Web Content Display Bulletin No: 2015.42 – Tuesday April 28, 2015Dear sisters and brothers, The video of the positioning of the statue can be viewed at: https://www.sahajmarg.org/literature/online/speeches/hyderabad-20150426 The video of positioning of the statue and talk by Respected Kamlesh bhai at Kanha Shanti Vanam are also available in Abhyasi Digital store at: Our beloved Chariji Maharaj had a special project close to his heart. Not many people knew about it, except towards the end. Actually, at its inception, probably only he and Mr Varma, the engineer, knew. The initial idea was to create a special grand memorial to his dear Master, Babuji Maharaj. He had already created a gem, the Babuji Memorial Ashram in Manapakkam, and at the time he was like a child, confiding he was not able to believe that this had been possible. Then time flew and new developments emerged. The idea of a beautiful samadhi for Babuji in Shahjahanpur developed along its own lines. The limiting factor there was space. The Mission grew in leaps and bounds and there was a greater need to have larger spaces for abhyasis to gather and also to live. The growth of the Mission also meant that we were financially able to tackle larger projects. Then came the acquisition and development of a huge area by a small band of extremely dedicated abhyasis, thirty kilometres to the south of the new international airport in Hyderabad. Chariji Maharaj chose this place for an unparalleled memorial. His path had some years back crossed that of a very talented sculptor, Mr Prajapati, who resided in Jaipur, and he started commissioning statues from him to embellish the ashram in Manapakkam. Then came the plan for a huge statue at Kanha, to sit on top of the building dedicated to the new culture created by Babuji. This building is in the form of the heart-shaped esoteric symbol and it can be seen from aircraft flying in and out of Hyderabad. The total height is limited by the Airport Authority regulations at fifty-two feet. Over time it has become clearer that people from all over will flock to this memorial and it will become a well-known centre of light; it is so spectacular. On Sunday the 26th of April the statue of Babuji Maharaj was finally installed, under the supervision of beloved Kamlesh bhai. On its own, it stands at thirty feet, and it is a true work of art. The face is so expressive and serene, and the fine hand-beaten work is lifelike in its detail. It is made of an alloy of five metals, and approximately one hundred sheets of metal cast from moulds made from the clay original were welded seamlessly together. The statue weighs thirteen tons. As we waited the night before, the extremely fine atmosphere of this place nurtured us. It is amazingly light. We were all left speechless at the grandeur of the design of the whole thing, and the dedication of the band of workers who are making the dream of the Masters come true. It feels as if Chariji Maharaj is overjoyed to see this. We can only be grateful at the manner in which our Masters have created a future for us; a future where we can be safe, free to practice and to grow in such beautiful, spiritually-charged places. |