A group of more than 30 members of the Swaraj Viklang Seva Samiti from Allahabad, with nearly 10 specially-abled people, arrived on a two day tour and visit to Parmarth Niketan (Rishikesh). The group was headed by Shreenarayan Yadavji and was coordinated and facilitated by its patrons and well-wishers Justice Arun Tandonji and Ms Suhas Rathiji.
During their stay they participated in the divine Ganga Aarti ceremony, a special water blessing ceremony and environmental pledge. They were also given a special Rudraksha sapling as a symbol of Pujya Swamiji’s vision for a Green Kumbh Mela wherein at least one day would be dedicated to the Divyang children and individuals and in showcasing their talents, achievements, their stories and their contributions towards the nation.
It was shared by Parmarth Representative Sushri Ganga Nandini that Pujya Swamiji had recently spoken to the Hon’ble Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, Shri Thawar Chand Gehlotji, during the Ministers visit last month to Rishikesh, about inaugurating this special Divyang Kumbh and he had agreed to grace the occasion.
Shreenarayan Yadavji shared that his group are ready and willing to support this initiative.
He also shared that the Swaraj Viklang Seva Samiti, Allahabad is dedicated to empowering, education and inspiring differently abled children and individuals so that they can be active members of society. They distribute specially manufactured tri-cycles for needy specially-abled people, which are essentially mobile shops on wheels, to empower the spirit of entrepreneurship and to generate a reliable source of income for these individuals.
They also organise mass community weddings for specially-abled couples, especially during the Kumbh Mela. Shreenarayan Yadavji shared with that the mass wedding is an interfaith wedding event where couple from various religions come together to marry couples as per Hindu traditions. He happily shared pictures of Muslim couples getting married alongside their Hindu brother and sisters as well as Christian nuns participating in the special turmeric application (Haldi) ceremony before the brides wedding.
They added that in 2013 Pujya Swamiji and Justice Arun Tandonji had blessed such a mass wedding during the Kumbh Mela. They hoped that Pujya Swamiji would once again bless them in 2019.
They were informed that He would and that He would like the wedding to be celebrated as a green wedding, wherein each couple gets a special sapling in honour of their marriage and to plant as a symbol of their new life together. The Ganga Action Parivar-Parmarth Niketan would organise the necessary saplings for this noble cause.
The group plans annual pilgrimages every year to famous pilgrim locations across India. This year they had choosen to visit Parmarth Niketan, Rishikesh, to recieve Pujya Swamiji’s and Maa Ganga’s blessings.
The group also visited Neelkanth Mahadev Mandir and Haridwar during their stay and were deeply grateful to have had such a beautiful time at their Himalayan home.