Society Scenes

Marriage on the cards
The Agarwal Samaj organised a Yuvak-Yuvati Parichay Sammelan on Sunday, June 14 at the Agrasen Bhawan, Raviwar Peth. A total of 300 names and their details were received from all over Maharashtra and four other states. About 200 boys and girls were personally present at the meet. The chief guest at the meeting was the Pune Municipal Corporation commissioner, Rajiv Agarwal.

A unique feature of this meet is an ongoing effort to publish a directory of these eligible boys and girls so that their parents and guardians can avail of this convenience whenever required. According to the organisers almost 40 to 50 couples could be expected to be finalised. Marriages, it seems are made, in heaven with a little help from the Agarwal Samaj!

Novena commences
The Novena in honour of the Lady of Perpetual Help has started at St Patrick’s Cathedral, Prince of Wales Drive from June 18. The feast will be officiated by the Bishop of Pune, Bishop Valerian D’ Souza as the main celebrant and the preacher at the June 27 feast mass. This will be conducted at 6.00 pm. The daily mass will be held between June 18 to June 26 at 6.30 pm, except for Saturdays and Sundays when the mass will be held at 6.00 pm.

In touch with the self
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) has started weekly programmes to help devotees get in touch with the inner self and deal with the daily stress in life. At a meeting held at the Deccan Gymkhana by Radhesham Das from ISKCON, classes were held on meditation techniques and mind control along with different types of yoga. These classes are a part of the programme that also includes a familiarisation programme with the Bhagwad Gita over a six-day period, and will be conducted at a nominal fee of Rs 50.

Radehesham Das, who is from Chennai and is a member of the congregation since 1994, has emphasised on the importance of mind control, ``Mantra meditation is nothing but man which is the mind and tra, which means deliverance. We intend to help the people to `deliver their mind’ so that they can achieve Krishna consciousness.” The temple is also embarking on their Rath Yatra that will start tomorrow from their headquarters and will proceed all the way to Alandi. The devotees, who are already here from Pandharpur will travel on foot and are expected to reach Alandi in two weeks.