Vishwatmak Sant Sahitya Sammelan
| Swagat Adhyaksha | Dr Sadanand More (Former Professor and Head, Department of Philosophy, Savitribai Phule Pune University) |
| Karya Adhyaksha | Dr Anil Sahastrabuddhe |
| Sammelan Adhyaksha | HBP Dr Madan Maharaj Gosavi (Retired Judicial Officer & Warkari Keertankar) |
- Shri Bhagat Singhji Koshyari (then Hon’ble Governor of Maharashtra)
- Shri Jishnu Dev Varma (Hon’ble Dy CM, Govt of Tripura)
- Swami Narendranand Saraswatiji Maharaj (Shankaracharya, Kashi Sumeru Peeth)
- Shri Vinay Sahastrabuddhe (MP, Rajya Sabha)
- Kiran Soni Gupta (West Zone Cultural Center)
- Special Online Live Address – Shri Shripad Naik (Union Minister, Culture & Tourism, Shipping, Ports, & Waterways)
Shantibrahma HBP Maruti Maharaj Kurekar, Alandi
Dr Anil Sahastrabuddhe (Prolific Scholar & Author, Sant Sahitya & Folklore of Maharashtra)
The pandemic and the lockdown were an epoch in our lifetimes. The 21st century was marked with an extreme pace of life and era defining technologies like the internet, the mobile phone, digital payments that brought the world at our fingertips. Entertainment, information, opinion became so abundantly available that somewhere we started to forget to glance inside, to take a moment to breathe and appreciate our own existence as well as of the world around us.
But what we didn’t do voluntarily, the world was made to do during the lockdowns. These were difficult times, both economically, emotionally, and psychologically. But it was precisely these tough times that saw a lot of us step up to help our fellow brethren. These feelings of a shared experience, a shared conscience, a shared consciousness are precisely what the teachings of Sants and Saints all around the world have been, and which led to the formulation of the first ever Vishwatmak Sant Sahitya Sammelan that sought to celebrate this familial feeling, what is most gracefully said in two very familiar Sanksrit expressions – Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam and Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah.
The Vishwatmak Sant Sahitya Sammelan gathered proponents of devotional practices, community builders, educators, thought leaders from a wide spectrum of religions, geographies, languages, perspectives, practices. These people came together to showcase their history and their present, to learn about the history and the present of others, to see what is already shared, what else could be shared, to learn best practices, and to revel in this very Indian, very human endeavour of belonging to a larger whole.
The individuals in the organising team had a lot of influence of literature by Marathi Sants like Dnyaneshwar, Tukaram, Namdev, Janabai, and experience with devotional and spiritual forms of knowledge and tradition dissemination like Keertans, Bhajans, Powadas. These Haribhakt Warkari traditions of Maharashtra, existing for close to 8 centuries and believing in the Non-separatedness or Advait of everything in this cosmos, gave a concrete and positive direction to the inclusive Vishwatmak Sant Sahitya Sammelan.
- Dr Sadanand More (Former Professor and Head, Department of Philosophy, Savitribai Phule Pune University)
- Dr Aruna Dhere (Poet and Litterateur)
- Dr Varsha Patare Todmal (Sant Sahitya Researcher)
- Prafulla Ketkar (Senior Journalist, Editor of Organiser)
- Dr Vinod Sinha (Philosophy Scholar, Techinical Member of NCLT)
- Late HBP Dr Ramchandra Dekhne (Folk Artist, Keertankar, Researcher)
- Dr Shailendra Shrivastav (Hindi Literature and Culture Expert)
- Dr Anupama Ujgare (Literary Person)
- Dr Sriram Narainswamy (Sanskrit Scholar and Vedic Practitioner)
- Dr Sarjerao Jige (Literary Person)
- Ulhasdada Pawar (Sant Sahitya Researcher)
- Vijay Bawiskar (Journalist)
- Dr Ramkrishna Lahvitkar (Sant Sahitya Researcher)
- B B Shastri (Sr Researcher, Mahanubhav Panth)
- Dr Pramodbhai Shinde (Head, Manashakti Research Center)
- HBP Pankaj Maharaj Gawde (Keertankar)
- Dr Subhash Bagal (Sant Sahitya Writer & Expert)
- Dr Shivajirao Huse (Sant Sahitya Researcher & Academic)
- Dr Digamber Shirke (VC, Shivaji University, Kolhapur)
- Dr Shriram Pawar (Editor, Dainik Sakal)
- Dr Bhushan Swami (Expert on Literature by Swami Ramdas)
- Rajendrakumar Chaugule (Editor, Dainik Punyanagri)
- Dr Mohammad Azam (Expert on Sufi Literature)
- Dr Avtar Singh (Exponent & Expert on Sikh Culture)
- Dr Ravindra Thakur (Sant Sahitya Researcher, VC Shivaji University, Kolhapur)
- Dr Dilip Barute (Sant Sahitya Researcher)
- Dr Martand Kulkarni (Sant Sahitya Researcher)
- Dr Yogendra Mishra (Ramcharit Manas Scholar)
- Dr Satish Badwe (Sant Sahitya Expert)
- Dr Vidyasagar Patangankar (Sant Sahitya Researcher)
- Dr Ganesh Chandanshive (HoD, Lokkala Academy, Mumbai University)
- Dr Mukund Kule (Journalist and Sant Sahitya Researcher)
- Dr Rishibaba Shinde (Sant Sahitya Researcher)
- Dr V L Manjul (Historian & Scholar of Sant Sahitya)
- Swamini Radhikananda (Expert and Practitioner of Dutta Sampraday)
- Shirish Chitnis (Literary Activist)
- Vasant Bhosle (Editor, Dainik Lokmat)
- Mohan Mestri Adhyaksha (Patrakar Sangh, Kolhapur)
- Dr Kalyan Gangwal (Expert on Jain Sant Sahitya & Proponent of Vegetarianism)
- HBP Shivajirao More (Environmental Activist, Descendant of Sant Tukaram, Sant Sahitya Expert)
- Dr Dhananjay Honmane (Sant Sahitya Researcher)
- Ujlavaya Aalo Vaata - Grantha Smarnika - a collection of essays and thought pieces on spirituality, devotional literature, and spiritual practices from all over the world, specially authored for the Vishwatmak Sant Sahitya Sammelan.
- Digital Art by Sandeep Ghodke depicting classical Marathi and Warkari Sant Parampara
- Mahayogi by Shirish Shete– a photographic documentation of Swami Umananda Saraswati’s life journey.
- Photography Exhibition by Shirish Shete depicting Pandharpur Wari.
- An exhibition-lecture of preserved original manuscripts and illustrations from between 14th and 19th century by VL Manjul, former librarian of Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute.
- Sant Janabai by Dr Sumangala Bakre about the contribution of Sant Janabai to Warkari traditions and literature.
- Ganeshvandana – Shantanu Herlekar & Upagna Pandya
- Pravachan-Keertan – HBP Nivrutti Maharaj Deshmukh Indurikar (Sant Haribaba Warkari Shikshan Sanstha, Solapur)
- Avachita Parimalu & Pandurangashtak – Sukhada Khandge-Khaire
- Panwani Gayan – Sampriya Pooja Nishad Chhatisgarh
- Bharud – HBP Chandabai Tiwari
- Powada – Shahir Raju Raut
- Bhajan – Godavaritai Munde
- Keertan – HBP Macchindra Maharaj Abhanga
- Gondhal – Dr Ganesh Chandanshive
- Jaagran – Yogesh Chikatgavkar
- Dhangar Nrutya
- Dr Samira Gujar
- Dr Monika Thakkar
- Dr Anuradha Joshi-Patki
- Special Coordinator for Shobha Yatra – Hemsuvarna Mirajkar
- HBP Dr Madan Maharaj Gosavi
- Prof Dr Prakash Khandge
- Ravi Patil
- Adv Akshay Gosavi
- Adv Roshan Patil
- Jagannath Patil
- Dr Sanket Kharpude
- Shantanu Herlekar
- Anish Vyavahare
- Babasaheb Kashid
- Bhaskarrav Bhange
- Ganesh Vadekar
- Harshal Vibhandik
- Dr Kalpana Hajare
- Krishnachandra Adal
- Laxmikant Bongale
- Mansinghrao Killedar
- Mohan Goswami Tiwari
- Thaganrao Patil
- Vijaymama Sadaphal
- Vikas Kokate
- Yogesh Pawar
- Sukrut Creations, Pune
- Unique Travels, Pune
- Yogi Designs, Mumbai
Puraskars
A major objective of the Sammelans put together by Amarwani is to create a culture of appreciating Sant Literature as also the works of moderns Sants. In service of this objective, contemporary work of spiritual and community leaders is acknowledged through Puraskars (awards).
Vishwatmak Sant Sahitya Sammelan
Sant Shiromani Puraskar
Balasaheb Kashid accepting the Sant Shiromani Puraskar for Shantibrahma HBP Maruti Maharaj Kurekar of Alandi, at the hands of Baba Hathyogi from Haridwar (accomplished Yogi, Spokesperson for Akhil Bhartiya Akhara Parishad).
A legacy Keertankar who learned the art of Keertan, Abhang, and Warkari traditions right at home, Kurekar Maharaj was the head at Warkari Shikshan Sanstha at Alandi. With a unique structure of no fees from the student or no salary for the teachers, the Warkari Shikshan Sanstha is run on time and efforts volunteered by those who practice and want to keep the Warkari traditions thriving. Kurekar Maharaj, a prolific Keertankar himself, is also the recipient of Sant Gyanoba-Tukaram Puraskar conferred by the Govt of Maharashtra.
Alandi, a town in Pune district has historical roots going back many centuries, but most well known for being the place of Samadhi of Sant Dnyaneshwar, who took samadhi at the age of 21 after completing his translation of Bhagwad Geeta into Marathi (titled Dnyaneshwari, the first ever translation of the Bhagwad Geeta from Sanskrit to any other language), and then writing his own treatise about his meditative and awakening experiences called Amrutanbhav.
Samadhi – a meditative, joyful state of consciousness, often final in that the practitioner doesn’t come back from it to a state of waking at all.
Keertan – A very traditional form of storytelling and devotion that uses music to both edify and entertain an audience.
Vishwatmak Sant Sahitya Sammelan
Sant Jeevan Gaurav Puraskar
Dr Anil Sahastrabuddhe (prolific scholar with over 100 books on Sant Sahitya & Folklore of Maharashtra) presenting the Vishwatmak Sant Jeevan Gaurav Puraskar to Mahanta Rishishvaranandaji of Haridwar.
The work of Swami Rishishwaranandaji includes setting up the Chetan Jyoti Ashram in Haridwar which has now become an epicenter of Dharmic learning. He has also helped set up Vedic Shikshan Pathshalas as also Laukik Shikshan Pathshalas or centers of modern learning including schools & colleges.
Publications
Unvieling, and Exhibitions
Ujlavaya Aalo Vaata
Published as a Smarnika (memento), Ujlavaya Aalo Vaata is a multilingual collection of essays and thought pieces on spirituality, devotional literature, and spiritual practices from all over the world, specially authored for the Vishwatmak Sant Sahitya Sammelan.
Vedantashri
The eponymous magazine by Vedantshri publishers contains essays, opinion pieces, and information about various activities and publications in the Dharmic world.
Santdarshini ha Laabh
Unveiling Santadarshani ha Laabh (The Value of Understanding the Philosophy of Sants or The Value of Looking upon a Sant – Darshan can mean being able to gaze upon, as well as a Philosophical Perspective) by Sunil Kisanroa Gaikwad. The book is a Sant Mahatmya, or a book praising the work of Sants.
Mahayogi, by Shirish Shete
Mahayogi is a tasteful photographic documentation of Swami Umananda Saraswati’s life journey by well known photographer and photo documentarian Shirish Shete.
Pandharpur Wari – An exhibition of photos by Shirish Shete
A team of organisers displaying one of the photographs by Shirish Shete from the photo exhibition set up as part of the Sammelan. Shirish Shete’s photos of the annual Aashadh Wari (walking pilgrimage in the summer/monsoon month of Aashadh, one of the world’s oldest and largest walking pilgrimages) to Pandharur was received very well by the audience of the Sammelan, considering it was a celebration involving them.
Digital Paintings exhibition – by Digital Artist Sandeep Ghodke
In today’s world, where everything has gone digital, digital art is an exciting new medium. Sandeep Ghodke, a digital artist from Pune makes use of technological marvels to create breathtaking imagery.
For the Sammelan, he recreated popular images of Marathi Sants, temples, and mythologies for an exhibit so unique and well made, the Governor of Maharashtra requested it be put up in the Raj Bhavan!
Academic Sessions
At the core of each of the Sammelans are the Academic Sessions that invite spiritual leaders, thought leaders, academicians, poets, artists, authors to come together over discussions, presentations, deliberations, debates on learnings, experiences, and perspectives – a practice that is ancient in India, and so necessary in a world going increasingly global.
