Global Maitri Festival 2025: Reviving Bharat’s Spiritual Wisdom Through Maitri and Selfless Service

At a time when the world is grappling with uncertainty, fragmentation, and rising mental stress, the search for stability, clarity, and inner harmony has become more urgent than ever. Rooted in the timeless spiritual wisdom of Bharat, the Global Maitri Festival emerges as a powerful reminder that selfless service, unity, and inner transformation are not ideals of the past, but necessities of the present. 

Celebrated every year on 27th December as Selfless Service Day, the festival brings together people from diverse stages of life under one shared purpose—to rediscover Maitri, the true spirit of friendship that nurtures harmony within and beyond.

In this insightful conversation, Dadashreeji, founder of the MaitriBodh Parivaar, speaks about the deeper philosophy behind the Global Maitri Festival, the vision of a stress-free nation through the Chinta Mukt Bharat 2032 movement, and the role of spirituality in addressing modern-day challenges. He also reflects on the theme “Ek Bharat, Hum Bharat,” the cultural and spiritual legacy of Bharat.

QUESTION 1 - The Global Maitri Festival, celebrated on 27th December, is known as a day dedicated to selfless service. What exactly is the idea behind this festival?

MaitriBodh Parivaar is a socio-spiritual organization. Sharing spiritual knowledge and spiritual values is our sacred duty. However, in this age of Kaliyug, more so at a time when we are moving from Kaliyug towards a Divine Age, it becomes essential to understand what exactly we should be doing.

Just as a directionless horse runs wildly in fear, in the same way, the human mind today finds itself restless and unsettled.

The first visible signs of the influence of Kaliyug on human life are instability and lack of clarity. As a result of these, fear and division begin to take control of our minds. This leads to the main question: what can we do to overcome instability and confusion? How can we calm a horse that is running aimlessly?

That which is true, that which is pure, that which is dharma, that is Maitri (friendship).

As stated in the Rig Veda, “Mitro dyāvāprithivī”, the Sun is our true friend. Just as it illuminates the Earth and the sky, our lives too become radiant in its presence. 

Therefore, in accordance with the need of the times, we are striving to spread the message of Maitri: Maitri that illuminates us from within, Maitri that brings stability and clarity into our lives. The Global Maitri Festival is exactly dedicated to this purpose!

Mitras, maitreyis, and senior members associated with the MaitriBodh Parivaar across Bharat and many other countries actively support and participate in this, directly or indirectly. 

People from all fields come together with great enthusiasm on 27th December to celebrate this occasion as Selfless Service Day. They gather to celebrate life as a beautiful festival and to spread this message in every corner of the world.

Everyone who believes in Maitri, Unity, and Brotherhood is warmly invited to come together and celebrate this festival.

QUESTION 2 - Dadashreeji, one of the key pillars of this festival is “Chinta Mukt Bharat 2032,” where we see a unique fusion of spiritual processes and scientific approaches. How do you plan to move forward to make the entire nation stress-free by 2032?

No matter how much we speak about spiritual knowledge; mental stress and depression are real and pressing issues of our times. To address these challenges, spirituality and medical science must necessarily come together and work in unison.

Since my own background is in medicine, I naturally approach every subject with a scientific perspective. That is why, through the MaitriBodh Parivaar, while conducting various spiritual processes, we collaborated with reputed institutions and carried out proper medical research with the help of MRI scans, SPECT scans, and multiple psychological assessments. 

Based on the positive outcomes observed in patients as well as in the reports, we initiated the Chinta Mukt Bharat 2032 movement. In this initiative, spiritual practitioners and senior medical doctors from across the country work together.

Through the integration of medical science and spirituality, and with the help of our Chinta Mukt Mardarshan Kendra, we make a sincere effort to help people become free from stress. Based on feedback received, many individuals have experienced relief from stress, several have been able to reduce their medication, and we have also been successful in preventing many suicides. 

By establishing Chinta Mukt Mardarshan Kendra, in every district of India, we aim to provide this best possible support to the people. We firmly believe that our dream of a stress-free (Chinta Mukt) Bharat will be fulfilled!

QUESTION 3 - Is this year’s theme, “Ek Bharat, Hum Bharat” connected to this very objective? What is the core thought and purpose behind this theme?

The foundational principle of the MaitriBodh Parivaar is “One World, One Family.” This is not merely an idea or thought; it is a spiritual truth. If we speak of this fundamental truth at a global level, why should we not embody it at the national level as well?

This spiritual truth applies to every individual in the country, and our intention is to connect everyone with it. You are already aware of what is happening around the world, and how nations and societies are becoming increasingly fragmented.

When a unifying ideology stands against divisive forces, it is spirituality alone that provides it true strength.

On the global level today, Bharat stands out as a stable and progressive nation, and the reason for this is clear. The gift of spirituality bestowed upon this land. It is essential that we use this strength in the right manner.

When MaitriBodh Parivaar came into existence in 2013, it envisioned a dream, “Vishwaguru Bharat” (Bharat as a guiding light to the world). From that very moment, efforts began to reawaken Bharat’s lost identity. The dream of Vishwaguru Bharat seen in 2013 can become a reality only when collective people’s power and spirituality come together to work for Bharat’s true identity. This is precisely why the theme “Ek Bharat, Hum Bharat!"

Anyone who takes pride in being Bharatiya, can be a part of this movement. Everyone who truly lives the spirit of Bharat can participate! We firmly believe that Bharat alone has the potential to guide the entire world. Therefore, unity for India is of utmost importance! “Ek Bharat, Hum Bharat”

QUESTION 4 - This is the seventh year of the festival. Every year it is celebrated in Maharashtra, and this year it is being held in Mumbai. Would you like to share a special message for Mumbai and for the entire state of Maharashtra?

We have been celebrating the Global Maitri Festival every year at our ShantiKshetra Premgiri Ashram in Karjat, Raigad. However, considering the need of the times, and to further strengthen and expand the message of Love and Maitri, that everyone has showered upon us over the past six years, we are organizing the seventh festival in Mumbai.

The message of Love and Maitri is not new to Maharashtra. On the strong and enduring foundation laid by saints in Maharashtra, through their teachings and actions, foundations that can never be erased, we must all come together to build an ideal society. Through the courage and strength shown by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj; Maharashtra was protected from destructive forces.

Every individual in Maharashtra is indebted to him for this. How you choose to repay this debt rests entirely with you. Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj, Mahatma Phule, and Dr. B. R. Ambedkar continuously worked to unite society and taught us the values of equality and fraternity.

As a true citizen of Maharashtra, there is nothing entirely new that we need to do. Rather, we must work upon and carry forward the values and sanskār (noble values) that these great saints, and countless other visionaries have spread across every corner of Maharashtra. As inheritors of these values, the MaitriBodh Parivaar is carrying the message of our motherland to the world.

Our nation needs Maharashtra’s contribution. Therefore, each one of us must once again rise with renewed energy and take at least one step forward.

QUESTION 5- Dadashreeji, the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, has extended full support to the Global Maitri Festival. In what ways does this festival and this platform work to promote Indian culture, and how do you view Indian culture?

On the global level, Bharat is recognized for its sanskriti. If we study history, we realize that among the world’s most ancient civilizations, such as the Sumerian and Egyptian civilizations, Bharatiya sanskriti is the only one that continues to exist even today. Not only has Bharatiya culture survived, but it has become an inseparable part of people’s everyday lives.

So, what is Bharatiya sanskriti? It is a spiritual civilization that nurtures the spirit of universal well-being, expressed through ‘Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah:’ may all be happy. What is Bharatiya sanskriti? It is a value system that instills deep reverence for parents through ‘Mātṛ Devo Bhava, Pitṛ Devo Bhava:’ regard your mother and father as the Divine.

What is Bharatiya sanskriti? It is the profound verse from the Rig Veda, ‘Ekam Sat Viprā Bahudhā Vadanti:’ Truth is one, expressed in many forms, a philosophy that teaches acceptance and unity in diversity.

What is Bharatiya sanskriti? It is the societal truth found in the Upanishads, ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam:’ the entire world is one family, principle that upholds universal kinship and justice.

The real question begins here: are we truly experiencing these truths in our lives? Are Bharatiya values being reflected in our day-to-day conduct? It is in search of answers to these questions that the MaitriBodh Parivaar is actively working. More than merely reciting verses or chanting mantras, our culture must be lived through our actions.

Whether or not we verbally say ‘Mātṛ Devo Bhava, Pitṛ Devo Bhava:’ respect for our parents must be evident through our conduct. ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ should not remain just a theme for events; it must become a lived experience. This is precisely the understanding we are striving to create.

Until Bharatiya sanskriti is expressed through our behavior and embodied in our values and actions, the MaitriBodh Parivaar will continue its work.