Religious heads of Western India at the ITCX 2023 held in Varanasi from July 22-24
VARANASI July 25: The World’s first-of-its-kind International Temples Convention and Expo 2023 (ITCX) held from July 22-24 rounded up last evening at the Rudraksh Convention Centre in Varanasi with a soulful and fitting celebratory end.Over three days, 1098 delegates from 32 countries converged on equal footing to participate and present on the knowledge-sharing and networking platform that featured talks, sessions and case studies on organization, management and administration of temple ecosystems.
The event was inaugurated by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat along with ITCX founders Prasad Lad and Giresh Kulkarni.The event was attended by Ashwini Kumar Choubey (Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution of India), Dr. Sudhanshu Trivedi (National Spokesperson of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Member of Rajya Sabha), Sunil Verma (IAS, CEO of Kashi Vishwanath Mandir), Vishal Singh (I.A.S., Municipal Commissioner, Ayodhya), and Milind Parande (Secretary General, Vishwa Hindu Parishad).One-of-its-kind world stage launches India’s first Smart Temples Mission .Delegates from over 250 temples represented leaders across Sikhism, Jainism, Hinduism and Buddhism.32 countries joined over 40 sessions, both virtually via live stream and in person.Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended support to the event and its purpose.
Over 100 temples attended from the West, including Rudreshwar Devasthan (Goa), Somnath Temple (Gujarat), Shani Shingnapur (Maharashtra) and Shirdi Sai Baba Temple (Maharashtra).Special addresses on Plastic free Temple ecosystem by Suneel Anchipaka (IAS, Director of Tourism, Goa), Temple history of Goa by Sawani Shetye (Archaeologist and Founder of Bhoomij Heritage Consultancy for history awareness), in the presence of Rohan Khaunte, Minister of Tourism, Government of Goa.Honorable Prasad Lad, Chairman, ICTX and member of Legislative Council, Government of Maharashtra, delivered a moving closing note at the forum
GIRESH KULKARNI, FOUNDER OF ITCX 2023 & TEMPLE CONNECT said that,“ITCX 2023, at its core, is disruptive, for it shatters the perception that temple ecosystems belong to a bygone era. To keep the value of traditions and devotion alive, temple administrations are ready to embrace the change. They have all the means and inclination to match the footsteps of technology and modernisation, and reboot their processes to suit the times.”“The idea was to bring gigantic, mid-sized and even small temples together on one equal footing for a knowledge-sharing and networking platform and start a revolution in the organisation, management and administration of temple ecosystems to benefit the consumer or pilgrim.
PRASAD LAD, CHAIRMAN OF INTERNATIONAL TEMPLES CONVENTION & EXPO 2023 AND MEMBER OF MAHARASHTRA LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL said that,“We have achieved the gigantic feat of hosting 1098 delegates from 16 countries and even more participated in the live online streams.
I truly believe in C to C – which means the money a common man donates at a temple should benefit the common man. For this, we had presentations on fund management and taxation. From the money a temple collects, the management should be able to easily set aside readily available funds for medical help, book bank for children, and educational adoption such as book bank for children. Some of the topics were a revelation – security surveillance, physical security, incorporating technology for smooth running of temples such as face recognition and solid waste management.”
The three-day event paved the way for a new era of best practices for temple management with a new-age and modernised approach. Temple Connect was at the epicentre of stirring a revolution in the organisation, management and administration of temple ecosystems to benefit the end consumer aka the pilgrim. This reboot synergy held the rapt attention of leaders and dignitaries at the helm of temple management.
A brainchild of Giresh Kulkarni, founder of Temple Connect and ITCX 2023, his team spent the last six months visiting temples, collating management pain points and creating in-depth research to empower the event. The result managed to instill a new-age elevation of knowledge learning by bringing the entire temple fraternity together to interact, share and connect through engaging on-stage sessions and off-stage networking.An incredible line-up of expert talks, discussions and presentations on sustainable temple management and development practices were conducted by a galaxy of like-minded dignitaries and willingly absorbed by the attendees.
