Back to back birthday bashes of two saints — Dakshin Kalipeethadhishwar Mahamandleshwar Swami Kailashnand Brahmachari and Kalkipeethadhishwar Pramod Krishnam — have left people gossiping.
Sant Pramod Krishnam’s birthday was celebrated in a private banquet hall located in the heart of the city. He insisted on the day be renamed national unity day. He perhaps took the cue from Kailashnand who had declared he would celebrate his birthday “for the welfare of world” every year. The saga of celebrations ended on Sunday. However, the local residents are still wondering over what these pomp and show mean.
A refrain runs-such grandiloquent show accompanied by philanthropy in the form of free distribution of tea among the people at Haridwar railway station and free meals for the visitors at the ashram are sham bereft of any inner spiritual significance. However, many were amused. Some are still engaged in ferreting out meaning out of these gaudy bashes. A number of silver screen celebrities, including Bollywood star Suniel Shetty, Bhojpuri actors Ravi Kishan and Manoj Tiwari aside from a string of TV actors, singers, magicians and, of course, politicians, added glamour to the birthday shows.
At the Sant Samgam held to felicitate Kailashnand on his 39th birthday, Governor Aziz Qureshi, who was about to depart for Mizoram, graced the grand occasion as the chief guest. Prominent saints present at Kailashnand birthday congregation were Swami Chidanand, Swami Awdeshanand and Sadhvi Prachi. Besides, the MP of Haridwar ad former Chief Minister Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, the leader of the Opposition, Ajay Bhatt and a few ministers from Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh were among the guests. The Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Harish Rawat was among those present at Pramod Krishnan’s birthday. Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh was also present. However, Parikshit Sahani, the Bollywood cine star of yesteryears, hogged attraction.