I have known Priya Gupta for close to fifteen years. She is an extremely bright, passionate and committed person. As the managing editor of Bombay Times, she was very powerful and sought-after within the Bollywood fraternity. It's often quite difficult for people associated with the world of entertainment to quit being a part of the glamorous circuit at the peak of their careers to pursue a selfless spiritual journey. I have seen Priya do that and her transformation as a person fully committed to giving back selflessly to the world what she learnt through her journey.
For some time now, I have been fascinated by Priya's story. A year ago, I invited her to meet me in my office over a cup of coffee. She had completed visiting 1,008 temples of India by then. I was impressed with her knowledge and passion. I told her she was being unjust by not writing a book based on her experiences since that could really help a lot of people who may not be able to physically visit the places she had been to or have access to the knowledge she had acquired. She said she would think about it. I am happy I was able to motivate her to write this book.
Priya's style of writing is very accessible and simple. Her knowledge is solid, but she writes it very simply so that everyone can understand it. The book presents the legendary stories and exclusive pictures of twenty-one of the most powerful and popular Hanuman Temples in the world. It explains the character of Hanuman-ji and busts all the myths that surround him. It will answer simple questions you may have had but didn't know whom to ask. If you are a bhakt of Hanuman-ji. whatever age you may be, reading this book will empower you to know Hanuman-ji better.
Bhaishri's katha changed my life...
I must make some confessions before I start. I am a staunch believer in God and believe that Sanatan Dharma is the original and only dharma of the world and that everything else is a subset of it.
For those of you who question the existence of God, think about the protector of a baby that grows in its mother's womb for over nine months, tied to a chord and floating upside down without any direct contact with air.
It took me fifty years to understand that my first connection to God was forged in my mother's womb.
Born into a wealthy Marwari family in Delhi, I did my schooling from Convent of Jesus and Mary, which was one of the city's best schools at the time. I then went on to study at the famous Lady Shri Ram College and finally completed my education with a postgraduate diploma in business management (PGDBM) in marketing, securing top scores at the Institute of Management Technology (IMT) Ghaziabad. Over the next twenty-five years, I worked with many renowned brands and companies in India, across sectors, including LG Electronics, Gillette India, HT Media and the Times Group.
Throughout my professional career, I was aware of my ability to think and create new ideas. I was always passionate about whatever I did and worked virtually round the clock. I had neither the time nor the inclination to think about anything but work. I launched several successful editions of The Times of India, launched and built Mumbai Mirror into a success story and created widely acclaimed campaigns such as Lead India, Teach India and Aman Ki Asha. I rose to the coveted position of the managing editor of Bombay Times and all its local editions across forty-five cities in India. I would be a part of virtually every Bollywood party and even ended up co-producing a number of Hindi films. In the eyes of the world, I was leading an exciting life.
However, five years ago, something inexplicable happened to me. My husband, a staunch believer of Mahadev, took me to the Kedarnath Temple. It was going to be a difficult journey.
and I reluctantly agreed to go with him. At the time, the temple was not too crowded and barely had a few hundred people visiting it. We made an offering of some money to the pandit overseeing the rituals and experienced beautiful darshans and the chance to perform a full-fledged rudrabhishek puja. As soon as I touched the shivling, my hands started vibrating in a manner that didn't seem normal. Tears were flowing from my eyes. Given that it was rather chilly, I assumed it was the weather that was making my hands shiver. But when the tears kept rolling down without a reason, along with my jittery fingers, I knew there was something more to the story. Basking in bliss, I felt certain that I had a deeper connection with Mahadev.
Upon our return to Mumbai, I fell extremely sick, which was understandable, given the tough travel conditions of the recently concluded yatra. I spoke to a couple of Bollywood friends who suggested that I visit the popular and powerful Mahakal Temple in Ujjain. Shockingly, once again, I felt strong vibrations as soon as I touched the shivling. I never realized that henceforth my life was going to change forever.
Greatly drawn to Mahadev, I had a strong urge to visit Kailash Mansarovar. While I couldn't go there, I started listening to a katha that Pujya Bhaishri Ramesh Bhai Oza had narrated at the same place a few years ago. Bhaishri's style of narration and divine voice rendered me addicted to his katha, so much so that I started listening to it for hours on end every day.
One of the things that Bhaishri would say, based on our scriptures, was that in life, there was no bigger or better good karma than looking after your parents. I lost my father when I was just twelve years old and was raised by my mother, who routinely prayed to God and performed puja. For over twenty-five years, I had no time whatsoever for anyone, including my mother, as I was always working. Bhaishri's katha made me realize that I had to do something to improve my karma. So, I selfishly thought, why not take my mother on temple visits across India? It would improve my karma and also allow me to witness the allure of all the beautiful temples that I had never bothered to visit despite being an avid traveller. Bhaishri had unknowingly given me a project for life.
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