From Ram Mandir Movement To Padma Bhusan, A Look At The Life of Firebrand Leader And Philanthropist Sadhvi Ritambhara

Mathura: Sadhvi Ritambhara, known for being a storyteller and an extraordinary orator, has been awarded the Padma Bhusan award for social service.

A firebrand leader, she was associated closely with the Ram Mandir movement in the 1980s and 1990s. Considered the face of Hindutva, she resides in Vrindavan where she runs Vatsalya Gram Sanstha, an NGO that works for poor children, young girls and elderly women. Hundreds of children are given free education in the institution where women are also given free accommodation and food.

Sadhvi Ritambhara was born in 1964 in Mandi Doraha, a small village in Ludhiana district of Punjab. She was named Nisha by her parents. After completing her college education, she was influenced by Haridwar's saint Swami Parmanand Giri and accepted him as her guru. After this, she took sanyaas and tarted participating in the programmes of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. In the 1980s and 90s, Sadhvi Ritambhara was considered the face of Hindutva. She was the prominent face of the Bharatiya Janata Party and actively participated in the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mukti movement across the country. During the movement, saints and others were looking for influential Hindu leaders. Meanwhile, Sadhvi Ritambhara became a member of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mukti Yagna Samiti on the orders of her guru.

She remained in limelight with her speeches on Hindutva from the platforms of Vishwa Hindu Parishad across the country. She once had said that a day will come when she will enter the Lok Sabha wearing Basanti Chola, every street of India will be called Vrindavan, people will chant Maa Bhavani and say with pride that they are Hindus.

Sadhvi Ritambhara with children at Vatsalya Gram Sanstha (ETV Bharat)

During the Ram Mandir movement, Sadhvi Ritambhara's speeches spread like wildfire in the country. Even her political opponents were impressed by her speeches. There was a time when she held 10 religious meetings in a single day. In 1992, she established a social organization called Param Shaktipeeth after taking the blessings of her Guru. In 1997, after coming across a destitute child on the road, she took her in her lap and started the Vrindavan Vatsalya Yatra.

Sadhvi Ritambhara has received many awards not only in the country but also across the world. She has been awarded by the Mayor of the city of Houston, Mayor of the city of Pearl Land, office of two mayors of Texas, County of Los Angeles and Consulate General of India in USA. Her Vatsalya Gram Sanstha's name is included in the Golden Book of World Records for creating a wonderful social system in the form of Vatsal Gram. At present, Sadhvi Ritambhara Didi Maa is in Maha Kumbh with her disciples. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath congratulated Sadhvi Ritambhara and others from Uttar Pradesh who were awarded the Padma awards this Republic Day.