Chicago IL: Sunday, Feb 10th marked another milestone in the glorious history of Hari Om Mandir, Medinah, IL. Baba Balak Nath Ji’s Murti was installed with full devotion amidst Holy Mantras, Poojas and Pran Pratishtha Ceremony was performed by Pandit Dinesh Kumar Ji on the auspicious day of Basant Panchami. Five Main Sponsor Families: Brij & Vijay Sharma, Dr. Anand & Aruna Lal, Dr. Chand, Naveen & Anshu Paul, Dr. Arun & Sushma Verma performed all the rituals and the Murti was formally unveiled to occupy its Holy Space in the Shiv Durbar area.
Siddh Baba Balak Nath is the Reincarnation of Lord Kartikeya (Lord Shiva & Parvati’s Son). As the story goes, Lord Shiva & Goddess Parvati gave him a Blessing that he will always be a 12 year old boy for the rest of his life and never grow old…So, he is popularly known as the “Balak†form of Lord Shiva. However, as the Myth goes, Baba once realized that women are very gentle, and he is harsh like a stone…so, women are restricted from coming to his temple and are not allowed to touch his feet…they can pay their respects from a distance only.
The Guardian of the Temple, Mr. Ayodhia Salwan thanked ALL the Donors and Devotees for their generous contributions in making this beautiful addition to the Mandir. The President of the Executive Board, Mr. Vipan Wadhera, also thanked everybody for their continued support, and specially recognized the contributions of Mr. Ashok & Shama Sharma and Family, who have been organizing Baba Ji’s Bhandara and Bhajan Kirtan for the past two years. It is with their efforts that the Program gained much popularity and eventually, we have Baba Ji’s Murti, along with the other Deities, permanently installed in the Mandir.
Bunty Bawa from California, an ardent follower & Bhakt of Baba Balak Nath Ji, flew in specially to join the Grand Celebrations of Murti Pran Pratishtha and sang Bhajans in Glory of Baba Balak Nath. His Dabang Voice, Loud Clapping and Non-Stop Singing, regaled the audiences and everyone in the packed house Congregation was seen singing along! Amidst huge applause, he also released his new collection of Bhajans CD- KASAM RABB DI, and brought several gifts (tokens of Baba Balak Nath Ji Necklaces / Badges / Sashes etc) for the devotees. HOM management team had made special arrangements to distribute the items along with a box of sweets donated by Ravi Kapoor of Parag International- Distributor of HALDIRAM PRODUCTS in USA , as Prasad, to the public.
Basant Panchami was also celebrated in the true spirit of the festival. The Mandir was beautifully decorated with Yellow flowers, and all the Devotees were also dressed in Yellow attires. Pandit Ji recited special Mantras for Saraswati Pooja and blessed all the children present there. The Kids of HOM Hindi Class sang Saraswati Vandana and offered flowers to the Goddess of Learning, Knowledge & Wisdom.
Special Preeti Bhoj consisting of all Yellow Food Items was sponsored by Garg & Singla Family. Baba Balak Nath’s special Prasad “Rot†was also distributed, and people relished all the mouthwatering delicacies of the day. To mark this special Occasion with full Sanctity, the Bhandara started with serving Food, first to the young Girls (Kanjak) and young Boys (Lainkre), along with some “Dakshinaâ€, and then to the public in general.
