HARARE — As noise, pressure and digital overload shape modern life, the Brahma Kumaris is marking 90 years with a quieter proposition: peace begins with the individual.
As the spiritual movement celebrates nine decades since the experiences that inspired its formation, its Zimbabwean practitioners are renewing conversations around meditation, self-awareness, values and peace.
For Janita Hargoven of the Brahma Kumaris Raja Yoga Meditation Centre in Harare, the milestone is both a celebration and a call to action.
“Ninety years is a remarkable milestone,” she said, describing it as nine decades of spiritual service, learning and encouraging people to rediscover their inner strength.
Sister Jasu said the anniversary highlighted values that transcended cultures and generations, including “peace, compassion, self-respect, love and responsibility”, while inviting communities to consider how those values could influence everyday life.
The Brahma Kumaris traces its origins to the spiritual experiences of Dada Lekhraj Kripalani, later known as Brahma Baba, in 1936. The movement says the organisation was formally established in 1937 in Hyderabad, then part of undivided India and now in Pakistan, before moving to Karachi and subsequently to Mount Abu, India, in 1950.
At the heart of its practice is Raja Yoga meditation, which teaches practitioners to understand themselves as spiritual beings and consciously direct their thoughts towards positive, elevated ideas and a relationship with the Supreme. Unlike some forms of yoga, Raja Yoga meditation is commonly practised with open eyes and does not depend on physical postures.
For Hargoven, its appeal lies in its practicality.
“Raja Yoga gave me a practical spiritual path that I could apply in everyday life,” she said.
Sister Jasu added that meditation was only one part of the approach. Transformation also involved changing how people thought, spoke, behaved and responded to others.
Zimbabwe provides a local expression of the movement’s wider international presence. The Brahma Kumaris currently lists meditation centres in Harare and Bulawayo, offering spiritual education and Raja Yoga programmes.
Local practitioners have been involved in meditation, personal development, youth engagement, women’s empowerment, wellbeing initiatives and interfaith dialogue.
The anniversary also comes as meditation and yoga gain increasing recognition through United Nations observances. The UN marks June 21 as the International Day of Yoga, September 21 as the International Day of Peace and December 21 as World Meditation Day, proclaimed by the General Assembly in 2024.
For Zimbabwean corporates, small and medium-sized enterprises, schools, community organisations and other institutions, the Brahma Kumaris is inviting participation in activities planned for September 21, the International Day of Peace.
The proposed engagement provides an opportunity for organisations to explore workplace wellbeing, values-based leadership, reflection, dialogue and peace-building through talks, meditation and related activities.
“Our contribution is about creating spaces where people can learn, reflect, listen and develop themselves,” Sister Jasu said.
As the Brahma Kumaris looks beyond its 90-year milestone, Hargoven offered a simple message:
“Do not wait for the world to become peaceful before you choose peace. Begin with yourself.”
For a movement built around stillness, its anniversary message is decidedly active: pause, reflect and transform, carrying peace into the world.
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