On Wednesday, the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations and the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) will commemorate Pramukh Swami Maharaj’s centenary at the United Nations in New York.
The one-and-a-half-hour special titled ‘The World is One Family: Life and Message of Pramukh Swami Maharaj’ will feature live speakers as well as videos to highlight the impact of Pramukh Swami Maharaj’s life work.
Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj, India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, is one of the speakers at the event. The event will take place on December 8 between 2:30 and 4:00 a.m. IST, according to an official release issued by BAPS on Tuesday. BAPS was granted consultative status at the United Nations Economic and Social Council in 2000.
The centenary celebrations of Pramukh Swami Maharaj will be a global event, with London’s Wembley Stadium lighting up its arch in saffron on Wednesday. On the same day, the Westminster City Council will unveil a plaque honouring Maharaj in Victoria Tower Garden.
“While the Mayor of Toronto John Tory announced that the City of Toronto has declared December 7 to be celebrated throughout Toronto as ‘Pramukh Swami Maharaj Centennial Celebration Day’, Monte McNaughton, Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, announced that on December 7, the Niagara Falls Illumination Board will be lighting the world-renowned Niagara Falls in red, white and saffron colours to celebrate the life and legacy of Pramukh Swami Maharaj,” the release added. In Canada, over 700 volunteers have organised the centennial celebrations titled ‘Param Shanti’ (absolute peace). “We need more like Pramukh Swami Maharaj to unite us, to integrate us,” the release issued by BAPS quoted Sanjay Kumar Verma, High Commissioner of India to Canada, as saying.