And Victor did start this separate school in the neighbourhood which is now functioning as admirably as the boys' school.

Dr. Kanu also started a girls school on a 20 acre land granted by the Government of Zambia

Sai's Ceaseless Concern for the Zambia School

It was definitely a long, challenging yet fulfilling journey for Victor and his team to achieve this mission. And if he was able to achieve this, it was because as they say 'the Force was with him'. Baba was always guiding him physically whenever Victor visited Puttaparthi and also otherwise. The instances where Victor felt Baba's omnipresence and invisible loving care are numerous.

He narrated one such in a talk he gave to the students of Baba's university in Prasanthi Nilayam in 2002. “Let me tell you one incident that happened last year (2001); this is an extremely important one. We had moved down to having pre-university classes, what we call ‘A’ Level classes - Advanced level classes - at the Sathya Sai School. I wanted to distinguish these boys from all the rest by giving them some academic uniforms. I telephoned our friend in the United States and asked him if he could find us some gowns that undergraduates in the West normally would wear. We had a long discussion and he asked me about the colours. I said: 'Let it be black'. That ended the conversation and I went to bed.

“That night Swami came in my dream and said, 'What is the colour of the gowns?' I said, 'Swami, black.' 'No, no, not black; have it blue.' He even had a piece of cloth which He showed me and again reiterated that it should be blue and not black. Here I was in Ndola in Zambia having a telephone conversation with a person in the US and Bhagawan was correcting me! Baba is God; He is present in everything, in all the elements.”

Understandably, Baba was always proud of Victor and his work in Zambia. And, whenever Victor visited Prasanthi Nilayam, Baba would invariably talk to him and shower him with His blessings. On one occasion, when Victor had brought some of the children of the school to Puttaparthi, Baba was so delighted that He asked the university students sitting nearby, “Do you know where those students come from?” And then pointing to Victor, Baba said, “What Victor is doing is truly very great; he is guiding the youngsters and giving them a goal. This is one of the greatest services you can do to mankind.”

African Institute of Sathya Sai Education Comes Into Being

With his wife Geneveive: co-travellers in their journey of love and service

The Lord inspired Victor, guided Him and finally applauded him. On his part, Victor has no other mission in his life than working towards spreading the love and message of Baba. To ensure that the quality of education offered at the Sathya Sai School is maintained and augmented with time, and also to further the cause of value education in Africa, during an All Africa Sai Conference held in Durban in 1999 it was decided to start the African Institute of Sathya Sai Education.

The mission of this body was to train teachers in value education as well as undertake research and develop the EHV program further. This institute was to parent the school. And this is exactly what it has been doing from 2000 when it was set up. At the end of the course, diplomas are awarded to teachers who come from government schools. And Victor was the man behind the genesis and the blossoming of this wonderful institute.

Talking about the great strides that Victor took in furthering Baba's mission, Kalyan Ray, chairman of the Education Committee of Sri Sathya Sai World Foundation says, “His deep conviction that human values are the key to making a new man and a new society, and his extraordinary persuasive skills convinced the United Nations to start in 2001 a Human Values based education programme for resource conservation in Africa.  Victor, his wife Genevieve and the trainers of the African Institute of Sathya Sai Education, worked tirelessly for nearly a decade to introduce human values in public school curriculum in 14 African countries through the UN programme.  Ten years on, the programme that Victor started has spread beyond the shores of Africa to Asia and Latin America.”

UN-HABITAT Appoints Kanu as its Consultant

It all started with an expert group meeting in April 2001 in Johannesburg to which many intellectuals from all over Africa were invited. They were to discuss the problem of water in that continent. This had become a major issue because of many reasons. Firstly, a century ago the population of Africa was only about 150 million whereas in 2001 it was 875 million. According to an estimate, in about 25 years, this figure is likely to swell to 1.5 billion people. And all these billion and half population in the African continent would be using the same water resources available from the rivers or lakes, as did people 100 ago. Therefore the conservation and optimal distribution of water had become paramount. Secondly, there was the problem of water pollution and misuse.

In the conference at Johannesburg, many papers were presented and among them was Victor's on the theme “Water Education - A Human Values Approach”. This was received so well that all the members present there unanimously adopted his idea as a possible solution that would complement existing methods employed by the UN. Following this, he was asked to present a similar paper to the special session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on June 6, 2001. This presentation too was much appreciated. Subsequently, Victor was asked to chair a sub-regional meeting of African countries in Ndola, Zambia, and another in West Africa. Soon after this, he was appointed by UN-HABITAT (The United Nation's Centre for Human Settlement) as a consultant for integrating human values in water education in the curriculum of schools in Africa starting with six countries - Ethiopia, Kenya, Zambia, Ghana, Senegal and Ivory Coast.

His task basically was to revamp the existing syllabi and blend them with water education based on Baba's human values. And this was to be done all the way from pre-school to primary and secondary school.

SSEHV on the March Lead by Victor

	Dr. Kanu presiding over a function in the Sai School

Victor went about this work diligently because there was no one more convinced than him that if Africa was to be healed from the many ills that were paralysing the development of the continent right from pollution to corruption, it could happen not with large aids and grandiose restructuring plans of the UN but by touching the minds and hearts of people and transforming their attitudes. And this was possible only by instilling in them human values as taught by Baba. Victor strived towards this goal relentlessly.

“He would always be the first to remind us that Sathya Sai Education was all about transformation and not of more information,” says Kalyan Ray and continues, “To those of us in the International Education Committee, Victor had effortlessly slipped into the role of our conscience keeper! He was ever alert to see that the vagaries of our minds do not ensnare us too much with ‘modern’ educational theories and techniques, lest we stray away from the narrow and straight path of Sathya Sai Education, which Swami had bestowed on us through his pristine spiritual teachings. The signal contribution of our dear brother Victor in the development of the comprehensive educational guidelines for Sai schools and institutes would never be forgotten. Victor again led the way in implementing the guidelines by travelling extensively throughout Africa, ever forgetful of his failing health and advanced age.”

Kishin Kubhchandani adds, “With the blessing and guidance of Baba, apart from the school in Zambia, Victor established Sathya Sai Education in Human Value institutes in Zambia and Kenya, and was about to set up one in Nigeria.” 

Victor Tours Africa Toiling Relentlessly for the Sai Organisation

In fact even as Victor was deeply involved in Baba's education mission, he was also the Central Coordinator for the Sai Organisations in Africa. And, in this capacity, he did yeoman Sai work. Dr. Narendranath Reddy, director of Sri Sathya Sai World Foundation, who has seen Victor in action for several years, says: “In addition to his leadership in education, Dr. Kanu actively participated in many humanitarian works of the Sai Organisation. He helped coordinate the provision of food, clothing and medical relief to the needy. He was also instrumental in the Sainet project, which provided life-saving insecticide treated mosquito nets in malaria endemic areas of Africa. In a one year follow up, there was a 50% reduction in the incidence of malaria in the African villages where the Sainets were distributed. Dr. Kanu is an exemplary devotee who loved and served Swami till his last breath.

Dr. Kanu speaking in the Divine Presence during the EHV conference held in July 2008

“In fact during the Sri Sathya Sai World Education Conference in July 2008 in Prasanthi Nilayam, Dr. Goldstein and I submitted the conference programme for Bhagawan’s approval and guidance. Dr. Kanu was included in the list of speakers, but we were not sure if he would talk because of his poor health. But when Swami graciously blessed the programme, He insisted that Dr. Kanu should speak in His Divine presence. And at the conclusion of his talk, Swami as always blessed him profusely.”

Father Charles Ogada who has worked with Victor at very close quarters in Zambia and in fact always addressed him as 'dad' is stupefied at Victor's devotion for the Lord, and in turn Baba's concern for this beloved devotee. He says: “Victor was a colossus of inspiration. I will never stop wondering how he did this. He was the perfect example of total dedication to one’s duty, come rain or shine. With his health condition, it would have been completely impossible for anyone to do what he did with extreme dexterity. His body suffered from diabetes and as a result, his eyesight was so heavily impaired that he could hardly see anything. For quite a long time, he had a poor heart condition coupled with high blood pressure. Yet never a time did he talk about his health problems or complain about them. Vibrant, energetic and with cheerful joy, he carried out his work as a divine duty. Since he had surrendered his body to the Lord, it was the duty of the Lord to take care of it.”

Sai Takes Care of Victor's Ailing Heart

And the instances when Bhagawan did look after Victor with so much love and concern are numerous. In 2007, Victor suffered a cardiac arrest and the doctors advised that he should be operated upon. But what actually happened was something remarkable. Let us hear it from Victor directly. He narrated this just after he recovered from his illness in 2007:

“Well, I was not keeping well and the doctors there (in Zambia) told me that I had a heart attack. They said there are two types of heart attacks - a violent one which gives pain and a silent one caused by diabetes. 'Yours is the second variety and it could kill you at any time,' they said and suggested that I find a cardiac hospital.

“They asked me to go to South Africa where there were big hospitals. But when Mr. Kalyan Ray and Dr. Michael Goldstein heard about my condition, they spoke to Dr. Safaya of Baba's hospital and thanks to the help of many Sai students I was soon in Puttaparthi. Once I was there Baba instructed Dr. Safaya: 'There is no need to operate on him; just give him the best medicine and I will do the rest.' That is exactly what was done.

“I spent 19 days in the air-conditioned Critical Care Unit of Baba's beautiful super-specialty hospital. And today I am fully fit, that’s why I could speak to you so strongly! It’s Swami’s energy!”

According to Father Charles Ogada, Victor was one who had attained victory from the feeling of body consciousness. He says: “From my personal encounters with Mr. Victor, I am certain that he has well transcended body consciousness. And his life is a clear testimony of how one can go beyond ahamkara (feeling of ego) through Seva (selfless service). I used to take care of him when he visited Nigeria, and although he was unable to see anything, he travelled alone to different parts of Africa to discharge his duty as the Central Coordinator. His beloved wife, Genevieve, would meticulously package and label his medications according to use, time and dosage. I used to ask him, 'Dad (as I call him), how do you manage to do this?' And he would reply with a big broad laugh, 'Charles (stressing the 'ar'), this body has its course. I don’t give it a thought.'

Baba's Special Visit to the Hospital Only For Victor

In fact in June 2010 when Victor was again sick and had to be admitted in Baba's hospital in Puttaparthi, Bhagawan in His boundless love made a special visit to the hospital to see him and bless him. Shortly thereafter, Victor was discharged and feeling completely recharged he returned to Africa to continue Baba's work with heightened enthusiasm and vigour.

By Baba's grace in April 2011 Victor was back to his school in Zambia to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Sathya Sai School – the 'Miracle School' which by now had become a shining model and inspired several other schools in Africa and elsewhere to excel in academic attainment as well as character development.

Kanu - A Mountain of Inspiration and a Fountain of Dedication

Bhagawan Baba's beautiful physical form which had drawn Victor decades ago was no more there after April 27, 2011. Victor's grief and shock was unimaginable; still that did not dampen his spirits even a bit. He was now more committed than ever to work and die for his Lord. “He visited Prasanthi Nilayam again in July 2011,” Dr. Reddy recalls and says: “During the meeting of the education committee of Sri Sathya Sai World Foundation, Victor echoed his sincere conviction that all the institutions, organisations and establishments started by Bhagawan should be treated with utmost respect and reverence. He emphasized the importance of all officers and devotees of the Sai Organisation working in harmony, unity and love in the divine mission.”

What Victor said was always heard with respect and reverence for the simple reason that he lived every word of what he said.

After he returned from Prasanthi Nilayam, Victor for some mysterious reason felt drawn to visit his hometown. He now wanted to spread the Sai message of love in Sierra Leone; so he travelled there with a team of paramedical and medical experts from the UK and other countries to offer service to people who had been torn and deformed by the ravages of war.

Victor Rests in Peace and Fulfillment in the Lap of His Motherland

And in the first week of September 2011, Victor was again in Sierra Leone and this time he was there to supervise the construction and inauguration of a Sai Centre in his place of birth. At the time when he was overflowing with joy and overwhelmed with a deep sense of contentment having brought the love of Swami to his motherland that Victor peacefully breathed his last. It was during the early morning hours of September 3, 2011 – in the hearts of everyone who knew Victor, his passing away created a crater that can never ever be filled.

Just like there is only one Hanuman and one Prahalada in our sacred epics, there can be only one Victor. “Victor was a spiritual victor in his human life and will, no doubt, be enshrined as such in the eternal life of our souls,” read the message from Dr. Goldstein, director of Sri Sathya Sai World Foundation. It further said: “Our Beloved Swami selected Victor to be such a light of love and beacon of wisdom for all of us... Let us remember him and embrace his legacy: his love and compassion, his gentle understanding, the firmness of his conviction between right and wrong.”

The Lord touched Victor and through him inspired thousands to lead a life of love and dedication.... the legacy continues.

Kalyan Ray who was too shocked at Victor's demise said: “Till the end, Victor himself remained firm in this conviction.  He thus became the ideal Sai leader. Let us be inspired by the example that Victor has set for us. Let each of us rise to the occasion. This is the best tribute we can give to Victor. Let us all pray to our dear Lord Sai that Brother Victor rests in eternal peace at the Lotus Feet.  He lived and died for his beloved Swami's Mission and will now live with Him forever.”

Baba's Inimitable Instrument – Forever Inseparable

Victor will live with the Lord forever and Baba had, in fact, physically mentioned this. In an interview that He granted Victor in 1985, Baba had clearly told him that Victor would have to come back to live and work with Him when He reincarnates as Prema Sai.

Then, is it so surprising that just a couple of months after His Samadhi Baba called His dearest devotee closer to Him? Every devotee needs the Lord but the intensity with which the Lord pines for His devotee who is egoless and pure, straight and simple, humble and holy just like the flute, is million times more. Victor loved to be called Victor 'Krishna' Kanu and truly lived to be a fantastic flute through whom Lord Sai Krishna breathed out the ethereal melody of the eternal human values that elevated the minds of millions. Through Victor, the Lord demonstrated how each one of us who loves Baba can lead a life so that Swami tells us, “I love you... I am working through you!”