The Sai Bookmark: When Devotion Met Innovation Through My Father’s Lens

  “He didn’t invent it for money… he created it out of devotion.”

Some innovations are born in boardrooms.

Others — like this one — are born in the quiet stirrings of the heart.

It was 1973.

My father, Purshotham Das Ramchandani (Pishu), had been invited by a close friend — a devoted follower of Satya Sai Baba — to photograph Baba during his visit to the Sivam Temple in Hyderabad.

In those days, opportunities like this were rare… almost sacred in themselves.
Dad, ever the curious creator, accepted the assignment — unaware that this wouldn’t just be another shoot. It would become a turning point.

Because he didn’t just photograph Baba.
He experienced something far deeper… something words struggle to capture.

With every visit… every frame… every darshan through the lens…
something within him began to shift.

What started as a professional assignment slowly transformed into a personal journey.
A connection. A calling.

Dad didn’t stop at still photography. He began filming Baba on 8mm film — preserving moments not just as images, but as living memories (a story that deserves its own chapter someday).

With time, blessings, and quiet permission, he began sharing these photographs and films — first from Rani Art Studio, and later even in Puttaparthi during festivals like Dussehra and Baba’s Birthday.

People didn’t just buy them.
They cherished them.

But then came the moment of pure, simple genius — the kind that doesn’t announce itself loudly, but gently changes everything.

📖 The Sai Baba Bookmark.

Dad created it with the most basic tools — and the deepest intention.

A 2” x 5” portrait of Baba… printed twice… carefully aligned back-to-back…
glued with precision… a neat hole punched at the top… and finally, finished with a soft silk ribbon.

That was it.

No machines.
No mass production.
No marketing strategy.

Just hands… heart… and devotion.

But what he created was far more than a bookmark.

It became a presence.

A sacred companion tucked between the pages of a book…
A gentle reminder of faith during quiet moments…
A thoughtful gift passed from one devotee to another.

And just like that — without noise, without effort — it became a phenomenon.

Devotees began buying them in dozens.
Some for personal use.
Some to gift.
Some simply to feel closer to something they deeply believed in.

For many, it wasn’t even a product anymore.
It was prasadam — a token of grace.

And I watched all of this unfold… quietly… almost from a distance.

He was my father, yes.
But in moments like these… watching his blend of creativity and devotion…

I wasn’t just his son.

I was a silent admirer.

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