Sadhu T L Vaswani / Sadhu Vaswani Mission

25th November is the birth anniversary of Sadhu T.L.Vaswani and is also observed as International Meatless Day throughout the world. My earliest memories of Meatless Day is the form that we used to fill to evidence our pledge of not eating non vegetarian food on this day circulated by friends in the colony who used to study at Sadhu Vaswani Girls School located in Shantiniketan, Delhi. Sadhu Thanwardas Lilaram Vaswani was born in Hyderabad, Sindh in 1879. He was an educationalist, a philanthropist and a social worker who dedicated his entire life to spread and celebrate "Oneness of Spirit".  Post partition, Sadhu Vaswani and the larger Sadhu Vaswani mission shifted base to Pune, Maharashtra, India. He remained the spiritual leader of Sadhu Vaswani Mission until his demise in 1966 when the baton was passed onto Dada J P Vaswani. He is lovingly referred to as " Gurudev" by his followers and admirers .

I have always held Sadhu Vaswani Mission and both the spiritual leaders in high regard. Mission has dedicated itself to actively contributing to nation building via its various initiatives such as focusing on girl child's education ( Mira Movement) by establishing various schools and colleges for girls throughout India, by providing medical and social facilities to poor and needy. Another key area of focus is the focus on spiritual activities. Their website states:- (edited excerpts)

The Sadhu Vaswani Mission seeks to bear witness to the truth that there is but one life flowing in all men, birds, animals, things animate and inanimate. It believes that life must have a spiritual orientation and promotes the practice of kirtans, prayers, meditation & above all, love for others. The others are not apart from us, we are all part of One Whole.

The pivot of the Mission activities is daily Satsang, and ever flowing fountain of music, devotional, spiritual solace and continuous inspiration to all devotees. Special satasangs are organized on Hero Days, to commemorate the great souls. Sadhana (meditation) camps are held across the world to rekindle the spiritual flame within the hearts of aspirants. 

A lesser known aspect regarding Sadhu Vaswani's life is his flair for writing. Sadhu Vaswani's collection of Sindhi songs, the Nuri Granth, i understand is one of the largest collections by a single author/writer. In fact the book is revered by many as a scripture. Many of the songs in the book are prayers. His writings have been translated into English to enable them to reach a broader audience.

My admiration for the mission also stems from its emphasis on "Niswarth Sewa" ( Assistance/Help without any Expectation of return favor). Their medical centres offer free treatment to the poor and needy. The mission has always made a conscious effort to reach out to the larger Sindhi diaspora spread across the globe and both Sadhu Vaswani and Dada Vaswani played an important role in binding the community together.  I pray to almighty that the mission continues to achieve greater heights and both these saints continue to guide our paths.

I end with this wonderful documentary by Sindhi Sangat on life and key teachings of Sadhu Vaswani. I strongly urge readers to view this lovely video and share it with fellow Sindhis. Also attached is the link to Dadi Abida Parveen singing in praise of  Dada Vaswani. What a wonderful rendition! I hope you like it too.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBmvVldurt0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWpenAtHJsM

  
(PS: Interested reader may want to refer to my blog page of August ,2019 on Dada J P Vaswani) 

 

Sindhi Music Concert

Picture Credit - Sindhi Academy website, Govt. of NCT Delhi

I spent a lovely evening last Saturday listening to Saeen Rajan Jhangiani and the young Neal Talreja singing melodious Sindhi songs at an event organized at Little Theatre Group (LTG) Auditorium by Sindhi Academy, Delhi. The Academy was set up by Government of Delhi in 1994 to promote Sindhi language,culture, music, literature etc. For the past few years, the academy organizes a bi-monthly Sindhi music concert at which various Sindhi singers from Delhi and outside are invited to perform. The concert is open to all and there are no admission charges. 

Saeen Rajan is a local Delhi resident and I have heard him performing at the neighborhood Sindhu Samaj and at Swami Dharamdas Darbar in Lajpat Nagar a number of times. I am told that Saeen Rajan's mother was also an extremely talented singer and both his parents have spent a major part of their lives in serving/ promoting Sindhiyat. Whilst I have always enjoyed his singing,  his voice somehow seemed to sound much better in a formal setting with proper acoustics etc. In addition, Saeen sang a number of kalams which I had not heard before and craftily moved from Haqeeqi Ishq (Love of God)  to Haqeeqati Ishq (Real Life Love). One of the kalams he sang was on Sindh written by Zulfiqar Manjhi titled " Sindh Sunjanapaye aahe Sik Ji" ( Sindh's Identity stems from yearning/belonging. Thanks Sunila for helping me translate this!). Whilst I do not remember the exact lyrics but listening to the kalam, I couldn't help but think  about the complex multi layered relationship that we Hindu Sindhis staying in India  share with Sindh? On one hand is the geopolitical reality of India and Pakistan having an adversarial relationship ever since the countries became independent whereas on the other hand is the lovely folklore about the wonderful, sufi ,(then) secular homeland where most of us originate from that one has heard about while growing up. Saeen Rajan's enthusiastic rendition seemed to remind the audience about an era gone by!

The second performer was Neal Talreja. I first heard about Neal from an acquaintance when he was visiting Indore to sing at the local Sadhu Vaswani Centre an year or so ago. Neal is an energetic performer who kept the audience fully engaged. He sang a wide variety of songs, starting with his version of " Muhinjo Daru Dawa Tuhinjo Deedar aa" to Pere Pavendesaan to a number of  Master Chander classics. There was a little bit in it for everyone. At a young age of 28, Neal has achieved a lot. He is a regular singer at Sadhu Vaswani Mission and has performed a number of times in front of Dada J P Vaswani. His enthusiasm ensured that most of the audience was right below the podium dancing to the foot tapping music being played by his band. Seeing Neal and his enthusiasm towards promoting Sindhiyat gives me a hope that perhaps all is not lost, yet!.

I think overall it was an evening well spent and I look forward to more such delightful evenings in the coming future.


Saeen Rajan Jhangiani's link as follows. Zulfiqar Manjhi's written song begins at 23 minutes and 35 seconds.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RV--FsIUkTc&t=1401s

Link to Neal Talreja's performance is as follows

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUOWcz9B2tU

Jiye Sindhiyat