9th May 2022, Sadhu Vaswani Mission, Pune held the foundation stone laying ceremony of Revered Dada J.P. Vaswani’s sacred samadhi.
As the dawn struck, the atmosphere at the Mission was doubly charged with devotion. Chants of ‘Hare Krishna Hare Ram’ were serenely reverberating. It was a day vibrating and pulsating with the love of countless devotees from across the world who had been eagerly awaiting the building of Dada’s sacred samadhi.
2nd April 2022, the Bhoomi Puja was held. After extensive planning and preparation, on 9th May 2022, the foundation stone was laid. Despite the scorching heat, devotees from across the city and beyond gathered at the pandal on the grounds. The ceremony began with the lighting of the sacred havan followed by the reading of a vachan from the Nuri Granth. Melodious renditions of bhajans and kirtan continued to enthral the devotees. Among the singers, were vocalists Kaajal Chandiramani and Drshika Advani.
Didi Krishna Kumari, along with the committee members, began the laying of the foundation stone ceremony. Dignitaries from the police department, local authorities and corporates too joined in. There were seven foundation pits of the pillars of the samadhi structure. Temporary iron railings were installed to facilitate easy embarking and disembarking into the pits that were as deep as 12 feet. A hole had been made at the bottom of the pits. Several silver coins with Revered Sadhu Vaswani and Dada J.P. Vaswani’s face embossed on them, a small Lord Ganapati statue, panch ratnas, and many books full of likhat jaap of ‘Hare Krishna Hare Ram, Dada Shyam, Dada Shyam’, written by devotees from all over the world, were placed inside the pit holes. Small containers of cement mixture were then poured to seal them. Prayers and auspicious coconut-breaking was done at each pit. Following this, devotees too partook in the kar seva. Lined up in a queue and eager to offer their seva of love, devotees one by one got down into the foundation pits, and poured a cement mixture in the pit. Volunteers were seen efficiently preparing the mixture and handing it over to the devotees. Those devotees, who could not get into the pits, performed the seva from above by pouring the mixture into the cement shoots that directed the mixture right to the foundation. Hours together, the kar seva went on making it not only momentous and historic but also personal and memorable for countless devotees. Langar prasad was served to all.
“It was both magical and overwhelming. The entire ceremony took place in such a smooth manner, it feels surreal,” said a volunteer.
Sanjay Ghalsasi, Contractor for the samadhi said, “The place pulsates with positive energy. While the work is enormous, none of us feels tired; we are surging with energy all day long!”
Continuing to share his experience he said, “To be present here on this day is deeply fulfilling. Once a person has been here, he needn’t worry about his future; he will be taken care of.”
Service activities were held on this day. 100 visually impaired persons were given an umbrella, one backpack, 100 grams of dates, 2 chikki, buttermilk, and prasad. Upon arrival, they were served sharbat, samosa, and bread. Animal sevas were also held.
Here are some more memorable moments from the Ceremony:
