With the divine blessings of Lord Swaminarayanbapa Swamibapa, Acharaya Swamishree Purushottampriyadasji Maharaj and a mandal of twenty-six eminent sants arrived to the United States on Wednesday, June 21, 2017 for their North America Vicharan. The 2017 vicharan is special, as this is the year sants and disciples of Maninagar Shree Swaminarayan Gadi Sansthan all over the world are celebrating Acharya Swamishree's 75th Manifestation Day. North America disciples will celebrate this momentous occasion with a grand event in August. Also as part of these celebrations, Acharya Swamishree and sants will do a special vicharan of Hawai'i, a continuation of the Sadbhav Yatra that started in Australia and Far East Asia in May.
Acharya Swamishree and sants arrived safely from Mumbai at Newark Liberty International Airport at approximately 8 AM and were welcomed by numerous disciples who had eagerly gathered for their darshan. Upon arrival to Shree Swaminarayan Temple – New Jersey, Acharya Swamishree performed aarti and cut a welcome cake. In the evening, Acharya Swamishree performed sandhya aarti, after which a swagat yatra and welcoming ceremony were held. Young disciples performed skits to please Lord Swaminarayanbapa Swamibapa and Acharya Swamishree. The invitation, stoles, and mementos for the Sadbhav Amrut Parva North America celebrations were also inaugurated by Acharya Swamishree during the welcome event. Acharya Swamishree also showered His divine blessings upon all of His beloved disciples.
On Friday, Acharya Swamishree and sants departed for Los Angeles for their West Coast and Hawai'i vicharan. They will tour the entire continent over the next month before returning to New Jersey for the Sadbhav Amrut Parva North America celebrations.