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- Published: November 28, 2022 18:05
New Delhi: Preparations are in full swing for the centenary celebrations of Pramukh Swami Maharaj in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad, slated for next month. The occasion will see lakhs of devotees & followers of Swaminarayan Sampradaya descending to the town and becoming part of the one-of-its kind spiritual gathering.
More than 5 lakh children are likely to take part in the centenary celebrations of Pramukh Swami Maharaj, where they will be taught management lessons and will also be groomed on how to become successful management leader.
A children city has been developed here with ‘Adventure land’ as one of its biggest attractions. Lakhs of children are likely to participate in various competitions & sports activities that have been set up at the Children’s city.
It may be noted that the Bochanswami Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) first ventured into the children’s space by opening ‘Children’s Chapter’ in 1954. Pramukh Swami Maharaj, having strong affinity & liking for children, worked continuously to educate them about values & ideals of life. He always said that children are the future generation and advocated for inculcating good values in them. From year 1992-1995, the BAPS started organizing exhibitions & festivals for children.
This year marks a special emphasis on children as a dedicated Children’s city has been established here. More than 5 lakh children are likely to gather for the event. About 10,000 children volunteered every week to erect this city. When children visit the city during centenary celebrations, they will be taught management lessons & tips by these kids & also management gurus. Their parents would also be counseled about developing a new-age child-parent equation and also how to inculcate good values in them.
About BAPS ‘Children’s City’ in Ahmedabad
An enormous ‘Children’s city’ has been erected over a sprawling area of 17 acres. The roadmap for a dedicated city for children was laid two years ago and the construction work for this began in July this year. The Children’s city is equipped with many facilities & spiritual centres and it will provide them a wholesome learning experience not just about life skills but also about spiritualism.
Children’s Gardens is one of the major highlights of the sprawling city. These 2 gardens have been built at the entrance gate of the city.
Here, the children will get informed & enlightened about the teachings & preachings of Pramukh Swami Maharaj as well as Mahant Swami Ji Maharaj of the BAPS. Also, they will learn how the Swaminarayan Sanstha has been contributing in making life more meaningful & inclined to spiritualism.
Special messages emanating from Children’s City
At all the four corners of Children’s City, large sculptures of animals along with kids have been installed to make deep understanding of a successful life. Elephant denotes colossal structure but message is to stay vegetarian, Giraffe signifies long height but message is keep your thoughts & opinion high, Rhinocerous denotes strength but underlying message is to be strong but calm at heart, Lion is about ferociousness and so is the message that one should be steadfast & ferocious in one’s thoughts & beliefs.
A couple of idols have also been erected here, which signify India’s rich cultural & glorious past. There are idols of Dhruv, Prahlad, Bharat, Shravan Kumar, Mirabai, Shabari, Gargi & Sitaji and they will garner attention of all visitors descending for the centenary celebrations. All these idols weigh about 1200 to 1500 kg each.
An exhibition named ‘Great Escape’ has also been built here which will take people on the self-discovery path and will help re-discover life & various facets of life with new vision.
Pramukh Swami Maharaj’s message to his followers for success in life was – Hard work coupled with prayers. He always said that if someone does hard work with honesty and with full determination, he/she is bound to succeed in his/her endeavours. This mantra of success will resonate all across the city and will also be conveyed to devotees & visitors via exhibitions & documentaries.
