Pune Hosts Annual Rath Yatra Celebrating Saint Sadhu Vaswani’s 145th Birth Anniversary
Pune Hosts Annual Rath Yatra Celebrating Saint Sadhu Vaswani's 145th Birth Anniversary
Sadhu Vaswani Mission held its 58th Annual Rath Yatra on 23rd November in Pune to mark the 145th birth anniversary of Saint Sadhu Vaswani.
A tradition since 1966, it drew participants from around the world walking for ahimsa & animal rights.
T he procession started at 5 PM from Sadhu Vaswani Mission, and went through the streets in Pune Camp and ended by 8 PM back at the Mission.
The highlight of the yatra was the rath, a custom-made, spaceship-like vehicle featuring a lifelike statue of Sadhu Vaswani and a standee of Dada JP Vaswani. The race was taken through the streets, covering a 5-kilometer stretch through Pune Camp. The streets came alive with devotion and purpose as Didi Krishna Kumari, Head of Sadhu Vaswani Mission, led the yatra and distributed prasad to the participants and passerbys .
The procession included floats showcasing various messages of compassion & floats with singers singing bhajans and kirtans , with hundreds of people walking and chanting along in the yatra.
Two halts were made at Pudumjee Compound and Kohinoor Hotel. Recorded talk of Dada JP Vaswani w as played to inspire the gathering. Speaking at the halts, Didi Krishna emphasized Sadhu Vaswani’s message of love and compassion for all beings and urged people to observe Meatless Day on 25th November. She also stated that a vegetarian diet is the best option for natural health and healing.
One of the participants, Bina from Mauritius said, “It was a soulful journey that spiritually uplifted me. It’s an out of the world experience.”
About the Rath Yatra:
The rath yatra is an annual pilgrim procession since 1966. It is held in the city of Pune to commemorate Sadhu Vaswani’s birthday and spread his message of compassion and love for all beings .
Sadhu Vaswani was a saint who advocated animal rights and ahimsa as a step towards world peace. The rath yatra takes about 3 hours, going through a total of 5 kms. The r oute of the procession is from Sadhu Vaswani Mission to Sadhu Vaswani Chowk , onwards via the streets and landmarks of – Council Hall – Poona Club – Hotel Sagar plaza – Dorabjee – Hotel S upriya – Rahim Petrol Pump – Cycle Society – Quarter Gate – Irwin Road – Padumjee Gate Police Chowky – Padumjee Compound – Nishat talkies – Agarwal Colony – Babajan Chowk – RSKedari Road – Bhopala Chowk – Mahatma Gandhi road – Aurora Towers – Dorabjee Store – Nehru Memorial Hall – Sadhu Vaswani Kunj – Shanti Kunj – Prem Kutir and concluding at Sadhu Vaswani’s Sacred Samadhi in Sadhu Vaswani Mission.
