22nd February 2020, Sadhu Vaswani Mission organised the annual Senior Citizens Meet 2020. The programme is a special segment of Thanksgiving Week observed every year from 18th — 24thFebruary.
The senior citizens were greeted with gifts — shawls, bedsheets and snack packets.
The programme began with prayer, aarti & recitations from the sacred scriptures. Acclaimed singer Bhuushan Maloo, then initiated the bhajans and kirtans session. The atmosphere was charged up as the seniors joined in ‘Kana Kanat Panduranga Vithala; Kshana Kshanat tuch Vithala’. “I consider myself fortunate to be singing at the Mission. Each time I am here to offer my seva of singing, I experience bliss and peace. I feel showered with the blessings of our wise ones,” said the singer.
Distinguished guests Dr K.H. Sancheti, Dr Vinod Shah & Col. S.F. Rizvi, Postmaster General, Pune were felicitated.
A new book – Antarmanat Shodha Sukh – was released at the hands of the Post Master General. The book is a translation of ‘Switch on the Light’ by Dada J.P. Vaswani in Marathi language.
A recorded upadesh of Rev. Dada J.P. Vaswani in Hindi — the annual highlight of the evening was played. Dada spoke on, “You Are as Young as You Think You Are.” He emphasised and offered a few pointers to the senior citizens to lead a fulfilling life. He mentioned how one must not think of oneself as old and not indulge in self-pity. He also mentioned the 24 hours that are credited to each one’s account every day and how one must put it to use. He encouraged them to be independent and perform their tasks on their own and above all asked everyone to practice silence and cultivate a relationship with God. For in the final journey God alone accompanies the soul and it is important to build the relationship now.
Another highlight: a theatrical play was performed: ‘Badrinathji Ki Mahima.’ It gave the message of, ‘how a true bhakta is always protected and nurtured by God’. The play traced the journey of a child devotee who all through his life up to his old age, dreamt of having the darshan of Shri Badrinath and how the Lord Himself came to protect the bhakta in the bitter cold of the Himalayas and in the end blessed him with His divine form. The play was received to resounding applause.
Amongst the many senior citizens that attended, was Sati Bachani. Bedridden for 13 months, her resolve renewed on hearing about the event. Living in an apartment on the first floor with no elevator, she pushed herself to practice coming down the stairs, sitting on one step at a time. With her relentless efforts, she was able to come down and attend the event.
Of the many attendees, Balraj Telgu, a senior citizen said, “These are times when saints are rare and I have been fortunate to have had the darshan of both the Masters. These programmes are a great initiative for we get to hear words of wisdom. The one thing that draws me here is that Dada never discriminated between the rich and the poor, he was non-sectarian and his teaching touched my heart.”
Ramal, another senior citizen, said, “This is my first time but I always bow down when I pass by. Dada’s teachings are eternal and this is a great remembrance.”
The evening concluded with the serving of langar prasad for everyone.
Col. Rizvi’s parting remarks summed up the evening well, “I believe it is important to connect with our elder citizens and bring them out of their loneliness and offer them love, gratitude and care they have once bestowed us with.”
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