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Mumbai, September 26, 2026: Shrimad Rajchandra Mission Dharampur (SRMD) today celebrated the 60th birthday of its founder, Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshji, by dedicating 60 landmark projects to him at Aho Gurudev, a two-day celebration at the Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai. Rather than marking the occasion with personal tributes, the Mission chose to honour its founder in the way he has taught it to live: through service to others and inner growth.
The 60 projects, 30 in seva and 30 in spiritual growth, were unveiled before thousands of devotees who travelled from 214 cities across 24 countries. For the Mission’s members, the initiatives are an offering of gratitude, a way of giving back to Gurudevshri what he has given to them over three decades.
Seva: 30 initiatives for society and all life
At the heart of the seva projects is a commitment to touch 60 million lives in Gurudevshri’s 60th year, one in every 26 people in India, through the Mission’s medical camps, anaemia mitigation project and vision care project. The Mission is operating 60 medical camps every day with over 100 partners to achieve this.
The Shrimad Rajchandra Hospital Network has grown from 40 beds to 2,000 beds. The Mission also announced the Shrimad Rajchandra Sarvamangal Cancer Hospital, which will provide cancer care to over 11 lakh tribal people, with 10,000 chemotherapies and 1,000 surgeries a year. Its six Multi-Speciality Mega Medical Camps, at Dharampur, Vaamanjoor, Gadchiroli, Purulia, Leh and Darbhanga, each screen over 5 lakh patients. The anaemia project has conducted over 10 million screenings across 19 states, and the vision care project has screened over 10.4 million people, provided 1.2 million spectacles and treated 3.5 lakh cataract patients.
Other seva initiatives span animal welfare at Shrimad Rajchandra Jivamaitridham, home to the first private-sector animal blood bank; 10 new satellite centres of the Centre of Excellence for Women; a de-addiction programme reaching 9 lakh students across 2,000 schools; an AI-powered career guidance platform; and education and relief work in the United States, Peru, Venezuela, the Philippines and across Africa, where the Mission runs 200 schools and serves 70,000 meals every day.
Spiritual growth: 30 initiatives for seekers worldwide
The spiritual projects include 10 new ashrams and centres worldwide, a 35,000 sq ft spiritual centre at Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai, and expansion of the Dharampur ashram. Under the Wisdom Without Borders initiative, the Mission released 60 new books, translating six titles by Gurudevshri into ten global languages, and a 60-language edition of Shrimad Rajchandraji’s Shri Atmasiddhi Shastra. Six new satsang centres have also opened across South America.
The celebrations were attended by spiritual leaders including Swami Swaroopananda, Global Head of Chinmaya Mission, and Brahma Kumari Sister Shivani, along with leaders from industry, cinema and public life. Infosys founder N R Narayana Murthy, addressing the gathering, said, “I’ve long believed that the true measure of any spiritual tradition lies not in teachings alone, but in the compassion it inspires in action. And that’s what I saw today.”
The second day, Gurudevshri’s birthday, included the Atmarpit Diksha ceremony, in which young seekers from around the world took lifelong vows of celibacy and dedicating their lives to spiritual practice and selfless service, and the release of a coffee table book on his life.
About Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshji
Born in Mumbai on September 26, 1966, Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshji was drawn to meditation from early childhood. He earned an M.A. in Philosophy with a gold medal and a doctorate from the University of Mumbai for his research on Shri Atmasiddhi Shastra by Shrimad Rajchandraji, the philosopher regarded as Mahatma Gandhi’s spiritual guide. He founded Shrimad Rajchandra Mission Dharampur in 1994 and established its international headquarters at Dharampur, South Gujarat, in 2001.
About Shrimad Rajchandra Mission Dharampur
Shrimad Rajchandra Mission Dharampur is a global spiritual movement guided by the vision “Realise one’s true self and serve others selflessly.” Through its humanitarian arm, Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care, the Mission works across healthcare, education, child and women’s care, tribal and community development, animal care, the environment and emergency relief, having touched over 42 million lives across five continents.