MUMBAI: On September 26, his 60th birthday, a visual biography of Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshji, founder of Shrimad Rajchandra Mission Dharampur (SRMD), was launched at the Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai. The book, ‘Beyond – The Life and Works of Pujya Gurudevshri’, chronicles his journey and contributions. It was released globally on the final evening of ‘Aho Gurudev’ by Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran, actor Ranbir Kapoor and other distinguished guests.
Joining them on the panel were Pujya Nalinbhai; Manoj Modi, Director of Reliance Retail and Reliance Jio; Ashok P. Hinduja, Chairman of the Hinduja Group of Companies; and Abhay Jasani, President of Shrimad Rajchandra Mission Dharampur. Eminent kathakar Pujya Morari Bapu and Pujyashri Anandmurti Gurumaa also graced the stage.
Thousands of devotees from 24 countries witnessed the launch. It came after a musical depicting Gurudevshri’s life, written and staged by nearly 600 devotees, as LED projections lit up the entire convention hall.
Three Questions
Senior Sanyasi Atmarpit Nemiji, who has worked closely with Gurudevshri for many years, introduced the book through three questions. “What moved the unmoved to move the world? What made His silence speak to millions? What inspired a soul that needs nothing to give everything?” According to him, the biography is a modest effort to answer them.
Paying tribute, Nemiji noted that while the world recognises Gurudevshri as a spiritual visionary, founder, orator and author, no single description fully captures him. “I’ve heard Bapa speak about love but more importantly I’ve seen Him love,” he shared.
A First Meeting
This was Ranbir Kapoor’s first time meeting Gurudevshri. He mentioned that he had been invited to the Mission’s Global Youth Festival last year but was unable to attend, and described Gurudevshri as a ‘youth magnet’. He shared that becoming a father two years ago happened around the same time he took on the role of Bhagwan Ram in ‘Ramayana’, and that both experiences brought him closer to spirituality. “And now, after knowing you, I know that I will get closer to my goal.”
Seated beside Gurudevshri, he said he could feel “some power, some aura which is very hard to define.” He also expressed his eagerness to visit the ashram in Dharampur.
Values That Travel
N Chandrasekaran shared that in the days leading up to the event, he had been reading about Gurudevshri’s teachings and his work with youth. Drawing on his four decades at the Tata Group, he described trust and character as the bedrock of both individuals and institutions. He observed that these values were being spread “not one at a time, but tens of thousands, and hundreds of thousands, and millions of people at a time. That is the impact Gurudev is having on this world.”
About the Celebration
The two-day ‘Aho Gurudev’ celebration honoured Gurudevshri’s 60th birthday. During the event, the Mission launched 60 projects: 30 focused on societal upliftment and 30 on spiritual growth. Two of these, covering anaemia mitigation and vision care, aim to impact 60 million lives. On the morning of his birthday, 11 young professionals took Atmarpit Diksha, committing to a lifelong vow of celibacy, sadhana and seva. The festivities form part of a year-long Diamond Jubilee, which will be celebrated in cities across India and around the world.
