Gobind Sadan
On 30 October, despite persistent unseasonal rain, many sangat old and new gathered in Gobind Sadan’s beautiful newly renovated auditorium for the release of a wonderful new book about Maharaj ji and his mission: Beacon of Light. It was originally written in Russian by Larisa Trunina, and now has been printed by Sterling Publishers in a lovely English edition with 72 photo. The English edition was translated by Olga Stoliarova, known to us as Priya.
The Chief Guest was Svetlana Smirnova, the very active Chairperson of the World Peoples Assembly, which is uniting NGOs and individuals from around the world in people-to-people diplomacy for a more harmonious world. World Peoples Assembly organized both Russian and English editions of Beacon of Light. Svetlana explained, “Maharaj ji, our beloved Teacher, is always with us. He had a special love for Russia and its people. In 2004 it was my great honour to organize his visit to the State Duma. Babaji teaches us to see the good in every person. World Peoples Assembly is also Babaji’s child. Beacon of Light gives us the chance to spread his love to the world.”
Larisa Trunina worked for years under Maharaj’s inner guidance to prepare the original Russian edition. During the book release, she revealed, “In 2016, I received Maharaj ji’s assignment to prepare such a collection. In a state between sleep and wakefulness, in a fraction of a moment, in a way I cannot explain, I gained a clear understanding of the entire task, the main content and chapter titles of the book, and where to find the material. The book contains many beautiful colour photographs from the Gobind Sadan photo archive. When you love someone, you want to have many, many photographs of them and to share those photographs with others. But the book also contains many quotations, vivid and meaningful recollections by Maharaj ji himself, and his teachings and words of guidance on every subject and in every chapter. This creates a living impression that Maharaj ji himself is speaking to us from the pages of the book. And that is exactly how it feels. He is always near.”
Hardip Singh, who was given very strong prayer duties by Maharaj ji and is a core member of the Baba Virsa Singh Ji Maharaj Memorial Trust, said at the release, “This is the fulfilment of Maharaj ji’s mission.”
Sri Kapil Khanna, Working President of Baba Virsa Singh Ji Maharaj Memorial Trust and President of Sanskrtik Gaurav Sansthan , explained, “Our father, Baba Virsa Singh Ji, entrusted us with carrying forward his mission, rooted in his timeless vision that all religions are rooted in the same source. Although I did not have the good fortune to meet Baba Virsa Sigh, I never feel separated from his grace. I feel his living presence every day, every single moment. In a world so often fractured, Babaji’s example shows that faith can unite rather than divide us.”
Dr. Surjit Kaur Jolly, Secretary of the Gobind Sadan Institute for Advanced Studies in Comparative Religion, renowned Sikh historian, and author of Dynamics of a Socio-Economic Revolution: Gobind Sadan, gave details from her own research about Maharaj ji’s hard work of developing an economic base for Gobind Sadan through agriculture, as well as his deep concern for social problems.
Sri S. K. Ghai, Director of Sterling Publishers, recalled his earlier work with Ralph Singh to publish a series of books from Gobind Sadan, including Ralph’s own recollections of Maharaj as his teacher, A Path to Follow. A Life to Lead. Mr. Ghai said, “Why does one come to Gobind Sadan? To get peace of mind.”
In addition to the profound comments of all the speakers, the programme was gracefully and meaningfully held together by the introductions and observations of Anika Kalha, the stage secretary. She read out some of the messages that had come from around the world honouring the English publication of Beacon of Light, such as a message from Israel sent by Nina Zaltsman, Head of the Israeli Society of Living Ethics. Nina greeted the Gobind Sadan sangat as “kindred spirits—people for whom caring for peace and the Common Good is as natural as breathing. We become united across all boundaries—national, religious and cultural. This understanding is but one part of what Baba Virsa Singh brought to us, and continues to share through his spiritual legacy.”
The programme was further enlivened by an appreciation of the Baba Virsa Singh Ji Maharal Primary School by Lavanya, one of its promising students from underprivileged background, a Russian dance by Marina Polyakova, and a touching musical offering by Simranjeet Singh and Amandeep Singh, two of Gobind Sadan’s young sevadars.
In their closing remarks, Anika Kalha and Mary Fisher emphasized the global importance of Maharaj ji’s mission to bring down the walls of hatred and ignorance that have divided our human family. A message from the leader of the new and growing UK sangat, Jagtar Singh, thanked all those involved in publishing Beacon of Light as a “gift to the world.”