Acarya Abhiramananda Avadhuta (Sectorial Secretary of New York Sector) and Ac. Diiptimanananda Avt. (Sectorial Office Secretary) visited several Ananda Marga units and projects in the USA during the month of August.
DENVER
They first went to Denver, Colorado and participated in a seminar at the Denver Jagrti and visited the Morning Star Yoga Preschool. Denver Jagrti is located in a beautiful area few minutes drive from downtown Denver. The house is from 19th Century and is well maintained. Brother Sudama continues to manage the day-to-day management of the property and has recently arranged for the renewal of the roof. Further renovations continue of the outer wooden surface. Denver unit is active and Margiis attended the seminar and maintain weekly Dharma Cakra. Brahmacarinii Anudhyana Acarya is active helping Sister Mahajyoti in the school.
LOS ANGELES
Thereafter they went to Los Angeles Region, and the City of Los Angeles. Acarya Muktatmananda Avadhuta runs a food distribution program every Thursday and Friday at the Los Angeles Jagrti benefiting low-income families. Active for many years, it is a well-established service project. Dada Muktatmanandaji has set up refrigerated space for storing the food. The project has a vehicle for many tasks of projects, including the collection of food from the Food Bank.
After picking up the food from the Food Bank, the food is immediately organized by Dada and a team of volunteers. Recipients that want to receive the food donations line up at the sidewalk by the Jagrti, register their names and then proceed to receive the food donations. An average of 17,680 pounds of food are distributed monthly to 2,000 people including 500 homeless persons. The approximate commercial value of food distributed annually is about $5,000,000, incredible. Acarya Abhiramanandaji personally assisted in the project during the visit by distributing food items to the low-income family members that lined up by the Jagrti.
Ananda Marga has a small unit in Pasadena City, northeast of the Los Angeles Jagrti. Dada Abhiramananda and Dada Diiptimanananda participated in the weekly Dharma Cakra at the clinic of Brother Jiivan Kumar.
ANANDA DHAM
The next stop on their tour, in the northern part of the County of Los Angeles was Ananda Dham Master Unit near Lake Hughes. For decades, the Master Unit has been known as the Peach Farm. Some years ago, an area wildfire destroyed almost all the peach trees. More recently a flash flood washed the topsoil away. The houses are still in good condition and Acarya Vimaleshananda Avadhuta is there now preparing to bring life back to the MU by establishing new projects and activities. During their visit SS, SOS and Margiis from the LA units, inspected the project, and enjoyed the fresh air and Sadhana.
ANANDA DHIIRA
Travelling to Penn Valley in Northern California, the two Sectorial Dadas visited the Didi’s Ananda Dhiira Master Unit. They travelled by bus though the mountainous areas observing first hand the drought California is suffering in the past years. Avadhutika Ananda Kalyanmitra Acarya is overseeing the MU’s maintenance, and the results are beautiful. The MU is in a valley in the foot hills of the Sierra Mountains. It has many trees and a small creek running through the land. Penn Valley feels like an oasis after all the dry landscape.
LOS ALTOS HILLS
SS and SOS then continued to Los Altos Hills Jagrti, also in California, stopping for a short visit with Margii couple Dalpat and Nirmala in Vallejo. During their time in Los Altos Hills, they attended the Ananda Marga seminar, the weekend of August 27th, organized and led by Didi Ananda Kalyanmitra. The seminar was inspiring and successful.
DALLAS
Onwards to Dallas Region, the Dada’s tour ended with the visits to the Jagrti in Richardson, Texas, and the Didi’s Ananda Priiti Master Unit near Atascosa, Texas. They appreciated seeing the historic Dallas Jagrti that senior Margii Dr. Ravi Batra donated, and having Satsaunga with Acarya Advayananda Avadhuta in the field, where he is active in Pracar to the public and in prisons.
ANANDA PRIITI
In March this year lightning struck the main house at Ananda Priiti and it was destroyed by fire. By Baba’s Grace no one was hurt. Avadhutika Ananda Sutiirtha Acarya is the loving caretaker of the Master Unit and with help of local Margiis furnished a storage house on the property. They transformed it into a beautiful residence and retreat facility with a large Dharma Cakra hall, beautiful kitchen and dining hall, accommodation facilities on the second floor and multiple shower and bathroom facilities on the ground floor. Didi and the Margiis have accomplished amazing results with limited resources and through their labor and skills. There remains a lot of renovations and work to do.
The touring Dadas look forward to visiting other AM projects and units in the near future on similar tours. If you wish to invite them to your location, do not hesitate to convey the message to the Sectorial Office.