Spiritual leaders from across traditions to gather in Mumbai this week
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Spiritual leaders from across traditions to gather in Mumbai this week")
Spiritual leaders from across traditions to gather in Mumbai this week Photograph: (X)
Spiritual gatherings often bring together people with different traditions, practices and approaches to faith, creating spaces for dialogue, reflection and community. A two-day event planned for September will bring several spiritual leaders and thousands of attendees together, while also focusing on service and community initiatives.
Spiritual gatherings often bring together people with different traditions, practices and approaches to faith, creating spaces for dialogue, reflection and community. A two-day event planned for September will bring several spiritual leaders and thousands of attendees together, while also focusing on service and community initiatives.
The gathering, titled Aho Gurudev, is scheduled for September 25 and 26 at the Jio World Convention Centre, where Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshji, founder of Shrimad Rajchandra Mission Dharampur, will mark his 60th birth anniversary. According to the organisers, the event will bring together spiritual figures from different traditions, including Pujya Morari Bapu, Pujya Anandmurti Gurumaa of Rishi Chaitanya Ashram, Pujya Swami Swaroopananda of Chinmaya Mission, Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji Maharaj of Parmarth Niketan, Brahma Kumari Sister Shivani, Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati of Parmarth Niketan and Pujya Bhikkhu Sanghasena of the Mahabodhi International Meditation Centre.
Thousands expected to attend
The organisers expect around 12,000 people to attend each day, with participants travelling from around 23 countries. Senior political leaders, industrialists and people from different professional backgrounds are also expected to attend, according to the organisers. The two-day programme is scheduled to include the announcement of 60 initiatives, with 30 focused on spiritual activities and 30 on service-oriented work.
Young devotees to take formal vows
One of the events planned for the second day will involve young devotees from different parts of the world taking Atmarpit Diksha, a formal vow of celibacy and commitment to spiritual pursuit and service. The closing programme will feature a musical based on the life of Gurudevshri Rakeshji. According to the organisers, the production has been written and performed by around 600 devotees and will use LED projections as part of its staging.
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Health initiatives to be launched
The organisation also plans to formally launch two health-related initiatives during the programme. The first, Vision Care, is aimed at providing free eye check-ups and spectacles. The second, the Anaemia Mitigation Programme, focuses on diagnosis, awareness and efforts to address anaemia. The mission says its spiritual and service programmes have reached millions of people over the past year. This figure is an organisational claim.
Who is Gurudevshri Rakeshji?
According to Shrimad Rajchandra Mission Dharampur, Rakeshji was born in Mumbai on September 26, 1966. The organisation says he began meditating for extended periods at the age of four and experienced a three-day meditative state at the age of eight after seeing an image of Shrimad Rajchandraji, the 19th-century Jain philosopher associated with the mission's spiritual tradition. He later completed an M.A. in Philosophy with a gold medal. In 1998, he was awarded a doctorate by the University of Mumbai for research on Shri Atmasiddhi Shastra, a text attributed to Shrimad Rajchandraji. He was also later conferred an honorary Doctor of Divinity by the Claremont School of Theology.
Rakeshji founded Shrimad Rajchandra Mission Dharampur in 1994. The organisation says its work is based on spiritual development and service to others.
From healthcare to animal welfare
The mission's headquarters, Shrimad Rajchandra Ashram in Dharampur, South Gujarat, has developed into a centre for several service activities. According to the organisation, the campus includes a charitable multi-speciality hospital with around 250 beds serving rural communities. An upcoming university, Shrimad Rajchandra Sarvamangal University, is also planned at the site.
The organisation also runs animal welfare initiatives and says these have provided care to more than five lakh animals. A 150-bed animal hospital is currently under construction, according to the mission.
A Centre of Excellence for Women opened at the campus in December.
A global network
The mission says its activities now extend beyond its Dharampur headquarters, with 136 centres across six continents. Its programmes cover areas including healthcare, education, humanitarian assistance, animal welfare and women's development, according to the organisation. The September gathering is also expected to begin a year-long programme of activities. According to the organisers, programmes will continue across cities in India and abroad through September 2027. The two-day event will therefore serve as the opening programme for a longer series of activities centred on spiritual gatherings and service initiatives.
