A Grand Shobha Yatra organized on the occasion of Rishi Bodh Utsav

 200th Birth Anniversary of Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati celebrated

Amritsar, February 17 (Punjab Post Bureau) – Under the benevolent leadership and gracious blessings of Padma Shree Arya Ratan Dr. Punam Suri ji, President DAV CMC, New Delhi, APP Sabha, New Delhi, and Chairman of the school, and the auspices of APP Up Sabha, Punjab and Kendriya Arya Sabha, Shakti Nagar, Amritsar Rishi Bodh Utsav was organized on February 15, 2023  to commemorate the 200th birth anniversary of Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati, the great saint, scholar, social reformer, and founder of Arya Samaj.

The auspicious onset of the pious celebration began with the Havan Yagya held in the premises of  DAV Public School Lawrence, Road, Amritsar. Justice Pritam Pal ji Vice-President DAV CMC, New Delhi was the Yajman and the Chief Guest of the day. Dr. J.P. Shoor ji, Director PS(I) and Aided Schools and president APP Up Sabha Punjab; Dr. Neelam Kamra Regional Officer Punjab Zone-A and Secretary APP Up Sabha, Punjab;  Dr. Pushpinder Walia Principal BBK DAV Public School and Manager of the school, Swami Shradhanand, Dr. Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh MLA (North), Dr. Ajay Gupta M.L.A (Central), Sh.Sandeep Rishi Commissioner Municipal Corporation, Jagjit Singh Walia AIG NRI Cell Amritsar, Ex. MLA Prof. Laxmikant Chawla, Kanav Mittal, Advocate Sudarshan Kapoor Chairman LMC, Mrs. Nirmal Gupta, Inderpal Arya,  along with Principals of DAV institutions from all over Punjab, LMC members, Arya Samaj members, and other dignitaries, marked their presence on this auspicious occasion  to seek the prime blessings of Almighty.

After the havan all the dignitaries walked around the 5 thoughtfully prepared and displayed stalls by different DAV Institutions based on Arya Samaj and Arya Saints and Scholars; Swami Virjanand, Mahatma Hansraj Ji, Swami Dayanand, Mahatma Anand Swami and Arya Samaj showcasing their the awe inspiring life, ideology and preachings. This was followed by the unfurling of the ‘Om Dhawaj, symbolizing knowledge, elimination of darkness and spread of light.  Before the Yatra Justice Pritam Pal ji honoured the dignitaries for their praiseworthy contribution to Arya Samaj. The honoured dignitaries included Swami Shradanand, Principals of DAV institutions, Traffic Incharges Anup and Kakkar. Thereafter, Principal Dr. Pushpinder Walia presented the sacred Vedas to Esteemed Chief Guest Justice Pritam Pal Ji for the Ved Sawari following which the Shobha Yatra was flagged off by him.

The attraction of the procession included the dholi, banners, horse riders, Saptrishi, the Yajna sawari, Ved rath, bhajan mandali accompanied by a spectacular cavalcade of tableaus prepared by different DAV institutions of Punjab. These tableaus highlighted important social issues like child labour, water conservation, save & teach girl child, blood donation, energy conservation, the evil of dowry, conservation of the environment, drug abuse, and clean and healthy India, with the aim of spreading awareness among the masses.

Justice Pritam Pal expressed his joy at everyone’s eagerness to work for the development of society. “Swami Dayanand Saraswati, in addition to being a great educator and social reformer, was a great soldier whose teachings resonated strongly with India’s freedom struggle.

The Regional Officer Punjab Zone-A Dr. Neelam Kamra and Dr. Pushpinder Walia Principal BBK DAV College Amritsar and Manager of the School emphasized Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati’s contribution to education.

The programme was a huge success with the enthusiastic presence and participation of office bearers of Arya Samaj from almost all regions of Punjab, Principal Dr. Amardeep Gupta, Principal Dr. Anju Mehta, Principal Dr. Rajesh Kumar, Principal Dr. Ajay Sareen, Principal Dr. Vijay Grover, Principal Dr. Anjana Gupta, Dr. Neera Sharma and other dignitaries.