Dr. Imam Umer Ahmed Ilyasi, Chief, All India Imam Organisation joins the celebration and pledges to observe Meatless Day
A total of 27,22,827 people pledged to observe November 25th as Meatless Day. Plus, a total of 8,11,02,119 people supported the Meatless Day
6,196 people turn vegetarian for life
Sadhu Vaswani’s 139th Birthday celebrated by serving the poor and needy
Slaughter houses close in many parts of India
Sadhu Vaswani’s 139th birthday, also observed as ‘International Meatless Day’, was celebrated with singing of kirtans and bhajans and acts of service at the Sadhu Vaswani Mission on Sunday, 25th November 2018.
The day began with a medical camp in Lavale for animals of 24 villages of Mulshi taluka district. A total of 1432 animals were treated.
At the Mission, the program began with service to the poor and needy - ‘Daridra Narayan Seva.’ The volunteers lovingly served sumptuous meals to the poor.
The morning satsang shone with the ‘havan’ - the holy fire, and the glory of the Guru through devotional ‘bhajans’ and ‘kirtans’.
Dr. Imam Umer Ahmed Ilyasi, Chief, All India Imam Organisation was the Chief Guest for the afternoon session. Invoking the lord, the Imam addressed the gathering saying, “The Meatless Day, observed on Sadhu Vaswani’s birthday, is a noble cause. The Quran too emphasizes the idea of compassion. The message for today is to love all life and have compassion in your hearts. Rev. Dada J. P. Vaswani lives on in spirit. He was so humble, so gracious, it might seem, we are remembering him but I know he is present here. To him all religions were one. To him humanity was above all. I shared a deep and spiritual relation with him. I see the Mission as my own where I will keep coming and support its causes. Another message that we must take home today, is ‘live for others,’ a principle, Dada epitomized,” he added. He also participated in the artificial limbs seva.
‘Alphabets of Good Life’ one of Rev. Dada’s books was released at the hands of Ramesh and Suman Tulsiani. A CD of bhajans,’Tunhija geet gaya’ sung by Gulshan Dudani and Sagar was released.
Needy families were given cash and groceries & daily essentials.
A total of 179 artificial limbs were given to the physically challenged through a camp in Osmanabad. 27 artificial limbs and blankets were distributed among the physically challenged in the satsang. The recipients were overwhelmed with joy and their faces lit up with gratitude. A total of 206 prosthesis limbs have been given by Sadhu Vaswani Mission in the month of November, 2018.One of the beneficiaries, Satish Shinde, said, “I lost my leg in a railway platform accident. I am unable to get work for my disability. If I were to receive this artificial limb, I could stand on my feet and help feed my family. Today, we all are dependent on my sister who brings the bread and butter home.”
The large crowd then proceeded in love and joy, to partake of the ‘langar’ (fellowship meal).
The Meatless Day report was read out in the evening session. 6,154 people turned vegetarian for life, a total of 26,69,545 people pledged to observe November 25th as Meatless Day. In addition, a total of 8,11,20,119 people supported the Meatless Day.
The highlights were as follows:
Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh state governments declared the closure of all slaughter houses in the state.
Slaughter houses in various cities including Pune (Kondwa area), Ulhasnagar, Vadodara, Kolhapur and Ahmedabad have been officially closed down on Nov 25, 2018;
Dr Imam Umer Ahmed Ilyasi, Chief, All India Imam Organisation joins the celebration and pledges to observe Meatless Day.
State Minister, Penang pledged to go Meatless.
200 people in Japan pledged to go Meatless for lifetime.
Peace marches, rallies and vegetarian food festivals were also organised in various citites to spread awareness for the cause. Thousands took part in peace marches that were held in Pune, Hyderabad, Rajkot, Ahmedabad, Madhepura (Bihar), Ulhasnagar and Bilaspur.
Sadhu Vaswani’s birthday was also celebrated on large scale by Maharashtra State Board for Literature and Culture, Government of Maharashtra at Wardhman Prathishtan Hall, Senapati Bapat Road, Pune.
The message of compassion was also reached to Principal Controller of Defence Accounts at Communal Harmony Seminar in Pune.
The evening session also saw the much-awaited audio-visualupadeshof Rev. Dada J.P. Vaswani. In hisupadeshhe gave the message of having longing for the lord that is “Life's richest treasure. As longing keeps penetrating the heart, it becomes tender. How can I slaughter animals? Animals, to whom life is as precious, as it is to you and me. Therefore, today's day is being celebrated as a Meatless Day. At least for today, we should abstain from meat. Just as sweet potato and potato become soft, so too, when our hearts become tender, we are unable to eat food of violence.”
The day ended with the rendering of devotional bhajans, a session that is from 10:30 pm to midnight.
50% concessions were given to all patients - 682 in total - at the Sadhu Vaswani Mission’s Shanti Clinic on Sunday, November 25th.
Sadhu Vaswani Centers in many places including Malaysia, London, Hong Kong, Casablanca, New Jersey, Atlanta, St. Maarteen, Singapore and Jakarta celebrated Sadhu Vaswani’s Birthday through prayers and various service activities. In India, prayers and service activities were carried out by Sadhu Vaswani Centres including New Delhi, Mumbai, Coimbatore, Hyderabad, Nasik, Bhopal, Baroda, Rajkot, Ahmedabad and Bengaluru.
