Statue of Rev. Dada J. P. Vaswani’s Statue unveiled on June 4
Pune, June 6; A life-like wax statue of Rev. Dada J. P. Vaswani was unveiled in the Satsang Hall of the Sadhu Vaswani Mission at the hands of Maharaj Rajinder Singh, Spiritual Head, Sawan Kirpal Ruhani Mission, on 4th of June. The place where the statue is placed is where Rev. Dada would sit in attendance and give his discourses to the devotees every day. The statue is placed on a pedestal to the right of Rev. Dada’s Master, Gurudev Sadhu Vaswani.
The program began to the recitation of shlokas from the Man Prabodh and the Sukhmani Sahib. This was followed by a melodious rendition of ‘Aaj Morey Ghar Dada Padhare’. As the bhajans were rendering the divine aura palpable, singers for the day, in their mellifluous voice sang, Swagatam Dada and Sharnagatam Dada which was followed by the Om Gurudeva Kirtan.
As ‘Agam Des Se Aaya’ filled the Satsang Hall with the very presence of Rev. Dada, artificial limbs sewa continued on the sides of the hall. The beneficiaries along with prosthesis were given cash, bath soap, washing soap, coconut oil, toothpaste, towels, napkins, and bedsheet. The needy were given a month’s ration which included cash, rice, moong dal, sugar, tea, poha, suji, kala chana, soybean, sewai, besan, toothpaste, bathing soap, washing soap, coconut oil, cooking oil and flour.
This was followed by the reading of a vachan from the Nuri Granth, a Holy Scripture written by Gurudev Sadhu Vaswani, which gave the message of an awakening today, “Awaken! Arise! O seekers. Let us march towards the feet of saints. They are the jewel of our lives. Let us abide by their feet day and night.”
This was followed by a welcome address extended to all the dignitaries and representatives of spiritual organizations gracing the occasion. An audio-visual of ‘Be love, live love’ was played for the audiences.
The moment of the day had finally arrived, one that of the unveiling of the statue of Rev. Dada J. P. Vaswani. A havan fire was lit by world religion leaders, Gita Shlokas were read out and unveiled at the hands of Maharaj Rajinder Singh, Rev. Dada’s life-like statue stood tall in all its divinity amidst the devotees and attendees.
Soon after, a recorded Upadesh of Rev. Dada was played and the topic was, ‘How to make impossible, I’m possible.’ Rev. Dada said how one must be free from the concept of ‘impossible’. “There is nothing a man cannot do. Swami Vivekananda would say, with God, you can sail through the seas but without God, you cannot cross the threshold. All that is needed is the triple faith. Faith in oneself, the universe around and God. This triple faith can take you anywhere. The power is within you. Release the power, the power of spirit, the power of God. It is a great tragedy that man is unaware of it. Many are the ways of unfolding it. But the simplest is to surrender yourself to God and say to him, ‘Hari me jeso, teso tero,’ accept me. Every morning and if possible at night too sit and silence and try to touch and contact the reality within you. Sink deeper and deeper within you and nothing will be impossible.”
Following this, Maharaj Rajinder Singh spoke a few words wherein he said, “It gives me great pleasure to be present on this auspicious occasion of the unveiling of Rev. Dada’s statue. You might feel it is nearly a year since Dada has moved on, but when I walked in today, I felt him everywhere, I feel him in every one of you. Rev. Dada met everyone with such humility and love; this statue of his acts as a reminder of who he was, ever smiling and ever giving. We must adhere to his teachings, his humility, and his love. He was the light that lit up the lives of many people.
HH the Dalai Lama also sent a message, the extract of which read as “Dadaji lived a remarkably long and meaningful life. Perhaps, the best tribute that we can pay him is for each of us to do whatever we can to create a more peaceful, open and compassionate world by helping those in need.”
The sculptor of the statue, Sunil Kandalloor, was felicitated.
The compere then concluded the event, while extending an invitation to all present for the 1st Mahayagna of Rev. Dada scheduled from 11 July — July 13, 2019.
Dignitaries present at the occasion included government officials, leading academicians, doctors, and senior bank officers.
Dr. K. H. Sancheti, Founder, Sancheti Hospital, Pune said, “Dada is with us and with the statue being unveiled today, we will continue to see him every day. Throughout his life, he has inspired us and will continue to inspire us in the lifetimes to come.”
Thomas Dabre, Bishop of Pune said, “I feel truly honored to be invited to this holy function and for the lighting of the lamp. I have great admiration for Dada. The world is in need of such a leader who is loving, humble and simple.”
Dr. Purvez Grant, Ruby Hall, said, “I feel great to be here, it is a fantastic feeling and given my association that has been for over 30 years, it is all the more special. Dada was, is and will be great.”
Rasavigraha, a representative of ISKCON, said, “He was a great spiritual leader. I believe we need to now remember his teachings and follow his footsteps. This statue is a great tribute and offering to him for decades to come.
The function concluded to serving of langar Prasad- fellowship meal.
About Rev. Dada J. P. Vaswani’s Statue:
Rev. Dada’s statue is a mix of wax and other alloyed materials with 80 percent of it being wax. Sunil Kandalloor, Celebrity Sculptor has worked on the statue and completed it in a record time of one month. Speaking on his experience of working on the statue he said, “I was drawn to Dada, the moment I heard of him. By the grace of God, I had the opportunity to sculpt many saints and I consider it to be my fortune that I could make one of Dada. When I met him and requested that I be allowed to have one sculpture of his at my Wax Museum in Lonavala, he humbly agreed and today, owing to it, I got the opportunity to ready one for the Mission’s Satsang Hall. It’s truly a privilege.”
The statue that has been molded, is one-of-a-kind. All those that have set their eyes upon it experience the divinity it exudes. Commenting on this feature, Kandalloor says, “a lot many have been saying that the statue looks life-like as if he were here. But I know my limitations, I can beautify and sculpt the exterior, the grace that is seen is his miracle.”
