Ahmedabad: A Giant Volunteer Assembly in the presence of His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj was held at ‘Pramukh Swami Maharaj Nagar’ on account of Shri Pramukh Swami Maharaj Centenary Celebrations in Ahmedabad on December 12, 2022.
The assembly was held for the thousands of volunteers serving during the month-long festival celebrating the inspiring life and global work of Pramukh Swami Maharaj upon his centennial anniversary. His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj addressed the great assembly and blessed the volunteers with his spiritual guidance.
The ideals of service, responsibility and unity were further emphasized through emphatic videos, inspirational skits and insightful discourses by BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha senior swamis. They especially drew inspiration from the life of Pramukh Swami Maharaj and Mahant Swami Maharaj as exemplars of serving others with humility and integrity.
The two-hour assembly concluded with Mahant Swami Maharaj’s blessings, the festival’s inspirer and the spiritual successor of Pramukh Swami Maharaj. He said, “Pramukh Swami Maharaj dedicated his entire life to serving others selflessly, without any expectation of reward or recognition. We will never be able to repay the debt we owe him for all his contributions to humanity. Nevertheless, this festival is a humble tribute to him for all that he has done for us.”Mahant Swami Maharaj thanked the volunteers for their tireless services, many of whom have been selflessly offering their time and talent for months.
The 80,000 volunteers serving the festival preparations include industrialists, government officials and civic leaders, and the financially weak and physically challenged. However, all the volunteers have put their businesses or occupation on hold; some have postponed important family and social engagements, while others have quit their jobs to engage in voluntary service and thus serve in the Pramukh Swami Maharaj Centenary Celebrations. Young or old, male or female, rich or poor, all the volunteers have offered their dedicated service out of love for their guru.
Stories of Volunteer Dedication
Former Deputy Regional Manager of the Bank of Baroda in Gandhinagar, and Deputy Chief Executive of the Bank of Baroda, London, Purushottam Bhaliya has been serving in the construction and plumbing departments from the start of the festival preparations. Ahmedabad’s Bhupat Koteliya had given up a lucrative four-year carpentry contract with a reputed textile company to serve in the centenary celebration preparations.
PriyankPatodiya of Amreli completed a B.E. in biomedical engineering from GTU. After completing his internship, he secured admission, acquired a visa and paid the fees for a Master’s degree in biomedical engineering at Centennial College in Canada. However, upon learning of the opportunity, he chose instead to serve in the festival preparations for six months.
Kamleshbhai Patel of Ahmedabad has given his newly constructed 168 flats of the Ganesh Genesis Scheme to house volunteers and devotees participating in the celebrations. He has served in the plumbing, construction, and other departments in the festival preparations.
VivekValiya of Mumbai gave his preliminary Chartered Accountancy exam in June 2022 and then served for 50 days in the festival preparations. After experiencing the atmosphere of dedication and service on the festival grounds, he postponed his second C.A. exam to continue serving in the festival preparations.
Jayantibhai of Palanpur sold his ten livestock to serve for 120 days in the festival preparations as a tribute to Pramukh Swami Maharaj, who had inspired him years ago to quit his addictions.
Dhiren Patel of Surat, who employs a staff of 500 in his factories in Surat, Vapi, Navsari and Ahmedabad, served in the construction department in various tasks, including laying pavers, filling in gravel and cement, and transporting baskets of soil.
KamleshTimbadiya of Edison, New Jersey, USA, quit his job as a pharmacist and served in the construction of Akshardham North America for the past eight months, following which he served in the festival preparations for the past 45 days.
Thousands of such inspiring stories of service, sacrifice, dedication and devotion can be found in the meticulous preparations of the Pramukh Swami Maharaj Centenary Celebrations organized by thousands of volunteers and swamis.
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