Naman to @OGSaffron!

In the 1st week of August, we were gearing up for the grand celebration for bhoomipujan ceremony of the bhavya Ram Mandir. As per my regular ritual of sharing something on social media, I looked for the Twitter handle OGSaffron. but couldn’t find it.. 1/n

Then again on Ganesh Chaturthi, as I was looking for it, I saw the shocking news, broke by his brother, that the guy behind the handle OGSaffron was no more! He had met with an accident in May 2020, which he took his life. I was shocked to the core. 2/n

I never knew who was behind the handle, yet followed him with great interest... His posts were always inspiring... the photos of temples and idols were mesmeric...
His one liner quotes with photos had instilled confidence in all of us to stand for our Dharma.
3/n

This reminded me of the Vasudevs of old times, who occasionally visited our homes (in Maharashtra). 'Vasudev' is a community of devotees of Lord Krishna mainly centered in Maharashtra. 4/n

They wore saffron robes called ‘jhaga’ and cone shaped peacock feathered headgear; they played traditional Maharashtrian instruments ‘chiplya’ and ‘taal’, and sang folk tunes… “वासुदेव आला, हो वासुदेव आला.....!”. 5/n

(Image from https://www.sid-thewanderer.com/ )

These Vasudevs were anonymous.. We never knew their names.. None of us actually bothered to even ask. But still, we had deep affection and respect for them.. Vasudev’s image is still intact in my mind, as a messenger of Bhakti.. of Dharma..!! 6/n

The handle OGSaffron was one such Vasudev of the new age of social media... He was anonymous, but made deep impact.. At times, he appeared on our timelines too… instilling Bhakti… making us aware of our rich heritage… enlivening Dharma with his 140 Characteristic Lines… 7/n

Still don’t know his name, but I feel like I have lost someone close. Read the news of his passing on the same day, as I was welcoming Ganapati Bappa, prayed to Lord Ganesha to give strength to his family to deal with this situation. 8/n

I am sure his soul must have found its purpose again, and upholding Dharma from wherever it is!
Om Shanti ! n/n