Baba Balak Nath idol installed at Hari Om Mandir

S Bodiwala

CHICAGO: It was another milestone in the history of Hari Om Mandir, Medinah, a north side suburb of Chicago, with the installation of Baba Balak Nath Ji’s Murti on February 10 with full devotion and chanting of Mantras and Poojas.
Incidentally this was on the auspicious day of Basant Panchami. Five main Sponsor families performed all the rituals and the Murti was formally unveiled in the Shiv Durbar area.
Siddh Baba Balak Nath was the reincarnation of Lord Kartikeya (Lord Shiva & Parvati’s Son). As the story goes, Lord Shiva & Goddess Parvati gave him a Blessing that he will always be a 12 year old boy for the rest of his life and never grow old. So, he is revered as the “Balak” form of Lord Shiva.

Ayodhia Salwan thanked all the donors and devotees for their contributions in making this beautiful addition to the Mandir. President of the Executive Board Vipan Wadhera thanked everybody for their continued support and specially recognized the contributions of Ashok & Shama Sharma and family who have been organizing Baba Ji’s Bhandara and Bhajan Kirtan for the past two years. It is largely due to their efforts that Baba Ji’s Murti got permanently installed in the Mandir.

Bunty Bawa from California, an ardent follower and Bhakt of Baba Balak Nath Ji, sang Bhajans in glory of Baba Balak Everyone in the packed congregation was seen singing along. Amidst huge applause, he also released his new collection of Bhajans CD- Kasam Rabb Di, and brought several gifts (tokens of Baba Balak Nath Ji necklaces / badges / sashes etc) for the devotees.
Basant Panchami was also celebrated in the true spirit of the festival. The Mandir was beautifully decorated with yellow flowers and all the devotees were dressed in yellow attire. Mantras for Saraswati Pooja were recited. The Kids of HOM Hindi Class sang Saraswati Vandana and offered flowers to the Goddess of Learning, Knowledge & Wisdom.

Special Preeti Bhoj consisting of yellow food Items was sponsored by Garg & Singla family. Baba Balak Nath’s special Prasad “Rot” was also distributed. To mark this special occasion with full sanctity, the Bhandara started with serving food, first to the young girls (Kanjak) and young boys (Lainkre), along with some “Dakshina”, and then to the public in general.