San Leandro, Calif. — More than 300 people visited the Sunnyvale Hindu Temple and Fremont Hindu Temple to receive blessings from and listen to programs delivered by poetess and modern-day sage Sadhvi Ritambhara, known to her followers as “Didi Maa,” Sept. 16.
The event was organized on a short two days’ notice with the help of volunteers from organizations such as Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh and Sewa International, with Chandru Bhambhra coordinating the program.
At the Fremont temple, trustees, volunteers and more than a hundred devotees gathered to welcome Didi Maa with aarti and the traditional chanting of mantras by priests.
Afterwards, Didi Maa addressed the gathering, encouraging devotees to worship the divine through seva, or service.
Worshippers also eagerly awaited her arrival at Sunnyvale Hindu Temple, to hear her characteristic words of wisdom spoken in Hindi and filled with anecdotes and metaphoric verses, as well as her melodious singing.
Some of the topics Didi Maa spoke about were paropakar, or altruism, and consumerism.
At the Sunnyvale Hindu Temple, Didi Maa called upon founding member Raj Bhanot and key volunteers of the temple and blessed them.
Didi Maa has established Vatsalya Gram, a facility for homeless children and destitute women, where they undergo six months of training to first heal themselves, and then begin a new life of care-giving and self-caring in the home with children who may have gone through similar trauma in their lives.
Some of the projects run by Vatsalya Gram include a female feticide awareness program, traditional dairy system, vocational training, community college, yoga and philosophy, and a girls hostel.
For details about Vatsalya Gram, visit www.vatsalyagram.org/