Sai Spiritual Education Quarterly e-Magazine North Central Region, USA

First Quarter, 2016

Editorial The 2016 first quarter issue of Sai Blossoms is offered at the Divine Lotus Feet of Sri Sathya Sai Bhagavan. Sai Blossoms has now completed three years of its existence. The success achieved has been possible by the love and grace of our beloved Lord and by the united and devoted effort of contributors and the staff. We sometimes hear questions or comments of the type, “… but it’s an SSE magazine …”; for that reason and others, we felt that it would be apt to elaborate on the purpose and principles of the magazine. Sai Blossoms indeed is defined as an SSE magazine but it’s not like SSE lesson plans which are essentially between teachers and students. Sai Blossoms provides for a source of enrichment for SSE students, to help them blossom and flourish more rapidly and more fully. Consider the following aspects, for example: When parents read and appreciate something, children join in naturally. By child psychology, anything that comes with direct participation of parents makes a deeper impression in their budding minds. This is why, Sai Blossoms appeals to adults and children alike. It tends to be a family Sai-magazine, not just for and by the SSE children. Some adults are blessed with miraculous experiences, so they share them to benefit us all. Reading about these incredible personal experiences tends to reinforce devotion to the Almighty Bhagavan, Sri Sathya Sai Baba. Reading about experiences and practices of children and others tends to encourage practicing His teachings in daily life. Such articles deliver various techniques and insights in the spiritual realm in a personal way. Poetry, by children and adults, delivers ideas in a fresh, fragrant medium, making an indelible impression of its subject or principle. Artwork inspires beauty in the realm of spirituality. The “new” aspect of digital art also finds its place by representing some divine quotes and ideas in a unique, picturesque manner.

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Sai Trivia puzzles invite all members of the family to take part in it. The intellectual stimulation with the background of spirituality is a welcome spice of life, we believe. These puzzles provide for a family fun time. We do encourage parents and children to spend time together with a new issue of Sai Blossoms. Health is indeed very important for everyone, so Precious Health section introduces or reinforces concepts and practices to improve and sustain health. When adults in a family follow better health practices, children naturally follow their lead. Sai Blossoms aspires to guide its readers to lead a healthier life in physical, mental, and spiritual realms. Comics and humor have their rightful place to elevate the spirit of the reader. The variety within the pages of the issues serves to help blossom the buds, namely our SSE students, more fully. SSE students look up to young adults and so the contributions by YAs hold a special place. Their fresh energy and maturity inspires SSE students in some special ways. Parents and children both tend to benefit equally, encouraging joint progress as a family unit. Parents and teachers, younger and older students all find the pages of Sai Blossoms beneficial and beautiful. Teachers use selections from the periodical in SSE classrooms as adjunct material -- contributed by adults, YAs, and children from near and far. In closing, we state that the objective of Sai Blossoms is to serve children and adults to help them unleash their inner potential and “blossom” into their best selves. But, in order to continue the work, we ask everyone to maintain and strengthen the momentum.

O Lord, may Your Divine Love and Light blossom Sai Blossoms more and more! RAJ PRAKASH (Editor)

SUNANDA ADIBHATLA (Student Editor)

KRISHANGI KAUSHIK (Student Editor)

SHAILY FOZDAR (Student Editor)

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SWAMI, WALK INTO OUR HEARTS

O Swami, Walk into our hearts; Illuminate the Light within, and dispel the darkness around; Lovingly guide us on the right path; Uplift us to the summit of the Consciousness, and ultimately merge us with YOU!!! (Drawing and Prayer by:) LASYA MANTHA Group 3 SSE Student Detroit Metro Sai Center Email us your Feedback Sai Blossoms – First Quarter, 2016

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Sai Experiences A DIVINE MIRACLE AT THE MIAMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT It was sometime in the early 90s that I had to visit seven Latin American countries to participate in Sai public meetings. The other purpose of this trip was to attend meetings for selection of office bearers for the Central Council and coordinating committees of those countries. The first destination was Bogota, Colombia, and I left Buenos Aires on an American Airlines flight to make connection in Miami. I arrived at Miami airport after 5 AM and my plane to Bogota, Colombia, was leaving at 4 PM, so I decided to stay at the airport till my departure. You can imagine that a stopover of 10 hours at an airport is a long time. I did a lot of things; I took a nice stroll inside the Miami airport, had my breakfast, browsed multiple stores, did some reading and meditation, and checked out even more stores from one concourse to another. At 2 PM, I decided to proceed to check-in for my next flight to Bogota, and so I went to the airlines counter and when I looked for the envelope which had my tickets, passport, credit cards, and money, it was not there. I couldn’t find it. I could not believe what was happening. I looked again and again for this small envelope where I had all my documents and two thousand dollars in cash but it was not there with me. Imagine … I had to catch a plane in less than two hours but without my passport and ticket, I would be stranded, going nowhere. This trip was very important as I had meetings with high level office bearers of the Sai organization and I was one of the main speakers in the public meetings that were already publicized with my name on the posters. That same day at 7 PM, soon after my arrival, there was going to be a large public meeting in the University of Bogota auditorium which featured me as a main speaker. Some 2,000 people were expected as audience in that public meeting. There was a tight agenda for the whole week and, alas, I couldn’t find my envelope!!! I was desperate; I couldn’t believe what was happening. I went to every place I remembered I had been that day in the big airport but there was no sign of my envelope. No one was of any help. I went to the “Lost and Found” department, again to no avail. I was running from one place to the other in the airport in a panic mode … but then suddenly I remembered about Swami and I decided to ask Him with all my heart. I realized, not too soon, that only Swami could help me. I was reminded what Swami said once: “The proper way to ask for His Divine help is with intensity until one of two things happens -- either you give up because you cannot ask anymore, or He gives up and gives you what you want.” So I decided to ask Him with all my heart. However, I realized that I could not do it seated on a chair or something, amidst all the hustle and bustle of the airport. I decided to go to a place where I felt I was most privately able to ask Swami with all my heart. I locked myself in the first (single user) bathroom I found, and there inside I started to ask Him with all my heart. I did not ask Him loudly, lest someone might think that there was a crazy person seated inside the bathroom. I asked Him in my mind with great intensity and focus. … I found myself almost screaming within my heart: “Swami! Swamiji!! Swamiji!!!, please, please! Give me back this envelope. PLEASE!!

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I remained asking Him like this for 30 or 40 minutes till I was exhausted and I couldn’t ask even one more time. I was so exhausted of asking that a feeling of surrender overwhelmed me; I was surrendered to His Will, and decided to come out of the bathroom, thinking “I will have to ask someone for help to call the Embassy of Argentina, so that they can send me back to Buenos Aires.” And thinking like this, I came out of the bathroom. When I opened the exit door of the bathroom, I saw a woman standing two meters away looking decisively straight at me, with my envelope in her hand. With a stretched hand, she asked, “Sir, is this yours?” but her body language and facial expression suggested that she already knew that it was mine. I replied, “yes, yes” recognizing the envelope from outside. I took it with a great excitement and opened it quickly to take a peek inside, and of course, everything was there. It must have taken me just 5 seconds to take a quick peek inside the envelope. When I raised my head to thank her, she just was not there. She apparently vanished into thin air. It was natural to analyze the happening in my mind. That lady seemed to be a middle-aged, perhaps 40-year old, white American lady and just an ordinary person (not airport staff or worker). When I came out of the bathroom, it was clear that she was already waiting for me outside. In Miami airport, there are countless bathrooms in so many concourses; how did she know in which specific bathroom the owner of the envelope was? She was staring at me when I opened the bathroom door and handed it to me with surety. And how could she run away in front of me without the side of my eye catching her? She had clearly vanished while my attention went to the envelope… I cannot stop thinking that Swami Himself came in the form of that lady to deliver my envelope to me.

(Invited contribution) LEONARDO GUTTER Member, Prasanthi Council Buenos Aires (Argentina) Email us your Feedback

P. S. It was the last day of the World Conference and Swami was supposed to give His Valedictory Discourse. Suddenly, I was called by Swami through Dr. Goldstein. I went to Swami and He told me that He wanted me to speak instead of Himself. He said to me, “I was supposed to speak today; you speak today, I will speak tomorrow.” As I looked surprised, Swami added: “Speak about your experiences”, so I took pad-namaskar and started to share my experiences one after the other. I could not stop and even asked Swami for His permission to share one more. Swami approved with a smile. Then, in the Divine Presence, I shared with all present in Sai Kulwant Hall, the above experience of losing documents and the “divine” recovery of them. Swami seemed very happy with my experience sharing talk.

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Sai Values LOVE IS THE SOURCE, PATH, AND GOAL Four letters enter our lives at birth, And continue to exist with no dearth Love is the undercurrent in us all Without it, the human race would fall Love is the base for any relation, With it, away goes our worry, tension For, purity exists in unconditional love, Like what we get from the One above. Oh dearest Swami, Your Love is our life's source.

Haritha Krishna Murthy YA, Chicago Metro Sai Center Email us your Feedback

Life's journey is met with many choices, Ethical dilemmas become faceless voices Racing to the top seems only natural, Or should we aim to be cautious & frugal? Each time we find ourselves in a maze, Human values slowly turning into a haze Look above to see that silver lining, For the One above is forever guiding. Oh dearest Swami, Your Love illumines our life's path. Each time we ponder over our existence, Let's see God's love through a prism lens The Mandir in Ma’s home Life erupts from the pure white light above, (on November 23, 2012) Turning us into colorful units of His love Our love should spread like wildfire, Our love should never decide to tire Our goal is to fill love in every tiny space, Our goal is to be deserving of His grace. Oh dearest Swami, Your Love is our life's goal. HARITHA KRISHNA MURTHY YA, Chicago Metro Sai Center Email us your Feedback

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SWAMI’S CORRECTION THROUGH A DREAM Last Summer, I had a lot of Math homework to do from Kumon classes. Along with the homework, Kumon provides an answer book to check answers with, once an assignment has been completed. I had the tendency of sneaking into the answer book when I had even a little trouble with a problem. Instead of taking time to work out the problem, I would sneak into the book to get my answer and move on. I got into that practice and mom took a notice… Suddenly, the answer book was missing. One day, while I was doing my homework, I took a break and walked around the house to stretch. As I was walking, I saw something sticking out under a tablecloth. Curious, I went closer and found that it was the answer book which I had been looking for. I figured, it must be my mom who would have hidden it there. Rejoicing at my discovery, I quickly and stealthily started copying the answers. When I was done, I carefully put it back the way I had found it. My method worked and my mom suspected nothing. It soon became a routine: I would copy from the book and put the answer book back in the exact same spot afterwards.

I continued like this until I had a dream one night. I was transported to a very big forest and I seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. After standing there lost and confused for some ten seconds, I saw a light. Suddenly, my feet started to walk on their own towards the light. I was wondering how my feet were moving on their own. Soon I reached near a river, but was startled when I saw who was there. I saw a thought bubble floating around containing upper part of Swami’s form. He said “No copying!” with a smile telepathically. His finger moved from left to right with a “No!” gesture accompanying the message which came directly in my head. His smile was pleasant but the message received by me was strong, firm, and clear. I instantly woke up with the message flashing in my mind. I was in awe as to how it came to me through the dream. When I came to the kitchen that morning, I saw my mom there and so went to the place where the answer book was placed by my mom. I looked but the answer book was not there anymore. I knew, it was time to make a change and do my work properly. Swami’s correction given through the dream, even with a smile, was profound and it is crystal clear in my memory months after. I haven’t copied or cheated ever since and I know that I will never do it in the future. NIHAR

“Whenever I appear in a dream, it is to communicate something to the individual; it is not a mere dream as it is generally known. It is a real appearance.” - Baba

Sai Blossoms – First Quarter, 2016

Group 2 SSE Student Minneapolis South Sai Center Email us your Feedback

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A DIVINE MIRACLE AROUND THE BOOK “Sai Thy Kingdom Come” I receive emails frequently from Sai devotees asking where they could purchase a hardcopy of the book “Sai Thy Kingdom Come”. Among them was Ben, a devotee from London. When he wrote to me with that inquiry, the book was not in print yet; only the e-book was available. Later when the printed book was finally published, I wrote to Ben informing of the availability. We exchanged pleasantries over the email and moved on. Little did I know, until months later when he again wrote to me, about the dramatic circumstances, that had led to his inquiry about the printed version of the book. On 16th June 2012, Ben was invited to attend a Bhajan at a home in London. There, Ben came to know about, "Sai Thy Kingdom Come" through someone’s miraculous encounter with the book. Ben’s narrative follows:

There was a lady speaker (who has held a high position in the Sai Organization) on that occasion and her talk was about her numerous interviews with Baba and her visions and dreams of Baba. However, when Baba left us much before His 95th birthday, her sorrow was intense and she cried and cried. Her faith in Baba was also badly shaken as Baba left before completing all that He said He would do. Baba had always said that whatever He had said He would do, would be done. She could not reconcile the contradiction caused by His premature departure. She began praying to Baba for an answer. Baba came to her in a dream and revealed to her accounts which Baba forbade her to disclose to others. Baba, in her dream, also told her to have faith and that His Words will come true. A few days later, she received the book, “Sai Thy Kingdom Come” through the post, in printed paperback form. There was no sender's name or address, nor was there a postage stamp or postmark on the envelope. (During the talk, the lady speaker held the book up in her hand and showed it to the audience.) When she read the book, she was overjoyed as it confirmed what Baba had told her in the dream!!!! After the program, as soon as I reached home, I went straight to the website (saikingdom.com) to read the book online. I wanted to buy a copy and on 18th June 2012, I sent an e-mail to Sreejith for information about where I could get one. Sreejith immediately replied advising that the book was not available in print, but will be available soon. Finally, on 21st July, 2012, Sreejith e-mailed me saying that the paperback book was now available for sale. So the big question is, who sent the book to the lady speaker before it was even printed?? Over 3½ years have passed since and there is no explanation of the phenomenon of the paperback book received by the lady speaker, sent anonymously through the post. Certainly, it was a Divine Leela of our beloved Bhagavan. SREEJITH NARAYAN Bridgewater Sai Center (NJ) Email us your Feedback

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THY KINGDOM COME!

Cherished Mother Sai, we do Thee lovingly summon… Thy will be done, Thy Kingdom Come! Do hear our plea, holding Thy Lotus Feet we pledge, And offer our all unto Thee, we Thy children appeal to Thee… Dark clouds cannot obliterate the rays of the Sun for long, To shine upon Thy Kingdom, the Sun too awaits its due… To worship and adore Thee…we seek moments anew! (Prayer by) JULLIE CHAUDHURI Pune (India) Email us your Feedback

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LIVING IN LOVE, A MOMENT AT A TIME Swami has said, “In the end, when the body has turned to dust and everything is gone... the only thing that will matter is how much love you have shared with all of creation, in every single moment of your life...” (Audio Ref, 15:10). How about doing a quantitative analysis of this statement? Mathematically, this can be expressed as: 𝑁

∑ 𝐿𝑖 ∗ 𝑋𝑖 𝑖=1

where ‘𝐿𝑖 ’ is the amount of love we send out at any particular instant ‘i’, ‘Xi’ is the number of people we are sending our love to at that instant, and the symbol ∑𝑁 indicates summation of the product 𝐿𝑖 ∗ 𝑋𝑖 over all the moments of our 𝑖=1 life, ‘N’ being the total number of ‘moments’ in our life, if you will... In other words, it is the product of the amount of love and the number of people we send this love to at any moment, summed over every moment of our entire life. Most of us consider ourselves as loving people overall. However, when we are experiencing emotions such as anger, frustration, or even irritation…, our love gets blocked. At that time, we are not sending love to the other person, even if he/she is a loved one! So ‘𝐿𝑖 ’ is zero during those moments. By connecting with Swami and correcting our own state of mind first, before responding to difficult situations, we can avoid such negative emotions so that our love is not blocked and flows freely always. What about the value of ‘𝐿𝑖 ’ when we do send love to others? When we experience love in the realm of ego, it is attachment or love with expectations. This is love of a lower quality, and can be conceptualized as having a lower value for ‘𝐿𝑖 ’. When we develop pure unconditional love, we are sending out love that is much more superior or even divine. For the purpose of our analysis, this amounts to a much higher value for ‘𝐿𝑖 ’. By accepting everyone as they are, and not setting any expectations on others, we can slowly develop unconditional love. Now, let us look at the next factor ‘Xi’’. If we are confining our love to our family and friends, it is directed to one person, or a limited few. If we can expand our love to all of humanity, and all of creation, we are increasing the value of ‘Xi’’ astronomically! Is this difficult to practice every single moment of our lives, at the thought level? The answer is probably “Yes” for most of us. Is it possible to increase the values of ‘𝐿𝑖 ’, ‘Xi’’ and the number of moments we are living in love? With conscious effort and frequent daily reminders, it is definitely possible. Are we ready to take up this challenge and try living in love, a moment at a time?

GOWRI RAJENDRAN Former SSE Teacher Detroit Metro Sai Center Email us your Feedback

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Picture Story

THE PIOUS COW (A Panchatantra Story)

Once upon a time, a cowherd took his cows to graze in the open fields. While grazing, one pious cow lost her way and wandered into the nearby woods.

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The cow went home to love and feed her child for the last time. She instructed her to be truthful always and to help others in need. Then she asked a neighbor cow to look after her child. … SHE RUSHED BACK BEFORE THE SUNSET.

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“ Believe that there is nothing greater than Truth; nothing more “

precious, nothing sweeter, and nothing more lasting. Truth is all protecting. There is no mightier guardian than Truth.

”

– Baba (Ref: Teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba, P32)

Sai Blossoms – First Quarter, 2016

(Artwork by:) SRIVIDYA BHAMIDIPATI Young Adult Detroit Metro Sai Center Email us your Feedback

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Precious Health WARM VEGETABLE SALAD: DELICIOUS AND NUTRITIOUS It’s well known that fruits and vegetables are among the most desirable foods. In this article we will focus on vegetables. First, you may ask, what’s wrong with cooked vegetables and curries, you know, those that are part of Indian delectable dinners? Two parts of the answer follow:

 

Typically, undesirable/excessive oils are used in cooking. Proteins and vitamins are virtually lost when a vegetable is cooked, especially when overcooked.

On the other hand, when vegetables are consumed in their natural state, without any processing such as cooking, we receive wholesome nutrition – all proteins, vitamins, minerals, etc. The objective of this article is to make recommendations that render a salad of raw vegetables practical and palatable:

 Use a variety of veggies your family enjoys, such as greens, lettuce, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, colorful peppers, avocados, radishes, etc. Try to use at least four or five.

 On the top of this salad, pour steaming hot dahl, soup, or sambhar.  You can let it stand for a few minutes for soaking or start eating right away.

If you are comfortable with commercial or home-made salad dressings, that’s fine, except keep in mind that cold and dry vegetables are mostly not recommended in Ayurveda. Soaking vegetables with fresh and steaming hot soup/dahl/sambhar tends to remove the undesirable qualities of cold-ness and dry-ness. Many people ask about healthy lunch ideas for work or home. This warm vegetable salad is perfect – a hearty box or plate of yummy veggies, soaked with a liquid soup made using salt and mild Indian spices/herbs. If such a lunch seems too light and makes you feel hungry quickly, you can add some nuts like pecans or walnuts into the mix. Adding soaked and peeled almonds would be the most beneficial. RAJ PRAKASH (Editor) Detroit Metro Sai Center Email us your Feedback

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SAI TRIVIA RESPONDENTS (Puzzle from the previous issue) The sought after phrase is GOLDEN AGE and the order of bhajan singers is: Geeta, Omar, Lyra, Dylan, Esha, Nikhil, Akiko, Giri, and Eloise.

Names of the Respondents with the Correct Solution Name

Category

Sai Center

Varshitha Akella Kashyap Akella Yamini Bala Balasubramanian Chetan Bhatt Chandra Chouhan Sarita Kachroo Varalakshmi Kanduru Susmitha Kristam Haritha Krishna Murthy Saisharan Narayan Varshini Odayar The Rama family (Suresh, Pramila, Samhita, Pranav) Sushobhit Srivastava Aditya Suryakumar Salokya Tummala

Group 3 Student Group 2 Student Young Adult Adult Group 3 Teacher Group 3 Student Group 1 Teacher Adult SSE Parent Young Adult Group 2 Student Group 3 Student SSE family

Chicago North Chicago North Chicago Metro Chennai (India) East Brunswick (NJ) Milwaukee Minneapolis South Detroit Metro Detroit Metro Chicago Metro Detroit Metro Cincinnati-Dayton Detroit Metro

Group 3 Student Group 3 Student Adult

Mumbai (India) Detroit Metro Chicago West EDITORIAL STAFF Email us your Feedback

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Sai Trivia LOVE MAGIC SQUARE PUZZLE A MAGIC SQUARE is a square containing whole numbers so that any row, any column, or any diagonal adds up to the same number – and that number is called MAGIC SUM of the magic square. The standard 3x3 magic square has the magic sum of 15 and can be readily found elsewhere . Use the standard 3x3 magic square to construct a magic square which has the magic sum of 12. We will call it as Love Magic Square since “L” is the 12th alphabet. Tip: The cells of Love magic square will consist of numbers 0-8 and each digit will occur only once in the matrix. Fill in the digits (0-8) in the cells of Love Magic Square (see below). One particular cell of the Love Magic Square whose number is 0 is given away (1st row, 2nd column). The second step in the puzzle is to assign a sub value of Love to each of the eight cells. The numbers 1, 2, 3, … etc. are associated with alphabets A, B, C, etc. in the same order. For each number, find the sub value of Love that starts with the associated letter, using the following list: Compassion Discipline Dutifulness

Honesty

Forbearance Devotion

Empathy

Benevolence Gentleness

Helpfulness

Cleanliness

Acceptance

The cell with number 0 is pre-assigned the sub value of “absence of ego”. Clearly, ego comes in the way of love so “absence of ego” is an ingredient/sub value of Love. Complete all other cells of the Love Magic Square by filling a single digit number in the small blank and the correct sub value of Love in the large blank. Scan this page after completing the square or take a picture of it and send it in. You can also draw the square by hand and send a snap of your work (if printing this page is not possible). Please submit your solution to the usual email address [email protected] by the deadline of April 20th. The names of those sending the correct answer will be published in the next issue. The puzzle is open for all SSE students, YAs, and adults. However, it’s an individual exercise with the exception that family members may do it together.

LAKSHMI PALA (YA)

Love Magic Square The contents of every row or column or diagonal add up to “Love”!!!

Sai Blossoms – First Quarter, 2016

RAJ PRAKASH (Editor) Detroit Metro Sai Center Email us your Feedback

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Buds Corner PEACE DOVE Peace on earth in Sai Kingdom

Responsible Leadership

Respect for all religions

Communication between nations

Love for all Faith in One God

United teamwork between nations

Love for Swami Sattvic food

PRABHATH INTURI Group 1 SSE Student

Helping people in need

Sai Blossoms – First Quarter, 2016

Detroit Metro Sai Center Email us your Feedback

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O Beloved Lord, we pray at Thy Lotus Feet to

MANIFEST AT THE EARLIEST And bless us all in Thy Physical Form!!

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