वयं राष्ट्रेजाग्रयम पुरोहिताः
Wednesday 10 September 2014
Swami Purnanand Felicitation - Speech of Shri Atul Krishna Bharadwaj
Swami Purnanand Maharaj
Swami Purnanand ji arrived in Mauritius from Kenya in the pre-independence period in 1962.
He adopted the till then unpopular katha and bhajans to arouse the Hindu society. As expected, the bhajans and kathas soon mesmerized the Hindu community in Mauritius. Swami ji has performed hundreds of such kathas in so many remote villages apart from the bigger ones and towns in Mauritius.
He established the Sarvodaya Ashram to begin with. Instead of going back to Kenya he decided to continue the work in his own style of bhajan singing. This was no doubt the most appropriate method at a given period in the social and religious evolution of Mauritius.
His several ashrams in Mauritius have guest-houses where numerous religious and socio-cultural workers have stayed from periods ranging from days to years.
Swamiji was born in Bharat, grew up in Kenya, acquired British citizenship but worked all his life for the well being of the Hindu community in Mauritius.
Swami ji has served Mauritius for fifty long years. He is not an individual but an institution. He is among the foremost religious preachers who have left an indelible imprint in the life of Hindus in Mauritius. He is a living legend.
Felicitation to mark the Golden Jubilee of Spiritual Service
To mark the 86th birth anniversary and his 50 years of yeomen service to the Hindu community of Mauritius, a National Felicitation Committee was formed and the same was organised in June 2012.
Since the real honour for Swami ji would be to revitalize our society with the virtues of our culture, a unique Ram Katha by Pujya Sant Atul Krishna Bharadwaj ji of Brindavan, Mathura, Bharat was organised..
The purpose of the felicitation was to honour the tradition of selfless service to religion, culture and traditions which is a hallmark of Hindu society.
The felicitation was to highlight the contributions of Swami Purnanand ji in uplifting and propagating sanatan vedic dharma in Mauritius.
At the same time, it was an opportunity for Hindus of Mauritius to reflect on the long way they have travelled since their ancestors were brought over to work in the cane fields, the dire conditions under which the latter laboured to make a living with their meagre earnings and to bring up their families, the highly oppressive regime to which they were subjected, their sacrifices and the tenacious spirit which made them brave obstacles to preserve their culture against all odds.
National Organising Committee
A National Organising Committee has been constituted comprising of all the national socio-cultural and religious Hindu organizations of Mauritius for conducting the programmes associated with the felicitations and the National Felicitation Ceremony.
Dharma Bhushan Awards
Vishwa Hindu Parishad (Mauritius) had in the past awarded the Dharma Bhushan Awards in 2001 and 2003. The first was on the occasion of Vishwa Dharma Prasar Yatra and the second on the occasion of Dharma Jagaran Abhiyaan held to commemorate the Amrut Mahotsav of Swami Purnanand ji.
The 3rd Dharma Bhushan Awards to ten selfless and silent social workers from different linguistic, social and professional backgrounds was planned to honour them for their contri¬bution to the Hindu society. It is the work, of such selfless individuals that has nurtured our cultural heritage over thousands of years.
Programmes
6th June Grand Procession from Solitude to Sarvodaya Ashram
8 - 14 June Ram Katha at Sarvodaya Ashram 7 to 9 pm
16th June National Felicitation Ceremony at R T I from 2 to 5 pm
These events were aimed at strengthening Hindu Unity in Mauritius.
One of the highlights of the event was that 40 delegates from Mumbai and Delhi participated in the felicitations.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)