' His life is like a ceaseless fire that provides light to people '
SEVEN DAYS OF CELEBRATIONS MARK SPIRITUAL LEADER HH PUJYA MUNIJI’S 70TH BIRTHDAY
SENIOR Indian politicians and faith leaders gathered in north India earlier this week to celebrate the 70th birthday of a leading spiritual leader.
‘It is about serving and giving’
His Holiness (HH) Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswati, also known as HH Pujya Muniji, is the head of the Parmarth Niketan Ashram in Rishikesh in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand.
It attracts visitors from India and abroad, and has hosted Indian and foreign politicians, film personalities and spiritual, community and faith leaders.
Seven consecutive days of events, named as Seva Celebration (the celebration of service), were planned to mark the milestone birthday and will highlight HH Pujya Muniji’s many achievements.
These include compiling an Encyclopedia of Hinduism, building an ashram and medical clinic by Lake Manasarovar and Mount Kailash, and the Ganga Aarti prayers in holy places such as Rishikesh, Varanasi, Prayag Raj, Gangotri and Rudra Prayag in India.
Celebrations were launched last Friday (3) at an event on the banks of River Ganges, with saints, Indian political leaders and personalities from the film industry attending the ceremony.
Among prominent guests were Om Birla, speaker of India’s Lok Sabha (lower house of parliament); Pujya Bhaishri; yoga guru and Patanjali’s Swami Baba Ramdev; singer Kailash Kher, Sadhvi Bhagwati Saraswati, president of the Divine Shakti Foundation and secretary general, Global Interfaith WASH Alliance; Uttarakhand state lawmaker Ritu Khanduri Bhushan and Prem Chand Agarwal, speaker of Uttarakhand legislative assembly.
Sadhvi Bhagawati said, “HH Pujya Swamiji’s life has been dedicated to the protection and preservation of culture and heritage. He has played an important role in the establishment of many temples and Indian cultural centres around the world.
“In addition, he has conceived and blessed the historic Encyclopedia of Hinduism published in 2012, which is now available in 11 volumes. It was compiled in collaboration with more than 2,000 scholars and over the course of 25 years.
“For HH Pujya Swamiji, protecting and preserving our sacred Hindu culture and heritage is of utmost importance, especially among the youth, so that they are proud of their roots.”
After lighting a ceremonial lamp, guests noted the contribution of HH Pujya Muniji, especially his work in water conservation, sanitation and hygiene, climate change and environment and emphasis on the gurukul parampara
(tradition of honouring teachers).
They also praised him for his role in making yoga popular through the ashram’s international yoga festival which draws people from all over the world.
Sant Ramesh Bhai Ojha, also known as Pujya Bhaishri, said, “HH Pujya Swamiji’s life is like a ceaseless fire, a sacred yagya
that provides light to many people.
“From the Encyclopedia of Hinduism
to Kailash Mansarovar to spreading and sharing Hindu culture and heritage across India and around the world, his life is dedicated to humanity. Just ahead of Environment Day marked last Sunday (5), it is beautiful to share that his life is dedicated to protecting Mother Earth and Mother Nature.”
The speakers also highlighted HH Pujya Muniji’s work in empowering women, girls and youth.
Birla said, “HH Pujya Swamiji dedicated more than seven decades of his life to protecting and preserving Indian culture and in selfless service of humanity. It is a great honour and joy for me to be here to celebrate this auspicious occasion.”
HH Pujya Muniji said, “Only the preservation of culture and nature has the potential to save our future and our planet. Today I am proud to see we have a government that is aligned and rooted, steeped in our cultural heritage and values.”
He was joined by all saints in blessing them with Ganga Awards for their excellence in service.
Baba Ramdev said, “Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji lives and embodies the true essence of spirituality in life. His life is such a beautiful embodiment of the concept of charaiveti – a life that is constant and continuous as an instrument of divine grace.”
The event also witnessed the launch of a new wellness centre at the ashram, with Rashmi Saluja, the executive chairperson of Religare Enterprises Ltd, which is also contributing towards the centre, speaking on the occasion.
Kher spoke about his blessings from HH Pujya Muniji and Pujya Bhaishri, saying the former was a “guiding light of inspiration and hope”.
Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati said, “I feel so deeply blessed that 25 years ago, I was given a new life when I came to India and was blessed by the presence and grace of a true Sadguru – Pujya Swamiji. He has taught me how to live by asking ‘What through me?’ rather than ‘What for me?’ He has shown me and millions of people across the globe, through every breath of his life, what it really means to live in sacred service and sacred union with the divine.”
HH Pujya Muniji said, “To me, everything is only God’s grace. All that my life has been and all that has happened through me is due to the grace of God. Life is about serving and giving. Every minute and every moment of our lives should be spent flowing like Mother Ganga, giving and giving to all with no discrimination, no expectation, no hesitation and no vacation. I am so grateful to God for giving me this opportunity of 70 years to worship the creator through service of the creation.”
HH Pujya Muniji’s Hindi biography Gangaputra was also launched at the event, following the success of the English biography titled By God’s Grace,
published by a US publishing house.
The Times of India Group presented the cover of a coffee table book, to be published with the title Prayer in Action
detailing HH Pujya Muniji’s life.
Kher launched Shivoham, a song about his dedication to HH Pujya Muniji, on the occasion.
The event concluded with the Ram Katha Arti and the offering of sacred Rudraksha saplings as souvenirs.
On Thursday (9), the final day of the celebration, special events will begin on Ganga Dussehra to mark Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati’s 50th birthday, the anniversary of her sanyas diksha and completion of 25 years in India.
THE Hindi-language film
Shershaah won the best picture and best director as Bollywood’s Oscars returned for the first time since the pandemic began, with an allsinging, all-dancing awards ceremony in Abu Dhabi last Saturday (4).
Shershaah, which told the story of the Indian war hero Vikram Batra, who was killed in the 1999 Kargil conflict with Pakistan, had been tipped to dominate after receiving 12 nods for the first International Indian Film Academy Awards (IIFAs) held since 2019.
“I would like to thank the family of Vikram Batra for helping me make this movie,”
Shershaah director Vishnuvardhan told the audience at the end of the energetic, fivehour gala in the capital of the United Arab Emirates.
The best leading male award went to Vicky Kaushal (left) for Sardar Udham,a drama depicting an Indian revolutionary’s revenge on the British officer behind the 1919 Amritsar massacre.
Kriti Sanon won best female lead for Mimi, a comedy-drama that tackles the thriving surrogacy industry and attitudes towards single mothers. Sai Tamhankar won best supporting female for the same film.
But cricket movie 83, which depicts India’s seminal 1983 World Cup triumph and received nine nominations, missed out on the major prizes.
Host Salman Khan opened proceedings by riding into the auditorium on a motorbike, a gold IIFA trophy perched on the handlebars.
“We saw that in the last two years, the world closed down. Many of us lost loved ones, many lost their jobs as well. We faced many difficulties. All of us together overcame the difficulty,” the actor said. “When the world slowly opened, cinema halls were the last to open. But it got filled up first. You saved the film industry and everyone who worked in the industry.”
Tiger Shroff, the son of 1980s superstar Jackie Shroff and one of the new breed of actors, ripped off his jacket in order to perform the opening number bare-chested.
Outside, the green carpet – switched from red in 2007 to support climate awareness – featured Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Urvashi Rautela, along with Emirati royalty such as Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, the minister of state for tolerance.
A group of nominees including AR Rahman, B Praak, Jaani and Pritam shared the award for musical direction, while Sharvari Wagh won best debut female and Ahan Shetty was named best debut male. Pankaj Tripathi won best supporting male actor for Ludo. Jubin Nautiyal was named best male playback singer for his work on