Gujarat seers Sadaram Bapu, Baldevnath Maharaj seek normal relations with Pakistan: Indo-Pak peace marchers

The mahant of Dev Darbar Math

By Kaleem Siddiqui
The India-Pakistan Friendship and Peace march, which started from Ahmedabad's Gandhi Ashram on June 19, completed about 170 kilometers till last Monday. Halting for night at in Thar in Banaskantha district, the next day the foot marchers walked around 15 km in the morning to reach Dev Darbar Jageer Math Ashram, where they were given a grand welcome by the ashram people.
After the completion of the welcome ceremony, all the foot marchers, including Magsaysay award winning activist,-scholar Sandeep Pandey, met mahant Baldevnathji Maharaj.
The Dev Darbar Math is located in Banaskantha district and is only 80 kilometres from the Pakistan border. He said, “Across the border in the Hyderabad region live Hindus. Nearly 500 Madhavani Hindu families living there are the followers of the Math. Last year, they organized a five-day Satsanga in Pakistan, where I addressed both Hindus and Muslims."
"Earlier, many followers would visit the Math in India, but due to bitterness and tension in both the countries, they cannot come to India from Pakistan. So I visited Pakistan last year. Not only did I visit the spot, I also helped them construct a magnificent temple. A grand hospital named Hey Nath is under construction for the people of Salempur in Pakistan", he said.
"One of our friends is Ghanshyam, MLA in Pakistan", Baldevnathji said, greeting the foot marchers, adding, "Generally people of both the countries love each other, they are very few people who work to spread hatred amongst us. Mutual love between people of the two countries will create brotherhood and harmony, which is necessary for progress and prosperity."

Sandeep Pandey outside the Math

Pandey said, "When we met Sadaram Bapu in Lotana village, he was a very pleased that this kind of march came out to connect the hearts of the two countries. There are Hindu religious leaders who are very much secular and want good relations with Pakistan. After marching to north Gujarat we came to know that there is no poison of communalism in these areas."
Yet, he regretted, no space is given by the mainstream media to such religious leaders. "North Gujarat is connected to the Pakistan border. Yet there is no open way for Pakistan, which is unfortunate. Baldevnathji, Sadaram Bapu and many people want bus service should be started between Suigaam in India and Nagar Parker in Pakistan. Persons like Sadaram Bapu and Baldevnathji play an important role in creating harmony in north Gujarat. Being religious leaders, these people can play a role in people's diplomacy "
Pandey further said, "We asked Banadevnathji that in Pakistan there is a lot of tyranny with Hindus, they are forced to convert their religion, and some media organizations in India claim that there is no permission to construct temples. Baldevnathji replied, 'I have lived in Pakistan for a month in October 2017. Although my follower may belong to a particular community, Muslims of Pakistan also met me respectfully and gave us honour, as if they were our followers. I am constructing a hospital in salempur in Pakistan called Hey Nath. I found there is no forced conversion. Anyone can built temple , there was no need for permission, except that you are required a purchase or get a donated land. Even today, there is a Hindu Kingdom (Omar Kot)'."
The marchers will reach Nadabet border on June 30, which is the last stop. Kaushar Ali Saiyyed, one of the foot marchers, said, "I have police permission till Nandeshwari Mata but we are waiting for Nadabet border permission from BSF. We have written a letter to BSF IG and are in talks with BSF. Hopefully we will get the border permission before June 28.”

Comments

From Kerala to Bangladesh: Lynching highlights deep social faultlines

By A Representative The recent incidents of mob lynching—one in Bangladesh involving a Hindu citizen and another in Kerala where a man was killed after being mistaken for a “Bangladeshi”—have sparked outrage and calls for accountability.

What Sister Nivedita understood about India that we have forgotten

By Harasankar Adhikari In the idea of a “Vikshit Bharat,” many real problems—hunger, poverty, ill health, unemployment, and joblessness—are increasingly overshadowed by the religious contest between Hindu and Muslim fundamentalisms. This contest is often sponsored and patronised by political parties across the spectrum, whether openly Hindutva-oriented, Islamist, partisan, or self-proclaimed secular.

When a city rebuilt forgets its builders: Migrant workers’ struggle for sanitation in Bhuj

Khasra Ground site By Aseem Mishra* Access to safe drinking water and sanitation is not a privilege—it is a fundamental human right. This principle has been unequivocally recognised by the United Nations and repeatedly affirmed by the Supreme Court of India as intrinsic to the right to life and dignity under Article 21 of the Constitution. Yet, for thousands of migrant workers living in Bhuj, this right remains elusive, exposing a troubling disconnect between constitutional guarantees, policy declarations, and lived reality.

Aravalli at the crossroads: Environment, democracy, and the crisis of justice

By Rajendra Singh* The functioning of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change has undergone a troubling shift. Once mandated to safeguard forests and ecosystems, the Ministry now appears increasingly aligned with industrial interests. Its recent affidavit before the Supreme Court makes this drift unmistakably clear. An institution ostensibly created to protect the environment now seems to have strayed from that very purpose.

'Festive cheer fades': India’s housing market hits 17‑quarter slump, sales drop 16% in Q4 2025

By A Representative Housing sales across India’s nine major real estate markets fell to a 17‑quarter low in the October–December period of 2025, with overall absorption dropping 16% year‑on‑year to 98,019 units, according to NSE‑listed analytics firm PropEquity. This marks the weakest quarter since Q3 2021, despite the festive season that usually drives demand. On a sequential basis, sales slipped 2%, while new launches contracted by 4%.

'Structural sabotage': Concern over sector-limited job guarantee in new employment law

By A Representative The advocacy group Centre for Financial Accountability (CFA) has raised concerns over the passage of the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (VB–G RAM G), which was approved during the recently concluded session of Parliament amid protests by opposition members. The legislation is intended to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

Safety, pay and job security drive Urban Company gig workers’ protest in Gurugram

By A Representative Gig and platform service workers associated with Urban Company have stepped up their protest against what they describe as exploitative and unsafe working conditions, submitting a detailed Memorandum of Demands at the company’s Udyog Vihar office in Gurugram. The action is being seen as part of a wider and growing wave of dissatisfaction among gig workers across India, many of whom have resorted to demonstrations, app log-outs and strikes in recent months to press for fair pay, job security and basic labour protections.

India’s universities lag global standards, pushing students overseas: NITI Aayog study

By Rajiv Shah A new Government of India study, Internationalisation of Higher Education in India: Prospects, Potential, and Policy Recommendations , prepared by NITI Aayog , regrets that India’s lag in this sector is the direct result of “several systemic challenges such as inadequate infrastructure to provide quality education and deliver world-class research, weak industry–academia collaboration, and outdated curricula.”

The rise of the civilizational state: Prof. Pratap Bhanu Mehta warns of new authoritarianism

By A Representative Noted political theorist and public intellectual Professor Pratap Bhanu Mehta delivered a poignant reflection on the changing nature of the Indian state today, warning that the rise of a "civilizational state" poses a significant threat to the foundations of modern democracy and individual freedom. Delivering the Achyut Yagnik Memorial Lecture titled "The Idea of Civilization: Poison or Cure?" at the Ahmedabad Management Association, Mehta argued that India is currently witnessing a self-conscious political project that seeks to redefine the state not as a product of a modern constitution, but as an instrument of an ancient, authentic civilization.

Search This Blog