Samparka

46 Years in Sevā...

Chitrāpur Young Men’s Association (CYMA) came into active existence, in BeṅgaῙūru when H.H. Shrīmat Parijñānāshram III Swāmījī made His official visit to BeṅgaῙūru in January 1976. 

CYMA made its shubhārambha with a bhajana class, lovingly named Easha Bhajana Maṇdalī by His Holiness. It’s members ranged from 4 to 80 years of age. By His Grace, almost overnight, even pop music-crazed Bhānap youth of the 1970s transformed into fervent bhajana singers at major events at BeṅgaῙūru Mat͟͟͟͟͟͟h! The maṇḍalī also participated in bhajana programmes whenever they were invited to perform across the city.

In early 1976, CYMA organized the screening of three 16 mm Kannaḍa mythological movies in the Canarā Union, an event that was widely appreciated. In February-March, it got busy organizing a charity show of variety entertainment. CYMA managed to collect Rs. 2025 (a significant sum in that era!) for the Rathotsava fund.The collected amount was lovingly offered at H.H. Swāmījī 's Lotus Feet through the BeṅgaῙūru Local Sabhā.

Soon after the variety entertainment show, CYMA arranged Koṅkaṇī dramas in which several of its members acted or helped behind the scenes. All the shows were house-full; in fact, one of the comedy dramas had to be staged thrice on public demand!
Over the next few years, CYMA purchased two oxygen cylinders, one drip stand, and one wheelchair. Its members used to deliver it to Bhānap-s across BeṅgaῙūru whenever these were required. 

In April 1976, CYMA members were selflessly responding to calls for volunteering at weddings, upanayanam-s, and other functions in the community. In May, with the help of Ved. KaṇḍῙur Ananth Bhaṭ, CYMA flagged off classes to teach Sandhyāvandana and As͟hṭāvadhāna. 
On 30th May, on the Puṇyatithi of H.H. Shrīmat Pāṇḍuraṅgāshram Swāmījī , CYMA and BeṅgaῙūru Local Sabhā together organized akhaṇḍa bhajana, continuously from 8 am to 8 pm. They also undertook As͟hṭāvadhāna pūjā with Ved. Shukla Guru Bhaṭ leading. CYMA continued performing As͟hṭāvadhāna pūjā on all puṇyatithi-s for several years thereafter.

In June 1976, CYMA organized Yogāsana classes on Saturdays at BeṅgaῙūru Mat͟͟͟͟h under the guidance of Shrī Shyāmsundar Herañjal. The response from the community was excellent for this initiative as well. Both the Yogāsana and Sandhyāvandana classes were soon thrown open to the general public.

CYMA continued to meet on every third Sunday of the month at 10.30 am at BeṅgaῙūru Mat͟͟͟h. Several talks, bhajana performances, and other spiritual programmes were organized over the following years. 

In early 1977, H.H. Shrīmat Parijñānāshram III Swāmījī was camping at Ṛs͟hīkesh following His decision to abdicate the pīt͟͟͟ha. Several CYMA members travelled from BeṅgaῙūru during the last week of February to meet with Him. They presented H.H. Swāmījī with an exquisite shawl. They also presented Him with a beautiful pair of pādukā-s on 1 March 1977. Our Parama Guru graciously placed His Lotus Feet on these pādukā-s and gave them back to the CYMA members with His blessings. These prasādika pādukā-s were brought back to BeṅgaῙūru and were carried ceremoniously along with H.H. Swāmījī 's portrait in an utsava from Canarā Union to BeṅgaῙūru Mat͟͟͟͟h. This procession was organized following the Yugādi celebrations on 20 March 1977.

CYMA members would often carry the pādukā-s to their homes for special occasions such as Satyanārāyaṇa pūjā or any Saptāha. Soon other Bhānap-s followed suit. Even Tālmakīwāḍī devotees would travel to BeṅgaῙūru and carry the pādukā-s lovingly to Mumbaī for the Datta Jayantī celebrations there for several years.

The cherished pādukā-s were devotedly tended to at the home of Shrī Vidyānand and Shrī Durgānand  Mullerpaṭaṇ, who were then the Chairman and Secretary of CYMA respectively. Yathānushakti, daily pūjā-s were offered to the pādukā-s by the Mullerpaṭaṇ family for several decades.

In 1977, CYMA organized a splendid three-day Saṅgīta Sammelana. Performances from maestros such as Pt. Jasrāj, Vidūs͟hi Kishorī Āmoṇkar, Ustād Zākir Hussain, Pt.Hariprasād Chaurasiā, Pt. Brij Nārāyaṇ, and Pt. Shivkumār Sharmā had the audience in raptures. The proceeds were donated to the Shirālī Rathotsava fund.

Another major event organized by CYMA was a Rathotsava in BeṅgaῙūru from April5-7, 1985. H.H. Shrīmat Parijñānāshram Swāmījī performed the pūjā and CYMA members recited the As͟hṭāvadhāna. It was a truly memorable occasion for the entire Bhānap community in BeṅgaῙūru!

In January 1998, the office bearers of CYMA met with H.H. Shrīmat Sadyojāt Shaṅkarāshram Swāmījī at Shirālī to apprise Him about the organization. The subject of the blessed pādukā-s also came up during this discussion. When H.H. Swāmījī expressed a fervent desire to worship them, the pādukā-s were handed over to His care on Makara Saṅkrānti day (15 January 1998) at Shrī Bhaṇḍikeri Mat͟͟h, Gokarṇa.
Moving with the times, senior CYMA office bearers who had been leading the organization's activities right from its foundation handed the baton over to a new team of youngsters. CYMA was registered as an Association under the Karnāṭaka Societies Registration Act, 1960, on 13 July 2018. To comply with the latest financial regulations, a PAN number was obtained, and other necessary documentation was systematized.

In recent years, the activities of CYMA can be broadly classified into the following areas:

• Charitable: CYMA has occasionally received appeals for financial assistance from needy individuals and organizations from within the Chitrāpur Sāraswat community. On these occasions, CYMA has responded by disbursing assistance in cash or kind to them promptly and adequately.
• Socio-cultural: CYMA has been actively supporting our Shrī Chitrāpur Mat͟͟͟h and its affiliated bodies with volunteers and financial contributions during events such as Chāturmāsa, visits of our revered Guruvarya-s to BeṅgaῙūru, and accounts/inventory verification at various Mat͟͟͟h-s.

A few of the recent projects taken up by CYMA in these two areas can be listed as follows:
Sponsoring the purchase of stainless-steel tables and other equipment for BeṅgaῙūru Mat͟͟͟h during Chāturmāsa 2008

• Contributing towards Homa-s/Yajña-s during H.H. Shrīmat Sadyojāt Shaṅkarāshram Swāmījī ’s visits to BeṅgaῙūru.
• Volunteering to organize and complete the data entry of Permanent Sevā Accounts at Shirālī Mat͟͟͟h in 2010-11
• Volunteering for inventory verification and labelling of equipment and fixtures at all Mat͟͟͟h-s of our community in 2011-12
• Sponsoring sporting equipment for Guruprasād High School in Mallāpur(2016-17), several of whose students are competing at district, state, or national level in their respective sports 
• Assisting needy Bhānap families with financial assistance upon their request

CYMA Sevā Activities during Covid (April-June 2021)
During the deadly second wave of the Covid pandemic in BeṅgaῙūru, CYMA volunteers (Ānand Baindoor, Mahesh Kalbāg, and Amit Kilpāḍy)helped by picking and dropping off essential groceries and medicines etc. for the aged and home quarantined members of our community, especially in and around Malleshwaram.

Due to the atmosphere of panic and shortages of medical infrastructure felt during the second wave, thousands of persons (both Āmchī-s and non-Āmchī-s) across the city had numerous problems accessing verified and reliable information. Smt. Nandini Karañje pāchī connected with CYMA volunteers at this point. A dedicated social worker for decades, she was already helping Covid patients access verified resources from the beginning of the pandemic. Under her initiative, a small volunteer group was formed on WhatsApp. CYMA volunteers joined Nandini pāchī and other like-minded individuals to collect information (links, apps, helpline numbers, etc.), verify these as far as possible, and share these with any requests that came to them. 

The volunteers' main aim consisted of helping Covid-affected persons get access to hospital beds, ICUs, ventilators, plasma, oxygen cylinders, Remdesvir or other medicines, and home catering services. For hospital beds, they managed to forward hundreds of requests to the Bṛhat BeṅgaῙūru Mahānagar Pālike (BBMP) war room for Covid. Over nearly three months (April, May, and June), this group of volunteers helped hundreds of Covid-afflicted families in this way. They received requests and helped persons not only from BeṅgaῙūru but from as far afield as Chennaī, Ḍelhī, and Mumbaī.

This volunteer group's members included Nandini Karañje, Nanditā Kāikiṇi, Harin Haṭṭaṅgaḍy, Mahesh Kalbāg, Ānand Baindoor and Amit Kilpāḍy.