Chant Mumbai, Shant Mumbai

Mumbai witnessed a rare moment of dynamism and stillness as Chinmaya Mission Mumbai hosted ‘108 Samashti Shri Hanuman Chalisa Havan’ at MMRDA Grounds, BKC. Hanuman Chalisa Havan was performed with 276 Havan Kunds with 21 Chants of Hanuman Chalisa by about 10,000 devotees.Commemorating the timeless vision of Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda, the havan witnessed over 10,000 devotees in collective prayer under the theme ‘Chant Mumbai, Shant Mumbai’ to pray for strength, peace and prosperity for the whole world. The large-scale spiritual gathering formed a significant part of Chinmaya Mission’s 75-year celebrations, held under the nationwide umbrella of Chinmaya Amrit Mahotsav. The programme was graced by the presence of Pujya Swami Swaroopananda, Global Head of Chinmaya Mission, along with Pujya Swami Tejomayananda and Swami Swatmananda of Chinmaya Mission Mumbai and other senior spiritual leaders of the Mission. Rooted in the ideals embodied by Lord Hanuman, unwavering faith, selfless service, courage, and strength, the samashti havan served as a reminder of the relevance of these values in navigating the challenges of modern urban life.The programme was attended by several distinguished dignitaries, including Sri Kumar Mangalam Birla, Sri Ajay Piramal, Smt. Divya and Sri Pradeep Mafatlal, Smt. Meghana and Sri Mukul Patel, Smt. Elina and Shri Nikhil Meswani, BMC Municipal Commissioner Sri Bhushan Gangrani, VHP Joint Secretary Swami Vijnanananda, VHP Media spokesperson Sri Shriraj Nair, BJP Mumbai Secretary Acharya Pawan Tripathi, Sri Milind Hardas, ACP Dattatreya Shinde, corporate leaders, principals of many educational institutions and more. Monks and devotees from several spiritual institutions like ISKCON, Swami Narayan, various temple trusts and others also graced the occasion..The day began at 6:30 am with the Purva Puja conducted by Pujya Swami Sharadananda (Resident Acharya, CIF Kerala). The ritual was performed by the main yajmans, Sri Mukul Patel and Smt. Meghana Patel. Hundreds of people thronged to the venue, eager to start early in the day. They had already received their havan entry passes by courier. On this auspicious occasion, a collective sankalp was taken for world peace, invoking the grace of Hanumanji and Pujya Gurudev. An added attraction was the Chinmaya Amrit Vahini parked at the venue, the museum-on-wheels depicting the life and teachings of Pujya Gurudev and the timeline of Chinmaya Mission, publications and other grassroots activities stalls, virtual reality zone and adventure activities for children.Following the puja, a grand Amrit Vahini Procession (Amrit Yatra) took place around the grounds. Devotees, swamins and office-bearers from various Chinmaya Mission Mumbai zones carried the sacred symbols of Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda: His padukas, vastra and His pratima. A spirited Lezim dance performed by the students of Saraswati Vidyalaya added a traditional Maharashtrian flavour to the yatra. Before the formal inaugural session, the assembly experienced a series of moving tributes:● Life Journey Video: A unique video utilised AI to animate several photos of Pujya Gurudev, bringing his presence alive for devotees.● CHYK Invocation Dance: Members of CHYK Mumbai (Chinmaya Yuva Kendra) performed a high-energy invocation dance on Hanuman Chalisa.● Gita Panchamrit: Leveraging modern technology, an AI-generated video where Pujya Gurudev explains the Gita Panchamrit (five essential verses of the Bhagwad Gita) in Hindi, allowing thousands to hear his iconic ‘lion's roar’ in the local language..The stage was then graced by spiritual luminaries and prominent dignitaries, including Sri Mukulbhai Patel (Trustee, CST), Smt. Meghana Patel (President, CM Mumbai), Smt. Veena Thadani (Trustee, CST and CCMT) and Smt. Manisha Deole (Secretary, CM Mumbai). Swami Swatmananda shared that Pujya Gurudev's life and Chinmaya Mission are symbols of Success and Excellence just like Hanumanji. He drew parallels between Hanumanji’s leap across the ocean to find Mother Sita and Pujya Gurudev’s crossing the ocean of doubt and delusion and coming down to share the knowledge with us. He explained that the Hanuman Havan was a smarta-havan and a very powerful one.Chinmaya Mission Mumbai had first organised Samashti Hanuman Havan in 2009, and now it was being organised in over 85 Chinmaya Mission centres across the world, with Mumbai having the highest number of havan kunds: 276. Pujya Swami Swaroopananda expressed great satisfaction at the scale of the 75th year celebrations. He exhorted everyone to chant the Gita Panchamrit daily and encouraged regular chanting of the Hanuman Chalisa for mental strength. Pujya Guruji highlighted a special aspect of Hanuman’s humility. He explained that because Hanumanji is so humble, He does not like His own praise. Therefore, whenever Tulsidasji praises Him in the Chalisa, he immediately connects the praise to His devotion to Lord Ram, which ‘pacifies’ and pleases Hanumanji..The event saw the release of the souvenir ‘Rise with Hanuman’ edited by Smt. Jaishree Rao and two new musical versions of the Hanuman Chalisa by Chinmaya Naada Bindu and singer Avanti Nagral. A QR-coded bookmark for Swami Swatmananda’s upcoming book to be released on Mahashivaratri, ‘Be Shiva’, was introduced.The Hanuman Havan then began with Swami Sharadananda performing the rituals, along with the melodious, energy-inducing rendering of Hanuman Chalisa, 21 times, by Chinmaya Naada Bindu singers and musicians. Pujya Guruji himself sang the first chant of Hanuman Chalisa, setting the tone for the spiritually uplifting experience. The last chant saw enthusiastic participation from the audience and volunteers, as they danced with joy and devotion! The ceremony reached its peak with a grand Maha Aarti led by the swamins and leading dignitaries.The Annakshetra provided ample, delicious food and beverages, starting with breakfast. The day concluded with the distribution of Mahaprasad to all attendees, successfully manifesting the vision of ‘Chant Mumbai, Shant Mumbai’.

Chant Mumbai, Shant Mumbai

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