A BRIEF REPORT ON THE SPEIAL PUJA ON KALPATARU DAY ON 1ST JANUARY, 2011
The Ramakrishna Mission, New Delhi, celebrated the Kalpataru Day on 1st January 2011 in a solemn and befitting manner. On this day, special puja to Bhagawan Sri Ramakrishna was performed in the Temple from 7.48 a.m. till Noon. As it was considered to be a very special day, Revered Secretary Maharaj himself did the puja to Bhagawan Sri Ramakrishna as well as havan on this day. At the end of the Puja he also did Aratrikam to Sri Sri Thakur and this earned high appreciation and devotion of all those who assembled in the temple.
It was extremely cold in the morning when the Puja began, but as the day was progressing, it became quite warm and the puja ceremony went off very well. From the time the puja started, devotional songs were rendered by shri champak chatterjee accompanied by Shri Ashok Brahmachari on tabla.
The puja was over by 9.37 a.m. Havan started at 9.45 a.m. and it was over by 10.30 a.m. Afterwards Pushpanjali was conducted for devotees by Revered Swami Bhaktirasanandaji Maharaj at 10.58 a.m. At about 11.10 a.m. Revered secretary Maharaj gave a short speech on the significance of Kalpataru Day and he gave picturesque details of what happened at Gossipore Garden House on 1st January 1886 and how Sri Sri Thakur blessed all those assembled there by telling, “May you all be spiritually illumined.” After that, when the sanctum sanctorum was closed for offering bhog to Sri Thakur at 11.18 a.m., devotional songs were rendered again by Shri Champak Chatterjee and one song was sung in chorus led by Revered Secretary Maharaj to the accompaniment on tabla by Shri Ashok Brahmachari.
Bhoga commenced at 11.18 a.m. and ended at 11.37 a.m. followed by bhogarati at 11.42 a.m. which was ovrer by 11.55 a.m. After all the devotees offered pranams to Sri Sri thakur, Ma and Swamiji, the temple was closed at 12.30 p.m. Altogether 1685 devotees attended the Puja All of them were served prasad in plastic containers containing kichuri, subzi, sweets and fruits. Nearly 150 persons including monastics and volunteers partook of the prasad in the dining hall. Also at the main gate outside, 250 persons were served kichuri prasad. In the evening around ¬¬¬¬1300 devotees attended he aratrikam and boondi prasad was distributed to all of them. About 100 persons including monastics took prasad in the dining hall at night.
This time, donations in the morning amounted to Rs. 75,630/- (as against Rs. 43,228/- last year) in cash and Rs. 24,112/- (as against Rs. 16,000/- last year) by cheque. In the evening, donations amounted to Rs. 19,333/- (as against Rs. 13,607/- last year) in cash. Book sales on that day amounted to Rs. 1,02,698/-(as against Rs. 68,000/- last year).
On the whole, the Kalpataru Day puja in the morning and bhajan in the evening went off successfully.