Mumbai: Some quiet amidst chaos

The Sadhu Vaswani Mission of Mumbai held an inauguration of an installation at Sadhu T L Vaswani Marg outside Gate No 7 of the World Trade Centre WTC near S B Somani Garden on a thoughtful Thursday eveningThe inaugural function kicked off the upcoming beautification of the Marg starting with the installation of a monument of Sadhu T L Vaswani Followers and many residents who gathered at the inauguration spot which was prepared with a dais and chairs for the audience besides a bedecked monument stated ldquoIt does not register for many that this is Sadhu T L Vaswani Marg because of the small signboardNow with this installation at the corner this will be noticed we think by many more people It may also act as a starting point to spark curiosity for an awareness and understanding of some of his teachingsrdquoA landmarkJai Motiani secretary amp trustee Sadhu Vaswani Mission Mumbai Centre said ldquoThere were a few teachings like lsquoChildren of the Earth ye all are onersquo and lsquoif you want to have peace spread peace all aroundrsquo plus lsquoservice of the poor is worship of the Lordrsquo in English Marathi and Hindi on three sides of the monument as the bedrock of his teachings Dada Vaswani who took over after T L Vaswani continued spreading his message and carried on the philosophy He has a book out titled lsquopeace or perishrsquo and this should resonate in todayrsquos strife torn worldrdquoFor Motiani the awakening came he said when ldquoDadaji was walking down Worli Seaface years ago and I happened to be there I had just met him once earlier for a few seconds in Pune and yet he put a hand on my head calling me by my name and blessed me That is when I realised you may not need to find your guru your guru eventually finds yourdquoGood mixBella Shah activistorganiser added about the location ldquoThis initiative is a perfect mix of the civic and spiritual We hope it becomes a symbol of togetherness of communities as peace and unity is at the core of the teachings This is also the beginning of a planned upliftbeautification of the entire Marg starting from here and stretching to the end of the roadrdquo she said indicating the entire areaSocial worker Navnath Lalge added ldquoIn the hurlyburly of life this may become a spot of quiet contemplation and introspection We see employees rushing to their workplace or home Visitors are seen searching for transport during peak hours This installation may remind us that outwardly we all are on different journeys but the most important one is the journey withinrdquo he saidPets privilegePost bhajans which had set the audience clapping in sync there was a burst of applause as former corporator Makarand Narwekar took the mic Narwekar made a point about the site terming it ldquoParticularly apt as it stands next to S B Somani Garden This garden is one of the few pet parks in the city and in that respect fully aligned with the philosophy of being good to animalsrdquo he reminded Former corporator Harshita Narwekar added that she had ldquoGrown up listening to Dada Vaswanirsquos teachingsrdquoChief guest Didi Krishna Kumari global head Sadhu Vaswani Mission highlighted three teachings to the audience which was to ldquoLive in the world and enjoy the world but do not become attached Live as a pilgrim or a traveller Then accept what life gives you problems are not stopping stones but stepping stones and finally save the planet Plants and animals are necessary to maintain ecological equilibriumrdquo she ended as the sun slipped away too perhaps to mull over a thought provoking Thursday