Racquelle Heffernan
NORTHRIDGE, CA: One Hundred Thirty-Five Years young if he were still alive today, the renown Sree Sree Thakur Anukulachandra was enthusiastically celebrated by Satsang America at their Ninth Annual Spiritual Congregation commemorating the great teacher and communal prophet.
Known for serving his people with great empathy and compassion from a very young age, Sree Sree Thakur hailed from a village in Himaitpur, or modern-day Bangladesh. When as a youthheheard the cry of a blind homeless man struggling to move with incoming monsoon floodwaters, the spiritual prodigy fearlessly dove into the torrent and saved a life. The early incident embedded his dharma to become a physician.
As a doctor he continued to do charitable works, opening an ashram in Deoghur with his family where he ended up having a following, whom he inspired in serving altruistic acts he had learned throughout his life. Visited by the likes of Mahatma Gandhi, Subhas Chandra Bose, Dr Rajendra Prasad and many more prominent Indian figures who truly found his work inspiring, he was an outspoken critic of the partition of India which he saw as diametrically opposed to his love of all Indians regardless of religion.
The Satsang organization was birthed inDeoghur and became officiated after the partition of India under the Societies Registration Act of 1860. It is there today wherea Pradhan Archarya, chosen spiritual official, resides overseeing the Satsang headquarters while also communicating with Satsang America board members around the world.
“Sree Sree Thakur was a great believer in dharma,” said the President of Satsang America, Subrat Mohanty, at the gala event last weekend. Leading the organization since 2019, Mohanty fervently underscores Thakur’s message of “being and becoming” as a key focus on an individual’s dharma.“As fellow citizens and guardians of this world, we must be of service to others and help those in need for the greater good of humanity,” said Mohanty underscoring the“nurturing of existence” that Thakur defined as “dharma”.
As if echoing the adage “practice what you preach,” Sree Sree Thakur, like Gandhi, greatly respected and regarded Jesus’ teachings of “Loving thy neighbor as yourself” as a beautiful representation of how we must act today. Thakur was also greatly admired for his insightful respect for women which often put him at odds with the cultures of his time and a voice that now resonates today for female empowerment.
According to Thakur’s book, Satyanusaran, “Everyone’s mother is the mother of the world. Every woman is another form of one’s own mother.” Such a transformative statement envisions women in a different light and changes the lens of lustful chauvinism. Satsang America hopes their committed effort of promoting Thakur’s message will bolster their mission emphasizing the necessity to put kindness into action and respecting humanity.
Satsung America’s festivities at the Valley Hindu Temple included a women’s and children’s conference, followed by a city procession where devotees went around the neighborhood singing devotional songs and praises. There was also a grand spread of wholesome Indian cuisine for lunch and dinner with bhajans and a talent show closing the night. A spinoff of America’s Got Talent, Satsang hosted a Krishna Janmashtami’s Got Talent show at the temple’s auditorium, sponsored by members of the organization and KKCS Program/Project Management, Tulsi Indian Eatery and American Collision Centers. The show included singing, Odissi and Bollywood style dancing, and other incredible performances by the congregation. It was truly a treasure to see this spirited bevy full of love and smiles coming together for a common purpose: to nurture existence and know what it means to be human.
