Over 350 balika, kishori, yuvati and mahila attended the three-day Parayan held by the Mahila wing at BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Nairobi, Kenya, from 13th to 15th June 2014. The programme started with dhun, prarthana and kirtan. All women devotees then participated in the Parayan Pujan ceremony.
As part of this year's Shastriji Maharaj Shardh Shatabdi celebrations, the parayan was based on the themes of Agna, Paksh and Sadbhav. These principles were elaborated through discourses by the mahilas and yuvatis throughout the three days.
As part of the parayan, all those attending learnt about the work of Shastriji Maharaj and the virtues of Pramukh Swami Maharaj as embodied in his life.
The delegates also learnt how devotees have lived by the principles given by Shastriji Maharaj, through video skits and the video blessings of Pramukh Swami Maharaj.
A “Pothi Yatra” was arranged around the Mandir ground on the parayan's final day, during which the devotees ceremonially carried scriptures bound with a red cloth, while the rest played garba, a traditional Gujarati dance.