Touch of patriotism at BAPS

BY kOMAL UTSAV JAGAD

As the Indian communities gathered in various parts of the world to celebrate the country’s 67th Independence Day, BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir organised a very special celebration in its newly renovated temple here in Rosehill, Sydney. 500 members of the community joined the celebrations where the Deputy Consul General of India, Dr Vinod Bahade was the guest of honour.

The cultural show of the evening began with a warm welcome by MCs Ketan and Hardik. A passionate speech by Praful Jethwa successfully kindled patriotic vibes amongst all present. Pratik took everyone back to the era of the struggle for India’s independence which was led by true sons of our motherland including revolutionaries like Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhai Patel, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and such others. Given the long struggle undertaken by the revolutionaries and the challenges they overcame, one should say the achievements are truly remarkable.

The BAPS Sydney Kirtan Mandal paid tribute to our heroes with patriotic songs and national anthem acknowledging this achievement.

This patriotic mood complemented the sacrosanct spirit of the temple beautifully, as the deities’ statues shone amidst Indian and Australian flags. The temple was decorated at its best with saffron, white and green balloons reminding everyone of the true essence of the colors in our flag - saffron for courage, white for peace and green for prosperity.

As far and deep as the prosperity of India goes, it is nearly impossible to fully exemplify it; however, the audience was not bereft of a sneak peak at our prosperous heritage and achievements. This came in the form of a quiz that kept the audience intrigued every time the quiz host Mayank shot out a new question. The quiz revolved around subjects like India’s constitution, politics, parliament, freedom struggle, freedom fighters and achievements. The audience excitedly guessed and murmured answers to each other, even as Team A emerged the winners up on stage (well done, Nikhil, Chintan and Rutul).

The dignitaries were then invited for a presentation ceremony and to address the gathering, followed by the aarti. Deputy Consul General of India, Dr Vinod Bahade in his address acknowledged Swaminarayan Mandir’s efforts in organising cultural events and activities all over the world and opening windows for the world to our culture and heritage.

BAPS Sydney’s Public Relations Coordinator, Yogi Savania said that the event was to recognise the glorious history of India, its culture and traditions and was inspired by Param Pujya Pramukh Swami Maharaj.

“As Australia charts its progress in the Asian century, it is critical that the historical contribution of India to civilization as a whole is not overlooked,” Mr Savania added.

Although it was a celebration of India’s liberation, it was also time for a reality check. A video on Indian civilization was played to portray how our country evolved from the Mughal era to the British raj and ultimately the freedom struggle and independence. The concluding message in the video left everyone with critical thoughts.

Paradoxically, the term ‘independence’ still remains a subjective issue as there are still many glitches from which our country needs to be liberated.

Thinking about these, everyone sang a heartfelt national anthem. The prasad, our very famous pav bhaji and lassi came right in time to lighten everyone’s spirits. Isn’t it said, “Assi, tussi aur lassi banaye hassi” i.e. good company with the right drink can only create happiness! There of course was no other better way to conclude the formalities, as everyone hailed Lord Swaminarayan.