Mukul Madhav Foundation (MMF) extends support by setting up medical camps for the devotees
PUNE: The month of Jyeshtha is on the wane and Ashadha beckons. The marching, singing, dancing, praying, joyous feet of nearly a million devotees thrum a glorious beat on the drumskin of the earth. The air is suffused with saffron flags and sandals. The 800 years old journey of a saint has lived again anew in the heart, the sweat, the chant, and the song of each Warkari.
Every year, lakhs of devotees across Maharashtra undertake a 21-day pilgrimage on foot to the Vithoba temple in Pandharpur. The procession is called the Wari and the devotees are called the Warkaris. This 800-year-old tradition is a distinctive part of the Maharashtrian culture.
As it has done over several decades, Finolex Industries Limited is participating in this wonderful human & spiritual experience this year as well. The wari is a daunting journey through rain and sun. Each warkari carries a few belongings, a small musical instrument, a tulsi sapling, or an idol of Lord Vitthal. Finolex makes this journey a little comfortable by providing essentials such as raincoats and convenience bags to the pilgrims and the thousands of police officers overseeing the event.
Further, Mukul Madhav Foundation, the CSR arm of Finolex, is conducting around 10 medical camps spread across various key locations of the yatra. Several hospitals in Pune have collaborated with MMF to provide this seva.
Commenting on the initiative, Mr. Pradeep Shastry Vedula, President of Sales & Marketing, Finolex Industries Ltd. said,
“Over the last 40 years, Finolex products have reached and served millions of customers in every state of the country to establish us as one of the few truly national players in the PVC pipes industry. However, Maharashtra is the birthplace of our organization. The Pandharpur wari holds a special significance for us. It is our continued privilege and honor to be associated with this uniquely special tradition.”
Finolex, of course, understands the power of tradition. India’s largest and only backward integrated PVC manufacturer, it has after all become the dominant market leader in the agriculture, plumbing & sanitation segments it is today, through its carefully nurtured traditional values of trust, quality, and service to its hundreds of dealers, thousands of retailers, and millions of customers.
“The Pandharpur Wari is not just a spiritual pilgrimage. It is a community-building force – people travel, eat, and sleep together on this journey without any consideration of caste, creed, gender, or socioeconomic status. These are values that we strongly believe in. FIL, through its CSR partner Mukul Madhav Foundation, has worked tirelessly in the areas of equality, empowerment, healthcare, and education among others to strengthen the communities it operates in.”, he added further.
The first rains have begun. The rising petrichor enchants people across the state. But for those on the path of the Warkaris, the divine smell is nothing but the earth’s joy on touching the feet of the pilgrims.