RJS Seminar on remembrance of ancestors and human compassion during Pitru Paksha, presents an inspiring resolve for the immersion of unclaimed mortal remains.
In Pitrupaksha 2026 ,RJS Webinar was organised in the memory of
Uday Manna 's parents , Father - in- Law & Mother -in- Law.
Scholars and Social Workers Call for Cultural Renewal and Compassion as Pitrupaksha Begins.
NEW DELHI
Marking the commencement of Pitrupaksha, spiritual thinkers, journalists, and social workers gathered virtually for the 656th program of the RJS Positive Media platform to examine the philosophical, psychological, and social dimensions of ancestral remembrance. The sixteen-day period, which began on September 26 and continues until October 10, serves as an annual occasion to express gratitude to forebears, with participants urging younger generations to understand the ethical and scientific foundations of familial heritage.
RJS Webinar was organised in the memory of
Uday Manna 's parents Late Ramjag Singh- Late Janak Dulari Devi , Father - in- Law Late Jagbali Singh & Mother -in- Law Late Bimla Devi.
Brahma Kumaris national coordinator of Women's wing BK Chakradhari Didi highlighted the psychological and moral responsibilities owed to elders both during life and after death. Citing personal encounters, she expressed dismay over the growing tendency to abandon elderly parents in retirement facilities, noting that maternal devotion often persists unconditionally despite abandonment. She observed that sincere thoughts and spiritual vibrations transcend physical barriers to provide peace to departed souls. Drawing on her overseas service, including decades of work in Russia, she urged citizens to retain their cultural discipline, respect the sanctity of pure diet, and maintain harmonious conduct within family structures.
Presiding over the session, Chinmaya Mission Patiala Acharya Swami Madhavananda, Gita Scholar offered a Vedantic perspective on Shraddh rituals, drawing upon the Kathopanishad and the Bhagavad Gita. He stressed that the core tenet of Sanatan philosophy rests on the continuous, immortal existence of the soul rather than mere bodily identification. Describing Shraddh as an act rooted in faith and inner conviction, Swami Madhavananda explained that rituals, prayers, and charity performed by descendants function like grace marks for departed souls traversing intermediate states before their next embodiment. He challenged critics who dismiss the traditions as superstition or commercial exploitation, underscoring that remembrance maintains the continuity of moral culture. Swami Madhavananda also shared details of an ongoing national yatra commemorating Chinmaya Mission founder Swami Chinmayananda, which is set to culminate at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi with national dignitaries in attendance.
Addressing the national assembly as a distinguished guest, senior journalist and Shri Devotthan Seva Samiti national general secretary Vijay Sharma outlined his organization's twenty-five-year mission of collecting and consigning unclaimed mortal remains to the Ganga. Sharma reported that his volunteer team has retrieved and formally immersed the ashes of 1,69,818 destitute and unidentified individuals at Kankhal's Sati Ghat in Haridwar according to Vedic rites. The initiative extends across Indian states and has also retrieved ashes of departed Hindus from Pakistan on three occasions, bringing home 135 urns in 2011, 160 in 2016, and 400 urns in February this year.
Sharma recounted that the mission took root on May 17, 2003, when his chief editor at the Daily Pratap and Veer Arjun, Anil Narendra, sent him to investigate alleged extortion of grieving families by priests at cremation grounds. During his field reporting, an encounter with a saint redirected his perspective toward the unattended urns lying abandoned in crematoriums. Supported by his news organization and personal resolve, Sharma formed a quiet volunteer network that operates without public donations. He recalled that on the day his father passed away in 2006, he honored his father's final instructions by first ensuring his newspaper was published before proceeding to the last rites, an ethos of duty that continues to anchor his humanitarian work.
RJS national convener Uday Manna dedicated the program to the memory of his late parents and parents-in-law, announcing a dedicated documentation campaign during the fortnight. He called upon families, particularly youth from Generation Z and Generation Alpha, to record audio-visual memoirs of their ancestors, with special emphasis on Matri Navami on October 4. The compiled memoirs and tributes are slated for inclusion in an upcoming publication scheduled for release in January during events aligned with Republic Day and the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas international fortnight.
Several participants contributed personal tributes illustrating the moral guidance received from previous generations. Advocate Sudeep Sahu reflected on the discipline instilled by his late father, an English typist, urging children to serve their parents during their lifetimes. Author Dr. Rashmi Chaubey recalled her grandfather Prasad Upadhyay and grandmother Shanti Devi, who confronted caste orthodoxy and pioneered higher education for young women in their household. Hyderabad-based participant Rajendra Singh Kushwaha honored his engineer father Ramvriksh and former block pramukh grandfather Sudarshan, while former Bharat Mandapam senior manager Sweety Paul paid tribute to her late parents and in-laws, recalling her father Om Prakash Saxena’s counsel on professional integrity and self-reliance. Neeti Arora remembered her elders and sought clarification regarding the broader definition of charity in ancestral rites.
Concluding the session, Dr. Om Prakash Jhunjhunwala of the RJS youth chapter in Patna invoked the Rigveda to emphasize that paying homage to ancestral guides channels ethical energy into modern conduct.
Founder of RJS PBH Uday Kumar Manna announced subsequent initiatives, including an educational webinar on cardiovascular health featuring medical specialists on World Heart Day on September 29, monthly vegetarian and vegan awareness drives on 1 October, and a blood donation pledge at the Indian Red Cross Society headquarters in New Delhi on November 30,2026.
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