World leaders come together on the banks of the holy Ganges river to pledge a commitment to preserving and protecting the environment
In honor of the 60th Jayanti (birthday) Celebration of His Holiness Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswati, President of Parmarth Niketan Ashram, Rishikesh (Himalayas), Founder of Ganga Action Parivar, Founder/Chairman of India Heritage Research Foundation
On November 2nd-3rd, 2012, Parmarth Niketan Ashram hosted a huge interfaith gathering with the top leaders of the world’s religions who came together in the name of Environmental Protection for World Peace. Leaders of Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, Islam, Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism and Bahai from India and from across the world joined together to discuss the crucial role that religious/spiritual leaders need to play in protecting and preserving our environment.
Revered religious/spiritual leaders, distinguished dignitaries and industrialists, politicians from both major parties and Bollywood celebrities came together, on this momentous occasion, to join hands on the banks of Mother Ganga, and pledge themselves to the cause of Environmental Protection and Preservation.
A three-day Mahayagna on the banks of Mother Ganga, for world peace and environmental protection, was held, beginning on the morning of the 1st and concluding with the purnahuti on the morning of the 3rd.
On the 2nd of November, in addition to the yagna, famous drummer Sivamani gave a special drumming concert in the evening, attended by distinguished guests and revered saints.
The main Environmental Protection for World Peace event took place on the evening of November 3rd. After decades of multi-faceted humanitarian and charitable projects for the poor, underprivileged and sick, Pujya Swamiji has dedicated Himself now fully to the preservation and protection of Mother Ganga, for which He founded Ganga Action Parivar.
November 3rd began with the purnahuti of the 60 sacred Mahayagnas on the banks of Mother Ganga, for world peace and environmental protection, followed by a sacred snan in Mother Ganga to the sound of Vedic mantra chanting. In the evening, national and international leaders of all major religions as well as esteemed leaders of both the BJP and Congress parties, renowned dignitaries and Bollywood stars came together in the name of Environmental Protection for World Peace. Each esteemed guest spoke on the importance of protecting our Mother Earth, and how it indeed relates to world peace, inspiring all present to take up the cause. Furthermore, the event was broadcast live throughout India and throughout the world, thus their crucial message of environmental protection and unity reached into the homes and hearts of millions around the world.
The event culminated with the signing of an MOU to bring thousands of bio-toilets to the banks of Mother Ganga as part of the Clean Ganga Initiative between FICCI, DRDO, and Ganga Action Parivar.
The evening concluded with a special music performance by famous Bollywood singers MunMun Ratta, Navraj Hans, Parvez Peji and Alam Khan.
Esteemed Religious/Spiritual Leaders who attended the event included:
- Pujya Morari Bapuji – World famous speaker on the scriptures
- Pujya Rameshbhai Ozaji (Bhaishri) – World famous speaker on the scriptures
- Pujya Shri Imam Umar Ahmed Ilyasiji – President, All India Imams Organization
- Pujya Dr. Kalbe Sadiq Sahib – Senior V. President, All India Muslim Law Board
- M.M. Pujya Swami Satyamitranandji – Bharat Mata Mandir
- Hon’ble Dr. Rabbi David Rosen C.B.E. – Former Chief Rabbi of Ireland, Advisor to the Chief Rabbinate of Israel
- Pujya Shankarcharya Swami Divyanand Teerthji – Shankarcharya, Bhanpura Peeth
- Pujya Sant Jaggi Vasudevji – Isha Foundation
- Pujya Acharya Sudhanshuji Maharaj – Vishwa Jagriti Mission
- His Grace Archbishop Vincent Concessao – Archbishop of Delhi
- Pujya Dr. Pranav Pandyaji – Shantikunj and Gayatri Parivar
- Pujya Chief Jathedar Sahibji Giani Gurubachan Singhji – Chief Jathedar, Golden Temple Head, Akal Takhat Sahib
- M.M. Pujya Swami Gurusharananandji
- Sri Shivrarathri Deshikendra Mahaswami (Suttur Swamiji) – Pontiff, Suttur Math
- Pujya Brahmachari Brahmaswarupji
- Pujya Sadhvi Ritambharaji
- Pujya Swami Agniveshji
- Pujya Acharya Lokesh Muniji
- Pujya Sant Seechewal Balbir Singhji – En Onkar Charitable Organisation
- Pujya Swami Madhavpriyadasji – Swaminarayan Gurukul, Ahmedabad
- Pujya Dr. Acharya Balkrishnaji – Ahimsa Vishwabharati
- Pujya Sumedha Theroji – Mahabodhi Society, Sarnath
- Shri Dewan Sahib Syed Zainul – Ajmer Sharif
- Pujya Mahant Ravindra Puriji
- Pujya Swami Govind Giriji
- Pujya Swami Harinarayanandji
- Pujya M.M. Swami Asanganandji
- Pujya Vivek Muniji – Acharya Sushil Muniji Foundation
- Pujya Dr. A.K. Merchant, Head of Baha’i Foundation of India
- Pujya Rasyani Babaji
- Pujya Devi Prasad Bapuji
- Pujya Swami Harichetnanandji
- Pujya Bhai Sahib Satpal Singhji
- Pujya Swami Rishishwaranandji
- Father Dominic Emmanuel – Spokesman for the Catholic Diocese
- Pujya Goswamji Sushilji
- Mahant Lalita Giriji
- Mahant Ramanand Puiji
- Mahant Prem Puriji
- Mahant Kailashanand Brahmachariji
- Mahant Mohan Dassji
- Mahant Balwant Singhji
- Mahant Mitra Prakashji
- Mahant Bhagat Ramji
- Mahant Shiv Shankar Giriji
- Mahant Satish Giriji
- Mahant Bhairav Giriji
- Mahant Bhagwan Dass Hathayogiji
- Mahant Balram Dassji
- Mahant Raghuvir Dassji
- Mahant Durgdasji Nirvaniv
Esteemed Political Leaders who attended the event included:
- Shri Vijay Bahugunaji – Hon’ble Chief Minister of Uttarakhand
- Shri Ajay Bhatt – Hon’ble Leader of Opposition, Uttarakhand
- Shri Harak Rawatji – Hon’ble Minister of Agriculture, Uttarakhand
- Shri Dinesh Agarwalji – Hon’ble Minister of Planning and Youth Welfare, Uttarakhand
- Shri Pritam Panwarji – Hon’ble Minister of Urban Development, Uttarakhand
- Shri Ambika Chaudharyji – Hon’ble Minister of Revenue, Uttar Pradesh
Esteemed Industrialists who atteneded the event included:
- Shri Ashok Hinduja and the Hinduja family
- Dr. B.K. Modi
- Shri R.S. Goenka
- Shri Krisha Kumar Pittie
- Shri Sandeep Gupta
- Shri Vasantbhai Patel
Esteemed Celebrities and Artists who attended the event included:
- Anil Kapoor
- Sivamani
- Shilpa Shetty (while she was not able to physically attend the event, she sent a video message which was played during the 3rd evening)
- MunMun Ratta
- Navraj Hans
- Parvez Peji
- Alam Khan
Background to the Event:
While being a revered and renowned leader of the Hindu tradition from India, Pujya Swamiji’s true and deep religion is unity. He has been a leader in numerous international, inter-faith summits and parliaments, including the Parliament of World Religions, the Millennium World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders at the United Nations, the World Economic Forum, the World Council of Religious Leaders at the United Nations, the World Conference of Religions for Peace, the Global Youth Peace Summit at the United Nations, the Hindu-Jewish Summit and the Hindu-Christian dialogue initiated by the Vatican.
Pujya Swamiji is President and Spiritual Head of Parmarth Niketan Ashram, Rishikesh, India of the largest spiritual institutions in India. He is also Founder/chairman of India Heritage Research Foundation (IHRF), an international, non-profit, humanitarian foundation. Under Pujya Swamiji’s leadership, IHRF runs and sponsors free schools, women’s vocational training programs, a medical clinic, orphanages/gurukuls, frequent free medical health camps, “Clean, Green and Serene” programs, organic gardening programs, Cow-Care programs, an extensive rural development program, and innumerable other humanitarian projects including the first ever Encyclopedia of Hinduism as well as rest houses and medical clinics in the sacred land of Mansarovar and Mt. Kailash in Tibet.
After decades of multi-faceted humanitarian and charitable projects for the poor, underprivileged and sick, Pujya Swamiji has dedicated Himself now fully to the preservation and protection of Mother Ganga. He founded the Ganga Action Parivar, a world family of engineers, scientists, environmentalist and volunteers who are dedicated to serving the holy river which provides life and livelihood for approximately 450 million Indians. The organization was launched officially by the hands of His Holiness the Dalai Lama here in Rishikesh in April 2010, and the work includes everything ranging from solid waste management to sewage treatment plans to full civic re-planning for the villages/cities on the banks of Ganga. Uniting people from across India and across the world in the name of saving Ganga, Pujya Swamiji is giving a new direction to this crucial crisis.
As this year marks the completion of Pujya Swamiji’s 60 years, for His 60th birthday He has decided that all He wants is to dedicate Himself fully and completely to the following six T’s (6T program for 60 years). He has spent many years and a great deal of time and energy building and inspiring the construction of temples throughout the world. Now, however, He feels that temples are important, but toilets are also deeply important. Therefore, He will work for the remaining years that God has given Him for the following 6T’s (6Ts for six-ty years):
Toilets: We are committed to providing toilets to impoverished villagers along the banks of Ganga. Working hand-in-hand with local populations, we are working to provide zero-waste toilets alongside the vast stretches of Ganga. These toilets will not only help keep our National River clean, but will provide safe and healthy fertilizer for organic crops and methane gas that can power entire villages. This will alleviate the currently dire condition for young girls and women of having to use road sides and jungles as toilets which is both embarrassing as well as dangerous. It also will lead to a significant increase in the number of girls staying in school, because a large percentage of girls in villages skip school in order to avoid the problems created by lack of toilet facilities.
Trees: We are planting trees to arrest deforestation, global warming and erosion. The types of trees being planted are those which will not only provide shade for all, but will also help uplift local communities by providing valuable fruit, medicines and financial viability. Further we are working with developers of eco-crematoriums to prevent trees being cut for cremation.
Taps: Hundreds of villages along the banks of Ganga have no access to fresh, clean, safe drinking water. We are working to bring access to water to all villagers in the Ganga basin. We are also working to make water as available as possible, twelve months a year, through water reservoirs, rainwater harvesting, etc.
Trash: We are committed to removing existing pollution along the banks of Ganga, Her tributaries and the surrounding environment, preventing this waste from washing into the rivers and choking life from them, as well as preventing the waste from leaching its harmful chemicals into the soil and groundwater. Further, we are working with experts to find sustainable solutions to effectively manage solid waste, such as installing and maintaining dustbins, setting up composting and recycling systems and more
Tracks: The Indian train network is one of the most impressive in the world and also one of the dirtiest. We are working with the Ministry of Railways, DRDO and FICCI to clean the tracks of the train system and to install eco-friendly toilets on the trains.
Tigers: One of the reasons the tigers in India are threatened is due to the loss and destruction of their natural habitat. Thus, we are committed to protecting and preserving the natural habitat of tigers and other wild animals, thereby saving their lives and also saving our natural resources.
