World India is getting ready for world's biggest event Maha Kumbh 2081. 450 million people will participate.

World India is getting ready for world's biggest event Maha Kumbh 2081. 450 million people will participate.
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Never had such experience’: BJP MP Hema Malini takes dip in Sangam on 'Mauni Amavasya'​

Story by HT News Desk, New Delhi
• 1h • 2 min read

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BJP MP Hema Malini after taking holy dip

BJP MP Hema Malini after taking holy dip
Bharatiya Janata Party MP Hema Malini said she has ‘never had such an experience before’ after she took a holy dip at the Triveni Sangam during the ongoing Maha Kumbh in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj on Wednesday.

Hema Malini performed the holy dip on Mauni Amavasya, an occasion on which, according to government estimates, around 10 crore people are expected to be at the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj. The mega religious congregation began on January 13 and will conclude on February 26.

“I am feeling great. I never had such an experience before. Today is a very special day. I am fortunate to take the holy dip today,” the actor-politician told news agency PTI

The Mathura MP was accompanied by yoga guru Baba Ramdev, Juna Akhada head Swami Avdheshanand Giri, and other seers.

Stampede at Maha Kumbh​

Meanwhile, in a tragic incident, a stampede took place in the wee hours of Wednesday at the Maha Kumbh. While there is no official word from the Uttar Pradesh government on the number of fatalities, according to reliable people in knowledge of developments, 14 bodies were brought to the local Swaroop Rani Medical College.
 

Once an SFI leader, now a Mahamandaleshwar​

3h • 3 min read

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THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: For Swami Anandavanam Bharathi who was recently anointed as a Mahamandaleshwar of Juna Akhara, the country’s largest monastic order, the journey over the years has been quite distinctive. Once a rebellious leader of the SFI, the student wing of the CPM, his spiritual ascent from the land of Adi Shankaracharya has now reached a culmination point in Sanatan Dharma.



Juna Akhara head Swami Avdheshanand Giri had anointed him Mahamandaleshwar, the highest level of monks in the order, on January 26. He is the third Keralite to reach this position and the first in Juna Akhara. The previous Malayali seers to earn the title did so around half a century ago. Shankaracharya is believed to have established the akhara system in northern India to train warrior monks to protect Hinduism.

According to Swami Anandavanam, he is now able to accept everyone and everything as equal but with a detachment that was impossible earlier.

Born to Madhavan, an employee of Madura Coats, and Anandavalli, a teacher, in Chalakudy in Thrissur district, he was named P Salil. He entered student politics through SFI while pursuing Pre-Degree at the Christ College in Irinjalakuda.

After joining the Sree Kerala Varma College in Thrissur, he became the SFI unit secretary, area president, and later the district office-bearer while a degree and post-graduate student. Salil went on to become the SFI district vice-president.


“I studied politics. I had close relations with current Ministers P Rajeeve and M B Rajesh and other left politicians like P K Biju and T V Rajesh,” Anandavanam told TNIE. He said he first went to see Kumbh Mela, in 2001, as he had some police cases against him. “While applying for anticipatory bail, I was advised to stay away for some days.

The Kumbh Mela was quite an experience for me. For six days, I stayed on the banks of the Ganga. At night, I would buy two bundles of grass to be used as a mat and two dried dung to escape from mosquito bite,” he recalled.

While his elevation as Mahamandaleshwar was an occasion to celebrate for his friends, he received some criticism too. One snub he received was from Minister R Bindu. A former teacher with the Sree Kerala Varma College, Bindu commented under a social media post, “If we consider the history of Swamiji, his chances of staying there are low.”


Swami Anandavanam Bharathi

Swami Anandavanam Bharathi
But the seer said his actions did not cause any controversy in the SFI or the CPM at the time. After passing out from the Press Academy with a first rank, Salil joined the Malayalam daily Mathrubhumi as a journalist.

“That was the time I travelled frequently to Haridwar, Varanasi, Rishikesh, and parts of Himalaya. I used to stay in ashrams, and gradually, I developed an interest in spirituality as I wanted to know more than we read and knew,” Anandavanam said.


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According to him, spirituality is rational. “When we can understand things reasonably and rationally, we call it spirituality. Sasthra means something that protects through correction. My journey to spirituality progressed after I associated with Sandeepananda Giri to edit the ashram’s magazine. None of my old comrades interfered in my decision as everyone knew that I wouldn’t succumb to any pressure. In my family either,” he said.

Salil also entered the grihasthashram for a short period, when he was working as a journalist. “We can become a seer from any of the four ashrams. There is no prohibition,” he said.

It was during the 2013 Kumbh Mela that Salil became closely attached to Juna Akhara. Then, he was guided by a sadhu. “I went through difficult sadhanas and training. I was asked to stand in the icy Himalaya, in the forest and undertake pilgrimage throughout Bharat. In 2018, I received Naga Deeksha from Juna Akhara which has around four lakh sannyasi members. As Naga Sannyasis, we are bound to protect the Hindu dharma. We can see everyone as equal,” Anandavanam said.

As a Mahamandaleshwar, he will work in south India from the Avadhootha Ashram in Kottarakkara.
 

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