A three-day Gangaji Awareness and Aarti training workshop was held at Parmarth Niketan with the blessing of HH Param Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji under the joint aegis of Parmarth Niketan, Namami Gange and #ArthGanga . 35 priests from 23 ghats from four states of India participated in this Aarti training under the able leadership of Namami Gange Uttarakhand Communication Expert, Puran Kapri; Global Interfaith WASH Alliance Director, Ganga Nandini; and, instructor Vandana Sharma, who all joined in the formal inauguration of the workshop with the traditional lamp-lighting ceremony.

In this monthly workshop, the priests of various Ghats of the Ganga Basin and the states located on the banks of Ganga are trained so that they can develop their Ghats as a platform for public awareness through Ganga Aarti on the lines of Parmarth Niketan Ganga Aarti.

Swami Chidanand Saraswati ji said that it is the good fortune of India that it has a leadership like Honorable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modiji who thinks about what the common people need, to make the society inclusive, prosperous and harmonious. What things are needed to maintain it? Among the things that society needs, the first need is ‘cleanliness’. Cleanliness outside and cleanliness within, organized from outside and situated from within. External cleanliness indicates a good system but internal cleanliness indicates a big heart.

Swami Ji said that when there is stability in life, clarity starts appearing in life and there is also truth and height in life. To make cleanliness, truth and height the mantras of life, the energetic Prime Minister of India first talked about toilets. The Government of India saluted the mother power of the country by constructing toilets because ‘If the Goddess is healthy, the country is healthy’. He called for the cleanliness of Ganga ji and other rivers. He said that the banks of Ganga are the center of our culture. These centers of culture should also become centers of health because if there is cleanliness, there is health; Cleanliness is service; Cleanliness is religion.

On the occasion of this workshop, Swami ji thanked the energetic Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi and the Ministry of Jal Shakti and said that due to their amazing efforts, a call for cleanliness is being made on the banks of Ganga.

Swami ji called upon all the priests and said that all of you should be situated on the banks of Ganga and take the message of cleanliness to every home. At present, India has excellent leadership, the government is doing its work, now is the time for our participation. We, living on the banks of Ganga, become advocates and protectors of other rivers including Ganga so that there is no pollution on the banks and Ganga also remains pollution free.

Swami ji called upon everyone and said that it should be the duty of all of us to make our lives on the banks of Ganga, our country and our rivers environment friendly and free from pollution. Now the time has come that Aarti should be performed from every coast and every ghat and the message of Aarti should reach every house from every ghat.

Swamiji said that going to temples is a very good thing but making the house a temple, making life a temple is the biggest thing. He said that this message should also be sent from the banks of rivers that devotion to God; Worship the God individually but do patriotism together so that the journey of the country from God and the journey of the nation from Ram can begin.

Communication expert Namami Gange Uttarakhand Shri Puran Kapri ji told that this time participants from four states have come for Ganga awareness and aarti training. This is our fifth workshop. Well-organized aarti has started at all the ghats where workshops have been held so far. Along with Ganga ji’s aarti, the message of patriotism is also being spread. Ghats started being built at many places after the Aarti started because the government took cognizance of that Aarti and started work there. This is a big success of this workshop.

Ganga awareness and aarti workshop is organized every month in Parmarth Niketan. Through this workshop, the participants take the message of patriotism along with conservation of nature and culture and devotion to God.