Ahmedabad

Founder of Ram Roti Ashram in Kothariya(10 km from Surendranagar) Vaja Bhagat passed away today in a private hospital in Ahmedabad. He was 78.

Kothariya is otherwise a small, sleepy village on Lakhtar-Surendranagar highway. The village received some recognition only due to Vaja Bhagat ashram here.

Early in the morning at around 4.00 am, women from various houses would come to Vaja Bhagat Ashram and make roti in mass kitchen set up by Vaja Bhagat. Soon bicycle volunteers would visit the place and collect rotis cooked by women volunteers. Rotis would be then offered to needy people.

This was not the only service offered by Vaja Bhagat’s Ashram. During the years of scarcity of water and famine, thousands of cows would arrive at Vaja Bhagat’s Ashram for free fodder. In worst year, 30,000 cows were brought to this ashram from various areas of Saurashtra and Kutch. It was Vaja Bhagat’s honesty and integrity that he never faced any problem in attracting donation from all over Gujarat and even from Mumbai. Trucks full of fodder would come to his ashram whenever needed. Wealthy people would contribute various material needed to make free food offered to needy ones.

Free butter milk, milk, feed for birds, flour for ants, cloths to needy people, serving the needs of poor, differently able, sadhus, old persons are some of the highlights of Vaja Bhagat’s Ram Roti Ashram.

Saurashtra has rich tradition of service to poor and needy through number of ashrams set up by dedicated saints. Jalaram Bapa, Mekan Dada(Kutch) are some of the examples of this tradition. Vaja Bhagat continued it.

A video on Vaja Bhagat ashram via Youtube(Watch from 3 minute mark)

(Watch from 3 minute mark)

– DeshGujarat