More than 1,000 people from the tri-state region, and from as far as Los Angeles and London, England, filled Manhattan’s landmark Marble Collegiate Church on May 28 for Path to Peaceful Prosperity, an evening of music and meditation hosted by the Sadhu Vaswani Center for World Peace (SVCWP).
Marble Collegiate Church held symbolic value as Dada J.P. Vaswani was a fond admirer of the church’s minister Dr. Norman Vincent Peale in the 1900s. Although Dada never got the chance to visit the church, this gathering served as a heartfelt tribute to that wish, making the moment even more meaningful, organizers said in a press release.
Television personalities Monica Vaswani and Brian Benni welcomed the crowd. – Consul General of India in New York Binaya S. Pradhan gave the opening remarks, praising SVCWP’s forthcoming World Peace Center in New Jersey as “a monumental gift of meditation, study, and compassion for America.”
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Grammy-nominated kirtan artist Krishna Das lifted spirits in the candle-lit hall with a thunderous “Om” and “Om Namah Shivaya,” drawing the audience to its feet.
A hush descended when Grammy award winner and philanthropist Chandrika Tandon shared how the writings of Rev. Dada J. P. Vaswani guided her through life’s most difficult chapters, calling the evening “a beacon of light for New York.”
Well-known spiritual leader Didi Krishna Kumari presented what she called “the secret pathway to prosperity.”
Redefining “PEACE as Prosperity Emanating As Conscious Expansion”, she gave a definition to each alphabet in the letter peace and offered them as instrumental keys and practical “soul tools” to unlock prosperity. She then guided the jampacked hall to a ten-minute guided meditation.
Attendees described the night as “a milestone for Indian spirituality in New York,” organizers said.
Other special guests at the event were global representatives of Indiaspora including Shoba Viswanathan, Shiv Khemka, Sunil Wadhwani, Ramola Motwani, as well as community leaders Ranju and Ratan Batra, and Sunil and Sharmila Sani, filmmakers, authors, vegan ambassadors, physicians, artists, and faith leaders.
The event was organized entirely by the youth wing of the Sadhu Vaswani Mission, Bridge Builders NYC.
SVCWP’s full 24-member committee attended with their families, underscoring the project’s community-driven spirit.
The next public program is “Secrets to a Happy Home” scheduled for Wednesday, 4 June 2024 – 6:30 p.m. at the Sri Venkateswara Temple, Bridgewater, NJ. The evening will feature a family-focused talk by Didi Krishna Kumari, cultural performances by children of the Sadhu Vaswani Gurukul and the temple community, and a complimentary VIP darshan of the temple. Registration: bit.ly/HappyHomeNJ