Pledging respect

Celebrations start before dawn on July 15 at the Sadhu Vaaswani Mission,as it is believed that spiritual vibrations are the strongest at this hour. Devotees will first clean Sadhu Vaswani’s samadhi as a service for their guru,and then light havan fires and perform 108 havans ,which is a form of worship around a sacred fire,and repeat the Maha Mritunjaya Mantra Jaap 108 times as well. Bhajans and kirtan sessions will be conducted throughout the day,with a break for a fellowship lunch. The celebration will conclude with a speech from Dada J P Vaswani. “On this day,we honour our Guru,and through the Guru,we pay homage to the Satguru who resides in us all. For the Guru is none other than the picture of God. He is the ‘inner prompter’,who makes us aware of the presence of God within us,” says Dada Vaswani.

The disciples of taalyogi pandit Suresh Talwalkar will felicitate their guru with a musical tribute to mark the day. Disciples from the ages of 18 to 45 years will display their insprations on July 16 and 17,at Bhave Prathamik School auditorium,Sadashiv Peth. “I wanted to learn to play the tabla in 1985,I had just graduated in mechanical engineering then and was working for a German company. I approached my guru,pt. Suresh Talwarkar,and he told me he would only teach me if I put my heart and soul into music. I quit my job and lived at his home,which was a gurukul for some 10-12 students like me. He treated us like his own sons. He gave me the confidence to face any adversity in life and I thank him for all that I have accomplished in my life,” says Ramdas Palfule,senior tabla artist and faculty at Lalit Kala Kendra. “My students from the university come to my home and thank me. They touch my feet,perform a puja and take my blessings,” he adds.

The disciples of Ashutosh Maharaj from Divjyoti Jagrati Sansthan will get together to participate in a Guru Pooja Mahotsava,comprising of bhajan,kirtan,satsang and pravachan,all day long on July 15,at Swayambar Mangal Karyalay,Chakan,and on July 17 at Ananda Garden Mangal Karyalaya,Vishrantwadi. “As there are festivals to celebrate relationships like karva chaut for husband and wife,raksha bandhan for brother and sister,Guru Purnima celebrates the bond between teacher and student and strenghtens the bond between them,” explains Swami Chidhinand,co-ordinator of Divjyoti Jagrati Sansthan. “Life is a process of continious learning. Your mother is your first guru and then come your other teachers. It is very important to respect them,because it is they who have moulded you into the person you are,” he says.