In the mid Sixties of the last century, a team led by late Shri. R. Sridhar, a then resident of Garodia Nagar, Ghatkopar (East), with purposive and ardent efforts, inter alia, decided to form/ nurture a cohesive group of residents who remained (i) spiritually inclined and with deeply entrenched beliefs on scripted cultures of Hinduism, (ii) with cognitive focus to derive higher individual /personal peace, (iii) with different ideas and takes on our Scriptures to share amongst them, to stimulate a broader search and learn/chant Vedic Hymns and its connotations under regular tutelage from learned Pundits (Aasthana Gurujis (Chief Priests), (iv) with preference to chant Bhajans/Kritis on the praise of Gods and Goddesses of Hindus and enrich the ambience that would ensure socially relevant co-existence with people of all walks of life, (v) with willingness to help enjoy and follow our rich defined practices to disengage with mental toxicity and engage with divine connectivity, despite muddling through an unarguably hectic life of residents in Ghatkopar (East) and around its domains of quick-reach-geographies, and thus, his actions along with help from people with such mind-frames, had ensured success finally and aptly gave birth to the formation of our Bhajan Samaj (Samaj)- fifty five years ago.

And, it’s very name – Bhajan Samaj – appropriately, as all of you may agree, is seen as a well regarded set up, successfully over five long decades, reverberating those original purposive thoughts and efforts effectively implemented, by constantly raising awareness amongst the residents and a first step, it went on to establish a formal “Premise” to operate from, with the overwhelming help from a spectrum of our many thousands of devotees locally and across various continents and notable and humungous timely help from local public figures like Shri. Virendra Bhakshi et al, cannot skip a special mention. Since then, our Samaj has been (i) constantly acknowledged with its grandeur progress in fulfilling its purposive objectives and (ii) seen to have had well accomplished its cherished goals, thereby making its presence a niche place for religious functions and spiritual activities in its domain of
operation.

Journey from “Bhajan Samaj” to a larger Premise of “Temple of Worship”:

The Sacred Consecration of the Lord Shri Raja Ganapati as the Presiding Deity with an individual Vimaanaa (Gopuram) giving the Sanctum Sanctorum a vibrant existence, many years back, amidst chanting of Hymns of all Four Vedas performed by a battery of practicing Vedic Pundits/Scholars in the Holy presence of Jagadguru Pujaya Shree Jayendra Saraswathi Swamigal of Kanchi Kamakoti Mutt, Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, had indeed blessed the Samaj in every way and had largely prompted a change of status to our Samaj to get recognized through a larger canvass of becoming a Temple of Worship as well. Moreover, on an equal exercise of upscaling our Samaj Temple, over the years, we could consecrate other Deities, say, Lord Shri Rama, Lord Shri Arunachaleswarar, Lord Shri Muthukumaaraswamy, Navagrahas, Lord Shri Saneeshwara, Lord Shri Anjaneya, Goddess Shri Rajarajeshwari and Lord Shri Guruvaayurappan along with individual Vimaanaa for each one of them, in dominance of pompous and devotion, and that had ensured transformation into a larger Samaj Temple of Worship complying with all needed characteristics and objectives originally designed.

Hallmark of being a domain of Mature Spiritual Quotient:

It is all the more satisfying to all of us that the Samaj Temple is constantly witnessed to have
been drawing up a well-balanced and noticeable conglomeration of people increasing the foot-falls from across the domain, in and around of Ghatkopar area, almost on a daily basis, thereby acknowledging fulfillment of the prescribed core objectives since the day zero and that helped to get itself known as a well-recognized landmark in Ghatkopar East area to reckon with and has become a household name for all. The Sublime presence of all Deities, the sacred daily, periodical and special occasion religious festivals like Shri RamaNavami, Navrathri / musical concerts/ rituals/ Poojas / huge Yagnas like Atirudrams & Satha Chandi Homams, performed all through the year/s by learned Ridkviks under the guidance of our successive Chief Priests and commencement and continuance of Veda Pathashaala since over 4 decades back by our then Chief Priest and chanting of Vedic Hymns by its students unmissably at every such religious occasions along with large wilful participation by residents are the true hallmarks of a well developed and a mature state of Spiritual Quotient of our Samaj Temple.

As an adjunct since 5 years, the Samaj Temple’s Managing Committee with the timely generous benevolence from devotees staying all over the world, has established a further niche for its socially relevant role by extending financial help every year to a sizable number of most deserving students (financially unsound but academically sound) in higher educational curriculum, and that initiative is adjudged as an admirable extension of the primary objectives by the society at large. The Samaj Temple, too rised to the occasion to continuously offer succor to the needy in our city, during the current unprecedented pandemic situation affecting our Nation as a whole, through a span of almost a year, which action was well acknowledged by the local Municipal and Law & Order authorities. These actions have definitely defined a new course contour to set the Samaj Temple’s objectives to form a new base of CULTURAL ECOLOGICAL BALANCING act, in the years ahead.