Bhaishri Rameshbhai Oza began a world-first nine-day virtual ‘Ram Katha’ straight from Sandipani Vidyaniketan in Porbandar, Gujarat, over the weekend, attracting thousands of Global Indians from around the world for an event scheduled until February 21.
The event will also mark the launch of ‘iGlobal Radio’ soon, with its brand-new ‘iSpirituality Show’ bringing together key voices from within the Global Indian community to offer insights on spiritual health and well-being. The inaugural segments for this new show will cover the discourse around this nine-day katha, or recital, with Bhashri’s worldwide devotees as guest speakers reliving the nuggets from the event – day by day.
Broadcaster Priti Raichura, a British Indian who grew up with Bhaishri’s teachings and will be shepherding the iSpirituality Show series, reflected upon how he has made such a global impact.
“To be able to watch him virtually during a lockdown, here in the UK and also other countries, tune in and engage in the ‘Ram Katha’ is a real big thing for his devotees,” she explained.
Bhavit Mehta, Trustee of Sanskruti Foundation UK, the charity behind the mega event, encapsulated some of the key takeaways from the very start of the event, which have resonated worldwide among the followers of the immensely respected guru and spiritual leader.
From the different shades of love and freeing ourselves of our emotional baggage to connecting with our true identity, the recitals have captured the nuance of the epic ‘Ramayana’ and its continued relevance to our lives today.
Mehta said: “What Bhaishri said in the opening discourse on Saturday [February 13] was that over the course of the next nine days we are going to be studying ourselves in the light of the ‘Ramayana’, essentially to improve ourselves and to understand our shortcomings.
“And, this is an important thing to digest, that the Hindu scriptures or scriptures from any religion, have left stories, messages, rituals and even controversies. The critics will find things to moan about but if we can understand these scriptures and if we can hear their true meaning from a guru or scholar, like Bhaishiri, then they can really help us in our lives today.
“Though they may be written hundreds of thousands of years ago, they are not irrelevant to our lives in 2021.”
Nirmala Raniga, a devotee based in Vancouver, Canada, who works in the field of mental health and addiction issues, relived Bhaishri’s very first tour of her city back in 1988 during which she gained immense strength as she was grieving at the time for her mother who had recently passed away.
“Especially with Covid-19, the loss of a loved one always causes a lot of pain and suffering. Bhaishri’s teachings help us move from those sufferings. For me, his teachings are really about healing, letting go of your past suffering and embracing love,” she recalls.
*To login to the Ram Katha, visit Sandipani.tv
**The iSpirituality Show is coming soon on iGlobal Radio; stay tuned at iGlobalNews.com