Highlights:  (click on a link to go to that section): Bhagwat Katha by Pujya Indira Betiji (Jiji Visit to Cuddalore -- site of tsunami orphanage Pujya Swamiji is awarded the Bharat Vikas Parishad's Utkrishtata Samman Aarward Pujya Swamiji with Hon'ble Chief Minister & Hon'ble Governor  Release of book of mantras, shlokas and prayers Final rites puja for Late Dr. LM Singvhiji With Shri Mittalji Wisdom Tree Function in Delhi At the home of Shri Advaniji Lions' Club Function in Delhi Diwali on banks of Ganga Two divine weddings The Rishikumars perform Krishna-Leela Pujya Swami Hansdasji's function in Haridwar Pujya Swami Ramdevji's bhoomi puja function Upcoming Events: INTERNATIONAL YOGA FESTIVAL: MARCH 1-7, '08 INVITATION:  New Year's on the Banks of Ganga Conference on Yoga and Ayurveda - Feb. 20-25, 2008 Download your beautiful 2008 Weekly calendar here.

CLICK HERE TO READ/DOWNLOAD THE FULL 14-PAGE NEW YEAR  NEWSLETTER OF INDIA HERITAGE RESEARCH FOUNDATION -- READ ABOUT ALL THE UPDATES ON ALL OUR NUMEROUS PROJECTS INCLUDING TSUNAMI RELIEF, MANSAROVAR/KAILASH ASHRAMS, GURUKUL AND THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF HINDUISM

September 30 - October 8 -- Rishikesh

Pujya Goswami Indirabetiji (Pujya Jiji) came to Parmarth Niketan where she delivered divine Bhagwat Katha. 

A beautiful stage and tent were erected on the banks of Mother Ganga. For 10 days, the divine song and sounds of Bhagwan Krishna filled the air of the ashram.

Pujya Swamiji and Pujya Jiji walk into the beautiful tent for the katha

	Pujya Swamiji and Pujya Jiji light the inaugural lamp and perform puja

 

	Pujya Swamiji puts the sacred tilak on Pujya Jiji at the Ganga Yagna and Aarti

 

Also, Pujya Ba, the mother of Pujya Sant Shri Rameshbhai Oza, came to Parmarth at the same time, to have Pujya Swamiji's darshan and to perform Ganga Aarti.

On the final day, several revered saints and special guests came, including Pujya Swami Chinmayanandji, head of the Haridwar ashram.

 (left): Pujya Swamiji and Pujya Swami Chinmayanandji garland Pujya Jiji.
(right): Pujya Jiji and the Katha organizers present Pujya Swamiji with a special plaque as a special honor.

On Pujya Jiji's last day we took her to Veerpur to show her the beautiful pristine land and the gurukul that is running there.  She blessed all the rishikumars as well as the sevaks and local villagers with prasad.

October 8 -- Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu,

A special trip was made back down to the site of the orphanage/school the Foundation has built for the tsunami orphans.   Sadhvi Bhagwati, Mrs. Alka Pandya and Paavani Tandon traveled there to show the facilities to a group of 18 divine souls who had come in from USA. The group came from USA on behalf of the Patel Foundation, who were the major donors -- along with Smt. Bellaben and Shri Yogeshbhai Patel -- of this divine project. . A beautiful program took place where the children performed songs and dances for the guests. Everyone was very happy and impressed. Also, Sadhvi Bhagwati met with the District Collector to chalk out plans for the continued running of the facility.

Following the program in Cuddalore, everyone drove to Chennai where a meeting and high tea had been arranged at Raj Bhavan with H.E. the Honorable Governor of Tamil Nadu, Shri Surjit Singh Barnalaji.

The orphanage, which was inaugurated on the 12 May by the hands of H.H. Pujya Swamiji and H.E. Shri Surjit Singh Barnalaji, Governor of Tamil Nadu, includes dormitory facilities, school rooms, a computer center, medical room, beautiful kitchen and dining facilities, a vocational training center and more. It has been built on the same land as the previously existing home for approximately 200 widowed/abandoned ladies, which we also beautified. In this way, the orphaned children will receive, in addition to the staff, mothers, aunts, grandmothers and older sisters; the ladies will receive the priceless gift of caring for orphaned children. IHRF has also built a vocational training center for the ladies, and the new huge dining/kitchen facilities are shared by both the children and the ladies.

The Foundation has also completed the reconstruction of villages Pannithittu and Pattincheri in Pondicherry, totaling over 350 homes. Pannithittu was inaugurated in December 2005 by the hands of the Honorable Governors of Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry and Uttarakhand. Pattincheri, sponsored by Shri LN Mittal of London, was inaugurated in April 2007.

	The outside of one wing of the new orphanage complex

(left): the ladies from the center await the guests' arrival;
(right): the head of the center requests Sigrid Tidmore and the other guests to taste the children's lunch!

Everyone morning begins with prayer

	Bedrooms with brand new sheets, pillows, mattresses and blankets..... a fully equipped medical clinic with sick beds, a wheelchair, stretcher, all necessary medicines and doctor's table and equipment

	(left) computer center; (right) huge auditorium and multipurpose hall

Madam Padmavati (the center-in-charge) and Sadhvi Bhagwati address the gathering

(left) Alka Pandyaji and Paavani Tandon give Sigrid special birthday presents
as her birthday fell on the same day as the program
(right): Sadhvi Bhagwati with orphan children

The children watch the program in their multipurpose hall

The group in front of the computer center and vocational training center.
 

The whole group with His Excellency and Smt. Gariyaliji, the private secretary to the Honorable Governor and also the former relief commissioner, during the time of the tsunami.

October 12 - 21 -- Rishikesh , India

Following Pujya Indira Betiji's katha, there was another divine katha.   Again the area on the banks of Mother Ganga was filled with the sound and the energy of Bhagwan Krishna

 

October 14 - -- Delhi , India

Pujya Swamiji was the recipient of the Bharat Vikas Parishad's First Utkrishtata Samman. The following is the report given by Bharat Vikas Parishad:

Bharat Vikas Parishad awards its  first Utkrishtata Samman 2006-07 to two great saints of India.  A function to honour them was held  in New Delhi on Sunday, the 14th October 2007. The Award has been constituted in the memory of Parishad's Founder Secretary General Dr. Suraj Prakash.   

The two saints who shared the first year's award were His Holiness Swami Chidanand Saraswati who is the President and spiritual head of Parmarth Niketan, Rishikesh (Uttrakhand) and Shri Raghaveshwara Bharathi Swami, the present pontiff of Shri Ramachandrapura Math, Gokarna (Karnataka). Both the saints have contributed greatly to Bharatiya Culture and have worked ceaselessly for its propagation in Bharat and abroad.

	Nominations received from all over the country were considered by the Selection Committee which was headed by (late) Dr. L.M. Singhvi.
	Pujya Swamiji receives the prestigious Utkrishtata Samman

To read the full report in Hindi please see:  http://www.bvpindia.com/images/utkrista_01.pdf

 

Pujya Swamiji and Pujya Shri Raghaveshwara Bharathi Swamiji light the inaugural lamp.

Pujya Swamiji delivers His address

October 15 - -- Rishikesh , India

Pujya Swamiji was the Chief Guest, along with His Excellency the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand at the function of the Uttarakhand Journalists Association.  Pujya Swamiji gave a beautiful talk about the power of the media. "The media should aim not only to bring sensation but also to bring serentity, spirituality and a divine smile!" He applauded the work that many of the journalists were doing to spread the divine messages of this holy land.

October 15 -- Dehradun , India

His Excellency, Shri Sudarshan Agarwal the former Governor of Uttarakhand, opened a wonderful school for impoverished girls. Although the school had been running for a couple of years, the official inaugural function was held on the eve of His Excellency's departure from Utttarakhand to Sikkhim. It was a beautiful function where the young girl students, who came from illiterate families recited poems in both fluent Hindi as well as fluent English! Their articulation, poise and pronunciation were excellent, and everyone was very impressed at this first class school for girls who otherwise would not have had a chance.

(left): Pujya Swamiji addresses the gathering of students, dignitaries and government officials
(right): The Honorable Governor addresses the gathering

Pujya Swamiji spoke about how deeply impressed He is by the Honorable Governor's dedication to the
less fortunate and needy sections of society, particularly the impoverished girls.

October  16 -- Rishikesh, India

Mrs. Usha Shahra of Indore (wife of Shri Santosh Shahra) compiled a beautiful book of all the mantras, shlokas and chants that our young rishikumars learn into one beautiful book filled with Pujya Swamiji's photographs and inspiring sayings. The book was officially released on the 16th October.

The first copies are presented to two of the young rishikumars.

October 20 -- Rishikesh

On October 6, the world lost truly a great soul. Dr. L.M. Singhviji, a renowned jurist, philosopher, writer and thinker as well s the former ambassador from India to UK left his Earthly body.  Click here to read a beautiful piece written on Dr. Singhviji's life published in the Indian Express by Shri Sudheendra Kulkarni.

Dr. Singhviji and his entire family have been very close to Pujya Swamiji for many years, as Pujya Swamiji and Dr.Singhviji were together on innumerable occasions at international interfaith gatherings including the first opening of Russia at the Kremlin by Gorbachav when a few top leaders from across the world were called to witness the historic moment. 

On October 20, Dr. Singhviji's family came to Parmarth Niketan in Rishikesh to perform his final rites (ash immersion) puja.

Late Beloved and respected Dr. Singhviji's ashes are immersed in Ganga by his son Abhishek and daughter Abhilasha.

 

	Special prayers are chanted on the banks of Mother Ganga.

 

November 3 -- Delhi:

A special program was held in Delhi at the Ashoka Hotel where Pujya Swamiji gave a beautiful discourse on the true meaning and significance of Diwali, sponsored and organized by Wisdom Tree Publications. Wisdom Tree has published Pujya Swamiji's book titled Drops of Nectar. Click here for Wisdom Tree's site.  This divine book is also available through Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble.com It's a truly beautiful book filled with divine wisdom for so many aspects of our life.

In honor of the book release, Pujya Swamiji gave a beautiful talk on the meaning of Diwali. Click here  to see the article as it was published in the Financial Times. The program also included Vedic chanting led by Sadhvi Abha Saraswati and the rishikumars of Parmarth Gurukul, and meditation led by Sadhvi Bhagwati Saraswati.

 

Pujya Swamiji gives His divine lecture and then releases the book with Shri Shobit Aryaji,
Publisher of Wisdom Tree

November 3 -- Delhi:

After the program at the Ashoka Hotel, Pujya Swamiji visited the home of Shri LK Advaniji where they had divine discussions on so many positive plans and projects for the betterment of Mother India and Her people.

		The Rishikumars are so happy to receive Shri Advaniji's blessings and they present him with flowers.

 

Pujya Swamiji with Shri Advaniji, his divine wife, and daughter Pratibhaji and also Shri Sudheendra Kulkarniji.

November 3 -- Delhi:

Shri Mohanlal Mittal, the respected, wise and truly dediatd father of Shri Lakshmi Niwas Mittal, and the founder of Ispat Steel, was in Delhi on he 3rd (from his home in London).  Shri Mittalji is very close to Pujya Swamiji and they frequently meet to discuss ways of bringing peace to the world, particularly through education and the youth. Shri Mittalji had been the sponsor of the United Nations Global Youth Peace Summit in New York in 2006.  As Pujya Swamiji was in Delhi on the 3rd for His function at the Ashoka Hotel, He and Shri Mittalji spent some time together discussing these issues of peace, intrfaith farmony, education and programs for cleaning and bettering the Himalayas.

 

	While talking, they also enjoyed the beautiful dancing water fountain display which flowed in tune to the sound of traditional Vedic mantras and chants.

 

 

November 4 -- Delhi:

Pujya Swamiji was the Chief Guest at the Lion's Club function on the importance of Vegetarianism. The function was also graced by the presence of several dignitaries and experts on the topic.

	Pujya Swamiji is felicitated by the Lion's Club Governor and Shri KD Bahetiji.

 

 

November 7-- Rishikesh

A beautiful couple came from Russia and wanted to undergo the sacred mundan ceremony. They requested Pujya Swamiji if our rishikumars could perform the ceremony with His blessings. After assessing thir sincerity, He agreed and their mundan ceremony was performed on the banks of Ganga. Afterwards they came to Pujya Swamiji for HIs blessings. Click here for the meaning of mundan and other sacred sanskaras

 

Pujya Swamiji gave them beautiful blessings and a divine message on how to live in a pure, pious, dedicated and divine way. 

 

November 9 -- Rishikesh:

The joyous occasion of Diwali was celebrated with great bliss and piety on the banks of Mother Ganga. We had a special Lakshmi puja following by Ganga aarti.  In the night, the young rishikumars lit fireworks and played with sparklers! The entire ashram was filled with brightly burning oil lamps.  Click here to listen to Pujya Swamiji give His Diwali message (in Hindi)

 

 

	Divine puja takes place;  Maha Lakshmi in all Her glory!

Also on the holy day of Diwali, a special CD was released. Prepared by Divine Soul Jeetubhai Khagram of London, it is an audio CD that includes the Ganga Aarti, Hanuman Chalisa, sankirtan, beautiful bhajans and Vedic mantras, all led by Pujya Swamiji! The CD was prepared in honor of the memory of Jeetubhai's beloved brother, Harishbhai Girdharlal Khagram, who passed away at too young of an age.