Commemorating Pujya Gurudevshri’s 54th Birthday

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In the company of an Enlightened Master every day is filled with spirituality, every moment enables progress towards one’s Self. To celebrate the presence of such a Master in their lives, devotees from the world over came together virtually for a three-day course of devotion and dedications on the occasion of Pujya Gurudevshri’s 54th birthday.

On the evening of September 25, moments from Unmoved Mover 2016 – Pujya Gurudevshri’s Golden Jubilee Birthday celebrations – were relived. A dance tribute by the youngsters brought joy and elation to the devotees. Aspirants then relished the pravachan on sadhana and His clear and concise message raised their spirits. This was followed by an enchanting bhakti by the renowned musical duo Sachin-Jigar. Tracks entitled “Sadguru Sakshat Vibhu” and “Hey Gurudev! Tamey Jaano Chho Saghlu”, along with an enchanting dhun were released.

The morning celebrations on the golden day of September 26 commenced with “Unmoved Mover – A Mystic and His Mission” – a stirring film on Pujya Gurudevshri’s life. Representatives of the Mission and its international Trusts offered a garland, shawl, card and bouquet at the Lotus Feet of Pujya Gurudevshri. Devotees also expressed their adoration for Pujya Gurudevshri with 54 apt analogies glorifying His greatness.

Keeping up with the tradition of commemorating Pujya Gurudevshri’s birthday with the sublime spirit of renunciation, the Master blessed Jivanarpit Angi Vora with Atmarpit Diksha; a life committed to sadhana and seva under His blessed guidance. On this memorable occasion, parents of Atmarpit Angiben, Raju-Deepali Vora embraced Ajivan Brahmacharya Vrat.

Hailing from New Jersey, USA, Atmarpit Angiben’s journey with the Divine began in the year 2009 when she recited, in Pujya Gurudevshri’s presence, the qualities of a true devotee as expounded in the Adhyay 12 of Shrimad Bhagavad Gita. With single pointed focus of becoming an Atmarpit, Angiben along with her family moved to India to pursue spirituality. Offering seva in the Mission’s Bhakti team, Yoga team and as a music therapist at Shrimad Rajchandra Viklang Centre, Atmarpit Angiben has completed Bachelor’s in Management Studies, Masters in Jainology and Comparative Religion and Philosophy and has acquired a Diploma in Music Therapy. She is a Certified Yoga Teacher and holds a Certificate in Sound Healing.

In the evening session, gladdening the Master’s Heart and moistening His Eyes, an invaluable gift was offered at His Lotus Feet.

The year 2015 marked Pujya Gurudevshri’s masterful exposition on Patrank 37 from the sacred Shrimad Rajchandra Vachanamrut during Paryushan. The Master vividly described how the hallowed letter written by Param Krupalu Dev to Pujyashri Juthabhai Ujamshi, sent to his Chippa Pol residence in Ahmedabad, endearingly encouraged him to use this human birth towards upliftment of the soul.

After the first meeting with Pujyashri Juthabhai in V.S. 1944, Param Krupalu Dev had graced his Chippa Pol residence twice in V.S. 1945; once for a period of 15 days.

Filled with Param Krupalu Dev’s pious vibrations, the Chippa Pol residence holds special significance. Pujya Gurudevshri had visited Chippa Pol in April 2016 and spent moments in piety. Learning about the importance of the place, Ahmedabad seekers Yugesbhai Shah and his son Niraj began the process of acquiring it from its current owners. Their persistent efforts began to bear fruits and they were able to acquire the premises.

Delighting the Master, the key to the residence of Pujyashri Juthabhai was devotedly offered to Pujya Gurudevshri by Yugesbhai-Mitaben Shah.

The life of an Enlightened One is a blessing to the world. Even the objects He touches or the places He visits become sacred. We are indeed privileged to have obtained the Chippa Pol residence of Pujyashri Juthabhai, which has been graced by Param Krupalu Dev.

Seekers then saw the pravachan on seva from the Unmoved Mover event. With the devotees getting aligned to the Master’s vision on seva, the evening saw a host of awards, certifications, recognitions and other achievements related to seva being presented at the Lotus Feet of Param Krupalu Dev.

Volunteer and fundraiser for Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care Yuvarpit Meera Mehta, who was acknowledged with the prestigious Diana Award for her social action and humanitarian work, offered the award at the holy Feet of the Divine. To gain exposure in the field of social work, virtual internship at Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care for students of the Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS) was announced. On this special occasion, Shrimad Rajchandra Mission Dharampur (Australia) commenced an initiative named ‘Circle of Love and Care’ to feed the needy. Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care USA launched a stationery distribution drive for the underprivileged.

The United Nations (UN) Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) offers a very exclusive consultative status to top Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) that they believe can work alongside the UN and contribute towards the policy and decision-making process. Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care has been awarded this prestigious status.

The UN is committed to maintaining international peace and security, and promoting social progress and human rights. In 2015 one of the most important projects undertaken by the UN was the establishment of the ‘Sustainable Development Goals’. Some of these goals include eradicating poverty, eliminating hunger, promoting quality education, and protecting the environment. In order to implement these goals, the UN partners with NGOs by granting them a consultative status. This consultative status to the ECOSOC is the highest status granted by the UN to non-governmental organisations. A special committee closely scrutinizes the work and records of NGOs and conducts a thorough due-diligence. They test the capabilities and strengths of the NGO vis-à-vis the Sustainable Development Goals and their standards. Transparency in decision-making and accountability are also considered.

By the grace of Param Krupalu Dev and Pujya Gurudevshri, the UN has granted special consultative status to Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care. Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care can now influence decision-makers at the highest international level by delivering statements, participating in discussions, and holding side-events at the UN headquarters in New York, and UN offices in Geneva and Vienna. Representatives will also be able to consult with the ECOSOC, undertake studies or investigations upon the request of the UN, and also take part in conferences and other activities.

Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care qualified for this status because several of its projects fall under the gamut of the Sustainable Development Goals. Additionally, the UN was impressed with several aspects of Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care, including the strength in execution of projects, grass-root focus, volume and quality of projects, volunteer spirit, and robust and transparent reporting structures.

We bow down to Pujya Gurudevshri, whose vision to have Param Krupalu Dev’s holy name to be taken in the UN is today a reality.

A moving video, capturing the activities undertaken for COVID-19 relief and its global impact, was shown. The Master’s unbounded and far-reaching compassion was instrumental in touching lakhs of lives during the global pandemic. Over the last 6 months, Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care and its team of more than 2,500 volunteers have actively provided relief in over 50 cities across the globe and have spread kindness to battle COVID-19. Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care has received letters of appreciation from more than 50 organizations around the world and has also been acknowledged with several awards and honours for the numerous acts of social work during this outbreak.

A snapshot of Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care’s compassion in action has been encapsulated in a special coffee table book called the Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care COVID-19 Relief – A 180 Day Progress Report, which was digitally launched by Pujya Gurudevshri.

By the grace of Param Krupalu Dev and Pujya Gurudevshri, Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care was conferred with a Certificate of Honour by Shri Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Honourable Governor of Maharashtra, for doing commendable social work for the poor during the coronavirus pandemic outbreak. The Certificate was presented to Sarvarpit Dr Bijal Mehta – Trustee, Shrimad Rajchandra Sarvamangal Trust, at a function held at Raj Bhavan, Mumbai on 9th September. The event was organised by the Lodha Foundation. Shri Mangal Prabhat Lodha – Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA), Mumbai, Smt. Manju Lodha – Chairperson, Lodha Foundation and Shri Parag Shah – MLA, Mumbai were the prominent dignitaries present on the occasion. Stating that service to the poor is service to God, the Honourable Governor called upon organisations to sustain their social service even after the pandemic is over. Earlier, he had also issued a message appreciating the coronavirus relief work of Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care; including the ‘Circle of Love and Care’ through which lakhs of migrants in Mumbai were provided with food for their journey back home.

Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care, aided by the Gem and Jewellery National Relief Foundation (GJNRF), opened a special new Intensive Care Unit (ICU) wing in St. George Hospital, Mumbai. St. George Hospital is one of the critical care COVID-19 hospitals, and has been operating at full capacity since the past few months. The new wing is fully equipped and will bolster the infrastructure of the 342-year-old hospital. The GJNRF has provided noteworthy support for the ongoing relief programme of Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care, in providing safety equipment to the Mumbai Police and distributing ration kits to daily wagers and migrant workers. Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care expresses its gratitude to the GJNRF for their generous contribution and continued collaboration.

The prevalence of anaemia is very high in the tribal and rural population around Dharampur. Over 50% of women and over 58% of children are anaemic. Majority of them are not diagnosed and therefore not treated. Currently, blood sample is used to detect anaemia. Purdue University, USA has been researching the development of a non- invasive technology to detect anaemia and Sickle Cell disease by analysing the photos of inner eyelid which can be taken by a smart phone. Since this technology is completely non-invasive and rapid it will be able to cover a large segment of the population and treat them in time, thereby having a life changing impact.

Shrimad Rajchandra Hospital has been selected as a partner by Purdue University for the development and deployment of this technology. A service-oriented presence in anaemia- affected South Gujarat area, current reach to treat over 2,00,000 patients annually, strong partnership with the Government of Gujarat and a holistic approach with focus on prevention, education and collaboration made Shrimad Rajchandra Hospital an ideal partner for Purdue University. The hospital team worked closely with the Purdue team to build a plan for tuning the technology, designing a mobile platform, deployment in the selected area and scaling this further in Gujarat and India.

Purdue University and Shrimad Rajchandra Hospital put up this proposal in a Technology Accelerator Challenge conducted by National Institutes of Health, USA and won the first prize. Purdue University and Shrimad Rajchandra Hospital are now looking forward to implementing this project in partnership.

The New Education Policy 2020 is a landmark policy issued by the Government of India, which defines the framework for elementary and higher education, and vocational training with the goal of transforming India’s education system by 2030. Under the vision and guidance of Pujya Gurudevshri, the educational institutions of Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care have already been practising many of the key features defined in the policy and have been ahead of the times! As a testimony to this, Shrimad Rajchandra Vidyapeeth is the first science college in Gujarat and Shrimad Rajchandra Gurukul the first secondary school under the State Board of Gujarat to receive ISO 9001 and ISO 29990 certifications.

The ISO 9001 certification signifies that these institutions are following international standards in their operations and practices, and are committed to delivering quality services to stakeholders. The ISO 29990 certification showcases that the institutions have a quality management system in non-formal education and training services. It demonstrates commitment to operational excellence and quality education for students in their holistic development.

The morning of September 27 witnessed devotees savouring the last leg of the celebrations. From the Unmoved Mover event a splendid musical performance by the KL Stompers, creating music out of waste material, was shown. It was followed by the pravachan on saiyam. Tributes by saints for Pujya Gurudevshri were then telecast. Allowing devotees the opportunity to recount and relive their personal story with Pujya Gurudevshri, ‘Katha Karu Tuj Premni’ was launched. It aims to capture stories of their first meeting, transformation, elevation, wonder and much more. The session culminated by reliving joyous moments of Adbhut Astitva – A Dance Musical.

On this special occasion, revered saints and dignitaries sent wishes to Pujya Gurudevshri. Pujyashri Mahant Swami, Spiritual Head of BAPS, connected to Pujya Gurudevshri over phone. Pujyashri Deepakbhai Desai of Dada Bhagwan Foundation sent a letter. Wishes were also received from the current Head of Sadhu Vaswani Mission. Honourable Chief Minister of Gujarat, Shri Vijaybhai Rupani sent his best wishes for Pujya Gurudevshri. Messages also came from Raj Parivar organisations such as Shrimad Rajchandra Adhyatmik Sadhana Kendra, Koba; Shree Raj Saubhag Ashram, Sayla; Sarvamangal Ashram, Sagodiya, Shrimad Rajchandra Nijabhyas Mandap and Vihar Bhavan Trust (Idar-Vadva-Ahmedabad) and Shrimad Rajchandra Satsang Mandal (Santacruz-Vile Parle-Andheri). One JAIN Organisation, UK too sent their wishes for Pujya Gurudevshri.

With the innumerable blessings bestowed upon us, we cannot thank Pujya Gurudevshri enough. We can only pray that we reciprocate His unconditional love by fulfilling the dream that He has seen for us. With utmost gratitude we humbly bow at His Lotus Feet.