Pothencode: The 90 th birth anniversary of Navajyoti Sri Karunakara Guru was
celebrated here with the participation of thousands of devotees and eminent
personalities from all walks of life, who felicitated the function. The event saw a
large congregation of leaders from different faiths as well as from various political
parties for the common cause of social harmony, tolerance and peace, the message
which Navajyoti Sri Karunakara Guru tried to teach the followers. Thousands of
devotees took out a lamp procession in the evening marking the completion of a
series of programs organized by the Ashram in connection with the Navati
celebrations.
The Speaker of Sri Lankan Parliament, who inaugurated the Navati Cultural Meet,
said that spiritual institutions like Santhigiri Ashram give the message of religious
tolerance and love of humanity, which is the basis for global peace. Kerala and Sri
Lanka have geographical similarities. However, Kerala, the God’s Own Country is
much ahead in the path of peace, he said. The world looks to India, when it comes
to comes to peace, he added.
The function was presided over by Minister Katakampally Surendran, who said
that Santhigiri is a place where a communist like him as well as leaders of Right
Wing parties and various faiths are able to meet and share the same platform.
Sri P. Tilothaman, Food Minister, inaugurated a project by Santhigiri Ashram for
building homes for 90 homeless people on this occasion. He handed over the key
of the first house to a beneficiary.
Sri Kummanam Rajasekharan, BJP State President, releasing the Navati Souvenir
in the function said that it is the Guru tradition of India that protected and kept
alive the Indian culture from all foreign invasions.
Swami Amritananda Puri, Vice President of Amritanandamayi Mutt inaugurated
the Harita Sree project of the Ashram intended to promote awareness among the
student community about organic farming by handing over vegetable saplings to
the students and teachers of Govt. Medical College HSS.
Sri Pannyan Ravindran, CPI Central Committee Member, delivered the Key Note
Address. Ninety distinguished personalities from different areas of life were
felicitated in the function which included Sri G. Venugopal, well known playback
singer, Smt. O.V. Usha, poet, Sri K. Manoj Jayan, Film actor, Sri P.V. Chandran,
Managing Editor of Matrubhumi and Chairman of Indian Newspapers Society
among others.
Rev. Bishop Susapakyam Metropolitan, Rev. Dr. Gabriel Mar Gregarious,
Malankara Orthodox Church, Kerala Muslim League Jamait Federation President
Maulavi Katakkal Abdul Aziz, Muslim League Dist. Committee General Secretary
Prof. Thonnakkal Jamal, BJP National Executive Committee Member Sri P.K.
Krishna Das, Sri Sajan Verghese, M.D., Mangalam were among the participants in
the Meeting.