During the time of Pitri Paksha, people from all over India pay tribute and perform tarpan (sacred ritual) to honour their ancestors. Ganga Action Parivar, Parmarth Niketan (Rishikesh) and Panchnad Smarak Trust, Panjabi Mahasabha (Uttarakhand) performed this ritual on Parmarth’s Ganga Ghat in honour of those who had lost their lives during the massacre in 1947 partition of India and Pakistan as well as to honour those who lost their lives in the recent floods of Jammu Kashmir as well as last year’s floods in Uttarakhand.
On the occasion, Pujya Swamiji said that we must add a green touch to all our sacred rituals and gave the slogan, ‘Pitri Tarpan Ped Arpan’ [worship and prayers for the ancestors and offering of trees for the living]. He inspired everyone to plant a tree in the memory of the deceased so that they will be remembered and honoured and also so that our land and our environment would continue to be protected in their memory.
Pujya Swamiji, Pujya Ramananandacharya Swami Hansdevacharyaji and Pujya Swami Dharmdevji have committed together to planting 10 lac trees (one million trees) in Haridwar, Rishikesh, Kurukshetra and other areas in the memory of the lost lives. Pujya Swamiji explained that the plantation on a large scale will improve the environment which in turn will purify our internal environment. The deeper message offered on the special occasion was that like the branches of the same tree we must learn to live together-as One- instead of fighting to increase the borders and boundaries between ourselves. Over 500 devotees joined to celebrate the two day event from the 13th and 14th September.