Nawan Nagar, July 2025

This year, Vishav Manav Ruhani Kendra (VMRK) once again organized the Guru Purnima event at its Nawan Nagar center. The auspicious occasion was celebrated with great reverence on July 10, 2025. Attendees from near and far gathered to have the darshan of Sant Baljit Singh Ji and express their heartfelt gratitude.

VMRK began planning months before the event. Since Guru Purnima 2025 fell midweek on a workday, an evening program was arranged so that the public could attend the program after work. The event schedule was shared well ahead of time—both directly with participants and via a prominent notice on the website (see below). In addition, all 259 VMRK centers made regular announcements to the local community attending the weekly free well-being programs.

This early communication proved invaluable, allowing guests to plan travel and secure time off work, especially those journeying from afar. 

Meanwhile, at the Nawan Nagar center, VMRK began preparations to accommodate the anticipated massive turnout. Thousands of volunteers were organized into many teams with different tasks such as overseeing tent setup, grounds preparation, food service, sanitation, transportation, security, reception, and emergency preparedness.

Monsoon-proofing the event

The Guru Purnima event coincides with the summer monsoon season, bringing frequent heavy rainfall and muggy heat. Therefore, huge waterproof tents were set up for the main event and lodging. The grounds team cleared the event grounds, leveled uneven surfaces, and created pathways for easy access. Though they completed the grounds preparation a week prior to the event, subsequent daily monsoon rains made exposed areas waterlogged and muddy. Therefore, each day, VMRK volunteers used a backhoe loader to spread dry sand over these areas to soak up the moisture and relevel the ground.

To help cope with high humidity and temperatures and prevent dehydration among attendees, a team of volunteers served freshly squeezed lemonade and sweet buttermilk. Three tents were set up to serve these refreshments at different locations: two on either side of the main event tent, and one near the entrance of the event grounds.

Transportation

Starting July 8, 2025, attendees began arriving from far-off states in India to join the celebration, making the entire center lively with their presence. During each large-scale event organized at the Nawan Nagar center, care is taken to ensure smooth arrival and departure of attendees. You can read about these transportation arrangements in our blog post Spiritual Discourse, March 2025, Nawan Nagar, Haryana.

Event day

Guru Purnima attendees are given the opportunity to walk past the dais to have darshan of Sant Baljit Singh Ji at close proximity. Eager and excited to have darshan early, many attendees began taking seats early in the morning. To streamline the darshan process, the main event tent was systematically divided into multiple sections. As one section filled, security volunteers guided attendees to the next available section.

As the sun set at 6 o’clock, professional singers began performing devotional songs. By this time, the main event tents were filled with attendees. As more attendees continued to arrive, VMRK volunteers laid out mats outside the tent to accommodate them. To ensure everyone could enjoy the event, eight large LED screens and audio systems were installed—six inside the main event tent and two outside.

Later in the evening, as Sant Baljit Singh Ji arrived, an atmosphere of joy and merriment spread among the attendees. The attendees seated facing the dais quickly turned their heads around to see Sant Baljit Singh Ji. With hands folded in reverence, the attendees’ eyes followed Sant Baljit Singh Ji as he walked along the pathway to the dais. Upon taking his seat on the dais, Sant Baljit Singh Ji gave a short talk emphasizing the importance of Guru Purnima in the spiritual journey towards salvation, summarized in the following statements:

Darshan program

After the talk, the devotional singers resumed singing devotional songs as the darshan program began. One by one, attendees walked past the dais, greeting Sant Baljit Singh Ji with folded hands. Some bowed their heads, while others bowed down to the ground in reverence. Sant Baljit Singh Ji smiled throughout and nodded to those who extended their wishes for the Guru Purnima event. After having darshan, attendees were offered prasad and many chose to remain at the event.

Meanwhile, attendees awaiting their turn and those who stayed after darshan continued to enjoy the devotional songs. They sang and clapped along to the devotional songs, and some even stood and danced with heartfelt exuberance.

Given the huge crowd, the darshan program continued until the following day, giving every attendee the opportunity to have darshan. Meanwhile, professional singers such as Feroz Khan, Master Saleem, Sardar Ali, Masha Ali, Gagan Mehra, Vaneet Khan, Robin Raj, and Kamal Khan continued to perform bhajans.

As the darshan program concluded, attendees didn’t want the event to come to a close. Nearly everyone began dancing, enjoying the devotional songs that continued for a little while longer. The entire atmosphere was filled with spiritual bliss. After the attendees had enjoyed themselves to their heart’s content, Sant Baljit Singh Ji gave a short talk once again.

All told, attendees enjoyed a celebratory and uplifting atmosphere for approximately 16 unforgettable hours before the event concluded in the early afternoon of the next day, July 11. 

Charitable services at Guru Purnima 2025

Sant Baljit Singh Ji regularly emphasizes the principles of service to humanity. In one of his teachings, he said, “Spending a life in service to others, living for others, and serving others to serve God’s creation, is what the saints and sages refer to as fulfilling life.” From July 8 to 10, VMRK honored these selfless-service teachings by offering free medical camps, running a blood donation camp, and distributing hygiene kits and educational materials. Overall, thousands of underprivileged people benefited from these charitable activities.

Donating educational materials to students

VMRK also organized a charitable activity to distribute educational materials to over 1,930 underprivileged students in 41 schools. We ensured that schools with very low attendance, some with as few as six students, were not left out. Many students did not have school bags and instead carried their books in polythene bags, while others reused plastic containers from bottled water.

These schools were located in the state of Haryana and in the hilly terrain of Himachal Pradesh. The schools were often situated in very remote areas and appreciated that VMRK made the effort to reach out to them. VMRK volunteers had to cover the last hundred meters to nearly all schools on foot—and in some cases, up to five kilometers. They traversed mountain footpaths, carrying heavy charitable materials and banners on their backs. 

All the students at these schools were immensely happy to receive the donated educational materials.

Today, on July 9, 2025, on behalf of all the students and staff, I want to express our sincerest gratitude for your incredibly thoughtful donation of school bags, water bottles, and stationery items like notebooks, geometry boxes, and crayons in assorted colors to 43 children of GHS Samtehan. These resources are not just materials; they are catalysts for engagement, discovery, and joy in learning. We are truly touched by your commitment to supporting education and empowering the next generation. Thank you once again for your remarkable contribution. Your kindness will resonate in the classrooms and beyond, fostering a richer and more vibrant educational environment for our students.

Head Master, Govt. High School, Samtehan, Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh