Morari Bapu Begins 9-Day Ramcharitmanas Recital At Harvard During Tulsi Jayanti

Indian spiritual leader Morari Bapu has begun a nine-day recital of the Ramcharitmanas at Harvard University in Cambridge, bringing the Ram Katha tradition to one of the world’s leading centres of learning. Titled ‘Manas Guru Prasad’, the recital began at Sanders Theatre, Memorial Hall, on August 15 and will continue until August 23. The official schedule confirms morning and afternoon sessions during the programme.

The Harvard event is Bapu’s 982nd Katha, according to his official website, and combines the Ramcharitmanas recital with scholarly discussions, cultural programmes and the observance of Tulsi Jayanti. The programme began on India’s 80th Independence Day and has brought together sadhus, scholars, writers, thinkers, musicians, artists and Ram Katha narrators.

A three-day scholarly discussion was held from August 16 to 18, bringing together scholars who have studied different versions of the Ramayana and associated epics across languages and cultures. Discussions have explored the Ramayana’s continuing influence beyond India.

The programme also marked Tulsi Jayanti on August 19, commemorating the birth anniversary of poet-saint Goswami Tulsidas, the author of the Ramcharitmanas. Bapu initiated the Tulsi Jayanti programme in 2010 to honour people dedicated to preserving and carrying forward the Ram Katha tradition.

Bapu said the Katha, held during Savan in the context of Tulsi Jayanti, would focus on the “Tribhuvana Sutras” of Satya, Prem and Karuna. UK House of Lords member Dolar Popat said Harvard’s motto, ‘Veritas’, resonated with these values.

Harvard’s Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute Faculty Director Prof Diana Eck described Ram, Sita and Lakshmana as “primordial pilgrims”, highlighting their 14-year journey through Prayag, Chitrakoot, Panchavati, Kishkindha and Rameshwaram. She noted that these places became sacred sites and that Ramlila traditions later spread to Thailand, Indonesia and Cambodia.

The official organisers say the Sanders Theatre has reached capacity, with audiences encouraged to watch the proceedings online. Bapu has previously taken Ram Katha to Kailash Manasarovar, the Vatican, the United Nations headquarters in New York and Cambridge University, where he held a Katha in 2023.