Service to mankind is service to god

The month of Shravan or Sawan is considered holy for the Hindus. It is observed from late July to end-August and is dedicated to Lord Shiva. In Bihar, devotees visit the Palheja ghat, in Sonepur, which is a confluence of the rivers Ganga and Gandak. They take the holy water from here and walk 74 km to reach the Baba Garib Nath temple in Muzaffarpur, carrying the pots on their shoulders, all the way. They perform abhishekam on the Shivling at the temple with this water. Every year this ritual, called the Mahamrityunjay Kanwariya, is performed religiously with great fanfare.

This year too lakhs of devotees observed the ritual. The Rotaractors of RAC Muzaffarpur, D 3250, pitched in with their community service on the occasion. They set up pandals or temporary resting shacks and made available plenty of water, juices, snacks along the way for the devotees. They also provided first aid for the needy.

The Rotaractors served around 90,000 devotees in three campsites. “We have shot to fame with these camps. People here know about our club and our humanitarian activities now. This has been a good public image exercise and we intend to continue this every year,” says the Club President Ashit Sultania.