On 25 August, the Atmasantulana Village was bedecked with brightness, and wrapped in the tricolour, for the memorial of Shreeguru Dr. Balaji Tambe was to be inaugurated by His Excellency the Hon. Governor of Mahrashtra Shri Bhagat Singh Koshyari. Among a collection of friends, disciples and well-wishers from near and far and in the august company of several Members of the Indian Parliament, Shri B.S. Koshyari arrived, a simple and sweet-looking persona dressed to reflect his nationalistic beliefs, wrapped in a warm and welcoming aura. He unassumingly encompassed everyone in his greetings and promptly arrived at the inauguration point.
After the Governor severed the ribbon, the silk sheets slid upwards off the smiling murti (statue) of Shreeguruji and His Excellency stepped up to honour the likeness of our Master. As the air was punctured by the sounds of shlokas on Ayurveda sung by Shreeguruji himself, the Members of Parliament, Shri Shriniwas Patil (also Ex-Governor of Maharashtra), Shri Shrirang Barne and Shri Sunil Tatkare all came up to honour the murti and stood graciously for photographs. The plaques in front of the statue still remained uncovered and were perhaps not easy to reach. But the Governor sportingly traversed the distance and made his way to unveil each plaque himself with enthusiasm, stopping to read and comment on the respectful words – a leader, a man and a personality who would have surely been enjoyed by Shreeguruji.
Inside the SKY Centre auditorium, the program began with the National Anthem. Shri Sunil Tambe started the program by chanting AUM accompanied by all the dignitaries on stage and the entire audience. First to address the gathering, Dr. Malvika Tambe, encapsulated the forward looking journey of Santulan Ayurveda and the responsibilities placed on the new generation’s shoulders by Shreeguruji, and their readiness and resolve to take his mission forward. She sought the blessings of one and all for this endeavour, to resounding applause from the well-wishers in the crowd. She was followed by Shri Sanjay Tambe who expressed how even in Europe the mission was well on its way through greater contact with representatives of the Indian government as well as a strong team and network of Shreeguruji’s followers.
Shri Shriniwas Patil, first of the Members of Parliament to speak, instantly won the hearts of the crowd when he recounted his decades-old relationship with Shreeguruji and involvement in developmental aspects of the village. When he ended on the note that this Atmasantulana Village was a holy ground by comparing it to Alandi, the holy place of one of Maharashtra’s most popular spiritual figures, Saint Dnyaneshwar, the audience responded with thunderous applause. Shri Shrirang Barne is our local MP, and has made the Maval constituency proud by consistently being recognized as one of the top performers in the Indian Parliament (Sansad Ratna and Sansad Maha Ratna Awards). He has been active and supportive of the Atmasantulana Village over the last many years, and he paid his respects to Shreeguruji and recounted the importance of this mission. Shri Sunil Tatkare has had warm relations with the Tambe family for years and reminisced of earlier times fondly. His wishes and his support have always been available and his appeal to all to carry on the mission was heart-warming.
His Excellency called upon his own personal experiences with Ayurveda in his address, extolling the virtues of this ancient but ever more relevant science. He also brought his wit into play, good-naturedly jibing those on stage and off stage with characteristic humour. His speech was alive with references to all those who spoke before him. He pointed out how from the days of Max Mueller and Arthur Schopenhauer, both German, the Europeans had taken a great interest in the Vedas, and now, even today, the Himalayas are littered with seekers from all over the globe who come here to find contentment. He spoke about how, while other health systems focus on fixing things only at the level of the body, Ayurveda, having realized that we are beings of many higher levels, has looked at fixing the psyche and also the soul (atma) within. This has been the specialty of Shreeguru Dr. Balaji Tambe. It is no wonder, said His Excellency, that Shreeguruji named his centre ‘Atma-Santulana’ (Self Balance) Village. His respect to Smt. Veena Tame and encouragement to Dr. Malvika, Shri Sunil, Shri Sanjay and Shri Abhijit Pawar during his address was heartfelt and powerful. He culminated his words with the slogans, Jai Hind (Victory to India), Jai Maharashtra (Victory to Mahashtra) and Jai Ayurveda (Victory to Ayurveda). Shri Sunil Tambe’s vote of thanks reiterated the commitment to Shreeguruji’s values and principles and acknowledged the support of all those on stage and off stage to help continue the large work before us all.
Santulan Ayurveda and the Balaji Tambe Foundation, hosts for the event, are thankful to His Excellency, the Hon. members of Parliament, Sakal, Saam TV and Shri Abhijit Pawar and all the members of the press – Zee news, ABP, IBN Lokmat and others who covered the proceedings, as well as to friends, well-wishers and disciples whose participation made the event a great success!
The memorial of Shreeguru Dr. Balaji Tambe proudly stands overlooking the busiest point at Atmasantulana village, that patients, employees of Santulan, disciples and residents use on a daily basis. We trust that Shreeguruji will oversee every activity and bless every seeker of health and contentment who is fortunate enough to come under his supervision. On this day we renew our pledge to continue to grow his institutions, spread his solutions to as many people as possible, and hope to kindle the kind of joy that he engendered in all those whom he touched.