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Devotees from North America, U.K. and the Caribbean gathered at Anoopam Mission’s U.S. headquarters at the Shree Swaminarayan Spiritual and Cultural Center in Coplay, near Allentown, Pennsylvania, last week to celebrate its leader, Param Pujya Sahebdada’s 75th birthday. Sahebdada, who lives in Mogri, near Valabh Vidyanagar in Gujarat, was visiting the U.S. for an open heart surgery, which was performed successfully earlier this month.
Celebrations were held March 21 through March 23, Sahebdada’s birthday, during which various activities were held. The opening ceremony on March 21 was executed entirely by the mission youth. During the session, they talked about what saintly qualities they witness in Sahebdada, and brought up instances in their lives where they found it tough to display those qualities, an Anoopam Mission press release said.
Evening festivities included an Amrut Utsav sabha. Women volunteers prepared 75 dishes in the temple kitchen, which were first offered to the temple deity and later distributed as part of the mahaprasad.
Several separate prayer meetings and discourses were also conducted by Sahebdada for male and female devotees as well as Anoopam Mission priests.
Dr. Sudhir M. Parikh, publisher of News India Times and recipient of India’s Padma Shri award, who was the guest of honor at the event said Sahebdada’s life story was “very inspiring” and the group’s work, especially for women’s education and uplifting the poor is “extraordinary.” In his speech, Dr. Parikh said Dadasaheb is teaching the real dharma, and wished him a long life to “continue with the good work.”
Women devotees do not take a backseat at Anopam Mission, and are treated at par with the male devotees, Dr. Parikh said. Another distinguishing character of the group is that saints and priests do not wear saffron robes, but instead follow a dress code of a blue shirt and cream trousers.
Anoopam Mission was established in 1951 under the guidance of Brahmaswarup Param Pujya Yogiji Majaraj in 1951. It believes in serving god through humanity.
