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Kripabindu Bhattacharjee and his mother Poornima Devi at Rabindra Bhavan in Jamshedpur on Sunday. (Bhola Prasad)
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Jamshedpur is celebrating the age-old, trusted guru-shishya bond.
The three-day Guru Purnima Mahotsav kicked off at Kadma-based Brahmolokdham, a unit of Beldih Kalibari and founded by Bharatiya Yugavashistha Brahmananda Sangha, on Sunday.
About 2,000 members of the sangha — which organises the festival — along with 500 outstation members, have congregated for the celebrations. Bharatiya Yugavashistha Brahmananda Sangha is a religious outfit founded by Srimad Brahmananda Shastri, the former head priest of Beldih Kalibari.
This is the 21st year of the mahotsav. Kripabindu Bhattacharjee, Srimad Brahmananda Shastri’s elder son and president of the sangha, delivered the inaugural address at Rabindra Bhavan.
“My father taught us to love all and sacrifice ego. For gurudakshina, he never asked for material things, but urged us all to sacrifice one’s ego, hatred and be peace-loving. Before every Guru Purnima, he used to be concerned about all devotees. Today, I hope everyone of us remembers his preaching and implement them in their personal lives,” said Kripabindu Bhattacharjee, president of the sangha.
The sangha’s managing trustee and Srimad Brahmananda Shastri’s younger son, Monu Bhattacharjee, said devotees from different branches — Delhi, Calcutta, Mumbai, Indore, Raipur, Varanasi, Muzaffarpur Cuttack, Puri and Ranchi — had poured in.
“Guru Purnima is celebration of the pious and divine relationship between guru and his disciples. We gather to renew our bonds around this time every year,” said Monu Bhattacharjee.
The festivities kicked off with the flag hoisting ceremony followed by hymns, spiritual discourses and cultural programmes.
The occasion also saw Poornima Devi, wife of Srimad Brahmananda Shastri, releasing Bharatiya Yugavashistha Brahmananda Sangha’s annual souvenir, an audio CD with mantras, a book and a photo of herself and Brahmananda Shastri. The CDs and photos will be distributed for free among the members.
A 45-minute documentary titled Baba ka Kashi, made by the Varanasi branch of the sangha, was screened. The documentary is based on Brahmanand Shastri and how he loved Varanasi as Guru Purnima was first celebrated there.
Performances were presented by members of Delhi and Varanasi branches. The Delhi branch presented a drama titled Aatma Samarpit Vivekananda while the Varanasi wing enacted Bharat Milap.
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