Inauguration of Mohyal Ashram, Vrindavan : 25th November 2012
Another feather in the cap of the
GMS - and its President, Mohyal Ratna Rzd. B. D. Bali – literally; not an
ordinary feather, but the ‘peacock
feather’ on the crown of Lord Krishna himself, of Vrindavan!
Sunday, the 25th
November 2012, will remain a red-letter day in the annals of the GMS as well as
the Mohyal community, when the much-awaited Mohyal Ashram at Vrindavan was
inaugurated and dedicated to the community. Though Rzd. B.D. Bali could not be
physically present at the venue, due to indisposition, yet he kept abreast of
the developments, through telephonic contact. The day was also celebrated as ‘Mohyal Diwas’.
Members of the community started
arriving in Vrindavan from the 24th November 2012 itself and, by the
‘D’ day, the number had swelled to more than 1000. They came from all over the
country –from the northern states of Punjab, Haryana, J&K, HP, Rajasthan,
UP, Uttarakhand & NCT, Delhi,
but also from the states of Maharashtra & MP also.
On the 24th November
itself, the Sthapana of the Radha-Krishna Murti, at the foyer of the
Ashram building, was performed by Mehta O.P. Mohan, Senior Vice President,
amidst chanting of Mantras by Panditjis. Havan and Puja were performed and Prasad distributed to all present. Smt. Amba Bali had donated Rs.
3.50 lakhs for the making and installation of the Murti.
The morning of the day of the
Inaugural Ceremony, viz., the 25th November 2012 was very pleasant,
with a cool breeze blowing. The Mohyal Ashram building was all decked up with
flowers. The beautiful flower decoration was the handiwork of Smt. Krishan Lata
Chhibber, who had tirelessly worked during the evening of the 24th
& the morning of the 25th November 2012 to finish the job.
First, the Anavaran ceremony of the Radha-Krishna
Murti, which had been covered by a cloth veil, was religiously performed by
Smt. Janak & Bk. B.L. Chhibber IRS (Retd.), with the Panditjis chanting Vedic
Mantras. The Inaugural ceremony proper commenced with the unfurling of the
Mohyal flag, by the Chief Guest, Mohyal Ratna Bk. S. K. Chhibber IAS (Retd.),
former Lt Governor of Mizoram, and the recitation of Mohyal prayer, led by Smt.
Krishan Lata Chhibber. This was followed by Havan,
performed by Bk. S.K. Chhibber, Smt. Shakuntala & Mehta O.P. Mohan, Smt.
Janak & Bk. B.L. Chhibber, Smt. Uma & Shri D.V. Mohan, Smt Naresh Bala
and Dr Ashok Lav, Smt. Krishan Lata & Shri Sushil Kumar Chhibber, Major Gen
KK Bakshi,Shri Rajeshwar Chaudhury of Jalandhar, and others. Bk. S.K. Chhibber & Mehta O.P. Mohan then
performed the Tape-cutting ceremony amidst loud shouts of Jai Mohyal. The cloth
covering the eyes of Radha-Krishna Murti,
was ceremoniously removed by the hands of a little Mohyal Kanya, while the Panditjis continued chanting Mantras. Thereafter, Mehta O.P. Mohan
formally unveiled the Inauguration Stone, displaying the dedication of the
Mohyal Ashram, Vrindavan, to the Mohyal community, by Mohyal Ratna Rzd. B.D.
Bali.
The gathering then proceeded to
the venue of the main ceremony, which was the amphitheatre, adjacent to the
Mohyal Ashram building. The galleries were filled up soon, with many sitting on
the sloping lawns around the amphitheatre. Dr. Ashok Lav started the
proceedings by welcoming all to this much-awaited event. He invoked Lord
Ganesha, with the following Mantra,
so that the event went off without any hitch:
“Vakrathunda Mahaakaaya,
Suryakoti Samaprabha,
Nirvighnam Kuru Me Deva,
Sarva Kaaryeshu Sarvada”
He stated that he had prepared a
book-let (in Hindi) on the Mohyal Ashram, Vrindavan, copies of which have been
kept at the Registration counter, giving important information about the
Ashram. Mohyal Ratna Bk. S.K. Chhibber, Mehta O.P. Mohan, and other dignitaries
then lighted the traditional lamp to signify the formal inauguration of the
Mohyal Ashram. All the dignitaries were garlanded and presented with bouquets. The
students of Blue Bird Senior Secondary School, Faridabad, performed Ganesh Vandana dance recital, which was beautifully
organized by Smt. Suman Datta, w/o Shri Ramesh Datta President MS Faridabad.
Mehta O.P. Mohan, while
delivering the welcome address, congratulated Mohyal Ratna Rzd. B.D. Bali for
conceiving and implementing the Vrindavan Ashram project. He informed that Rzd.
B.D. Bali was scheduled to come to Vrindavan, on the 24th inst, but
had to postpone his departure to the 25th, which also could not take
place, due to some unforeseen circumstances. He has, however, sent a message to
the members of the community conveying his good wishes for the success of the
function. Recalling the genesis of the project, he stated that the idea of
constructing an Ashram at Vrindavan, similar to the one at Haridwar, had occurred
to Rzd. B.D. Bali, while he was proceeding to the Mohyal Ashram, Haridwar,
along with other office bearers of the GMS, including Mehta O.P. Mohan, some
time in 2008. Immediately on reaching Haridwar, Bali Sahib had constituted a
team of GMS office bearers to look out for a suitable piece of land in
Vrindavan for the Ashram project. The team, after scouting the area, had zeroed
in on the present location, where the GMS had acquired four plots of land, by
direct purchase, from the developers of the Ashram Vihar complex. Even though
the foundation had been laid for the Ashram in February 2009, with the target
of completing the construction in about a year’s time, due to unforeseen
circumstances, including change of contractors, non-availability of labour,
frequent power breakdowns etc, the completion of the project had been delayed,
and it has taken almost 4 years for the Ashram building to be completed. In
order to be different from the other Ashrams in Vrindavan, it had been decided
to construct the Mohyal Ashram building in the Rajasthani style of
architecture, with stone jali work and other features. This also led to some
delay. Keeping in view the odds faced, the completion of the building in about four
years’ time could be considered as a real achievement. However, he expressed
his regrets for the delay some residual work still remained, which, he assured,
will be completed in 3-4 months’ time. He concluded his address, by once again
welcoming and thanking all the participants.
Shri P.K. Datta, speaking next, stated
that the year 2012 had started with the All India Mohyal Conference in January
and was culminating in the inauguration of the Mohyal Ashram, Vrindavan, and
the Mohyal Diwas celebrations, now, in November. He congratulated the ‘Trimoortis’; viz., Mehta O.P. Mohan,
Shri S.C. Bali, Architect, and Shri Kamran Dutt and others for their untiring efforts in the completion
of the project. While conveying the gratitude to them, on behalf of the
community as well as Rzd. B.D. Bali, he informed the audience that he had
spoken to Rzd. B.D. Bali, on ‘phone, who had become emotional. He revealed the
Mission Statement of his organization, i.e., ‘Nothing can be achieved if it is not without love’ and stated that the same applied to the GMS also. The Mohyal
Ashram project at Vrindavan had been achieved only with the love &
affection of the Mohyal community.
After the address by Shri P.K.
Datta, Dr. Ashok Lav announced the names of all those, who had made donations
for the dining hall, library, suites, rooms, Langar Fund etc in the Ashram. All
room donors, who were present, were honoured by being presented with bouquets
and scarves by the Chief Guest. The names of all such donors, as well as those
who had donated Rs. 51,000/- or more for the construction, have been displayed
at the Reception area of the Ashram. The list of donors on the spot was then read
out and all of them were thanked.
Capt. K.L. Dobhal, Office
Superintendent, GMS Secretariat, enthralled the audience by reciting ‘Mohyal Chalisa’, written by him, about
the Mohyal community, its martyrs, the GMS, Mohyal Mitter and, finally, Rzd.
B.D. Bali. This provoked instantaneous applause from the audience. Much pleased
with the composition, Mehta O.P. Mohan, Shri P.K. Datta and Shri Dalip Singh
Datta presented cash awards to Capt. Dobhal.
The finale of the function was the
cultural programme, presented by the students of Blue Bird Senior Secondary
School, Faridabad. A little girl recited a Hindi poem about Sapne, which was applauded by all those
present. The audience also enjoyed the
other items in the cultural programme, consisting of Krishna Janam Utsav, Raas Leela & Brij Ki Holi performed by the
students of the Blue Bird Senior Secondary School, Faridabad. Mehta O.P. Mohan,
Shri P.K. Dutta, Smt. Krishan Lata Chhibber, Smt. Janak Chhibber and many
others from the audience were so carried away with the music and dance that
they also enthusiastically participated in the same. Dr. Ashok Lav announced that
the next programme at the Mohyal Ashram, Vrindavan, will be the Holi
celebrations next year, which will be organized by MS Faridabad.
The function came to an end,
after the vote of thanks proposed by Dr. Ashok Lav. The audience then dispersed
to enjoy the sumptuous lunch, hosted by the GMS.
