JSS mutt wants to make seer's birthday celebrations more meaningful and educative

MYSORE: Ninety ninth birthday celebrations of the famous Suttur mutt seer late Sri Shivarathri Rajendra Swamiji, who was instrumental in building the JSS Mahavidhya Peeth, which runs more than 200 educational and philanthropic institutions all over the state and country will be held here on Tuesday with the mutt organizing both religious and social functions to mark the event.
Though the seer’s birthday falls on 29 August, the mutt authorities say they have advanced the celebrations by three days as Ganesh festival coincides with his birthday. “ To make the people participate in the celebrations in a big way we have advanced the birthday celebrations,” the JSS Mahavidhya peeth secretary Manjunath said, disclosing that several functions have been organized on the day to make the celebrations more meaningful and educative.
Disclosing the details of the functions he said, '' Sri Shivamurthy Shivacharya Swamiji of famous Taralabalu Sirigere mutt will inaugurate the celebrations in the morning by flagging off a procession highlighting the culture and the history of the Suttur mutt.''
He said on the occasion the students who have scored highest marks in SSLC and PUC from JSS institutions will be felicitated and given prizes, besides distributing prizes to the selected four school and college souvenirs. Devotees visiting the mutt on that day will be educated about the importance of blood donation and body donation, he claimed and said arrangements have been made to register the names of those people who come forward to donate their bodies after death.
Manjunath said books published by the JSS publications will be sold to the devotees who are interested to buy at half the rate and this is intended to not only spread the mutt’s message but also to inculcate the habit of reading books among the people.
He said couple of books will be released on the occasion and announcement will be made to start a speech and hearing institute and hospital in a town in North Karnataka where there are no special facilities to treat the hearing impaired children and people.
'' Already we have started a clinic in Dharwad and this will be expanded into a teaching and treating institute from next academic year” he pointed out and said students of north Karnataka who does not know much about the speech and hearing courses will be benefitted''.