Muslim Leader goes Meatless | Sadhu Vaswani’s 139th Birthday | Meatless Day 25th November
25 NOV 2018 PUNE : Sadhu Vaswani’s 139th birthday, also observed as ‘International Meatless Day’, was celebrated with singing ofkirtans and bhajans and acts of service at the Sadhu Vaswani Mission on Sunday, 25th November 2018.
The day began with a medical camp for animals at Lavale. Free mouth vaccinations were provided for 1500+ animals by the Mobile Veterinarian Clinic of Sadhu Vaswani Mission.
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, “Sadhu Vaswani’s birthday, observed as a Meatless Day, 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. As for Rev. Dada J. P. Vaswani, he 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.
‘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.
This was followed by an artificial limbs seva. 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. I could contribute to the family with this artificial limb.”
Needy families were given cash and groceries including dal, rice, sugar, tea, cooking oil and toiletries.
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.
The Meatless Day report was read out. 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 government 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, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Rajkot, Kolkata, 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 large crowd then proceeded in love and joy, to partake of the ‘langar’ (fellowship meal). Rev. Dada. J. P. Vaswani also joined the fellowship meal.
The evening session, saw the much-awaited audio-visual upadesh of Rev. Dada J.P. Vaswani. In his upadesh he gave the message of having longing for the lord, saying, “Life’s richest treasure, life’s true wealth is longing. Are your hearts filled with longing? If you possess this longing, then indeed you are truly wealthy. Everyday ask yourself, did I shed tears of longing? If not, your day was worthless. Do not fritter away any more days. Ask for it, for they are a gift. The Lord bestows on them those who beg for it. Ask and it shall be given to thee. But do so from the depths of your heart, not just superficially, from your lips. When tears of longing begin to flow, our hearts become tender. Potato is so hard! But after it is boiled, it becomes so soft. Sweet potatoes are so hard. Yet, when placed on the fire, they keep becoming softer. As longing keeps penetrating the heart, it becomes tender. Such a heart cannot bear the pain of another. It regards the pain of another as its own. Such a heart, without any external prodding, will, on its own, say- I will not eat any flesh. How can I slaughter animals? Animals, to whom life is as precious, as it is to you and me. Suppose if someone catches me and cuts me into pieces, put those pieces in a plastic bag, and takes the bag to the market. What will be my condition? Such is the condition of the animals, who in thousands, are daily slaughtered day after day. 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.”
50% concessions were given at the Sadhu Vaswani Mission’s Shanti Clinic on Sunday, November 25th.
The day ended with the rendering of devotional bhajans, a session that is from 10:30 pm to midnight.
Sadhu Vaswani Centers in places like Malaysia, London, Hong Kong, Casablanca, New Jersey, St. Maarteen, Singapore and Jakarta also 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.
