Mumbai, Aug 28 (IANS) On the auspicious occasion of the Raksha Bandhan festival, Tirthswarup Swami of the BAPS (Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha) Swaminarayan Mandir, in Mumbai, tied a sacred ‘rakhi’ from His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj to Maharashtra Governor Jishnu Dev Varma.
This comes days after Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel visited the BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham temple in New Jersey, during his tour of the United States.
Tirthswarup Swami also conveyed Mahant Swami Maharaj’s blessings to the Maharashtra Governor.
During the interaction, Governor Jishnu Dev Varma expressed his deep appreciation for BAPS’s spiritual and humanitarian initiatives and commended the organisation for its valuable service to society.
Varma also conveyed his heartfelt greetings and respects to Mahant Swami Maharaj.
Meanwhile, the Gujarat Chief Minister was warmly welcomed by the BAPS saints at the Akshardham Temple in New Jersey, a centre of spirituality and culture.
He lauded its rich representation of Indian culture, spiritual traditions, and service to society and appreciated the efforts of Gujarati communities in preserving Indian culture and values abroad.
The Gujarat Chief Minister was on a week-long visit to the US and Canada, accompanied by a high-level delegation.
The visit was a part of the state government’s efforts to build business ties for attracting global investments and also strengthen global partnerships.
The Chief Minister also participated in the ‘Garvi Gujarat Global New Jersey’ programme and called upon the Gujarati diaspora to partner in the state’s development journey.
He had also interacted with young entrepreneurs, technology experts, business leaders and representatives from various sectors at the Young CEO Meet.
Presenting Gujarat’s development journey to the Gujarati diaspora, the Chief Minister said that the state is making a significant contribution to the country’s economic growth.
“The state, accounting for six per cent of India’s geographical area and about five per cent of its population, contributes 8.2 per cent to the country’s GDP and hopes to raise it to more than 10 per cent by 2030,” he told the diaspora.
–IANS
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