BHUBANESWAR: Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday said Mahima Dharma and its philosophy will always be a source of inspiration in life for him. Inaugurating the three-day international seminar on ‘Santha Kabi Bhima Bhoi and the legacy of Mahima Cult’ here, Pradhan highlighted how Santha Balaram Das’ Laxmi Puran and Santha Kabi Bhima Bhoi’s philosophy and poems addressed the problems of the most vulnerable in society.
He said both played a leading role in reawakening the cultural and literary consciousness of Odia society. “I am blessed to address the highly revered sants, present at the event, and academicians and scholars from Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal. Bhima Bhoi’s philosophy is more relevant now than ever and a guiding principle for society for putting the welfare of humanity above the welfare of self,” Pradhan said.
He further said the Mahima cult, rooted in spiritual and cultural landscape of Odisha, represents a distinctive religious movement with focus on simplicity, equality and devotion to the formless divine. Central to the Mahima Cult are two luminaries, Mahima Gosein and his disciple Bhima Bhoi, who lived during the late 19th century and made an indelible mark in the contemporary Odia society with their spiritual leadership and social revolution through Mahima Movement.
A short film on Santha Kabi Bhima Bhoi and the legacy of Mahima Cult was shown during the programme. Several academicians, dignitaries, vice chancellors and eminent speakers were present at the event.