While speaking with India TV Chairman and Editor-in-Chief Rajat Sharma, Pandit Dhirendra Shastri recounted a memorable episode from February 2025, when President Droupadi Murmu visited Bageshwar Dham. The President had come to bless 251 couples whose marriages were arranged under the Baba’s initiative.
Meeting between President Murmu and Shastri’s mother
Shastri revealed that during the visit, the President asked about his mother. Though usually living in their village, his mother was called to the venue as per the President’s request. They eventually met in the green room, where an emotional exchange unfolded.
A blessing beyond protocol
Shastri shared that he had gently advised his mother in advance not to place her hand on the President’s head, as she traditionally does while blessing others. When the meeting took place, the President warmly praised Shastri’s social work and hugged his mother. In that touching moment, however, his mother forgot the advice and placed her hand over the President’s head, offering blessings by saying, “Aur oonche pad par jao” (Rise to even higher positions).
President’s humility shines through
Embarrassed, Shastri quickly stopped her, reminding that there is no post higher than that of the President of India. But President Murmu simply smiled and graciously said, “Let her bless.” She even gifted his mother a saree, remarking affectionately, “Bahut accha hai.”
“An extraordinary moment”
Describing it as an “abhootpoorva kshan” (extraordinary moment), Shastri highlighted the President’s humility and warmth, noting how she accepted the gesture with grace and did not take it amiss.
Dhirendra Shastri on pursuing PhD in paranormal studies
When asked about his academic aspirations, Pandit Dhirendra Shastri said his dream is to pursue a PhD in paranormal studies at institutions like Oxford or Cambridge University. “My idea is to study ghosts,” he explained, acknowledging that some may find it amusing. Shastri pointed out that universities in the UK and the US already conduct research on paranormal subjects, which he described as the study of “invisible forces” (adrishya shaktiyan).He added that members of the Andha Shraddha Nirmoolan Samiti in Maharashtra had once questioned him, and that very day he resolved to take up academic study. “I will earn my certificate and work on facts,” he said, while crediting his Guru’s blessings for his current path. By combining science with spirituality through his doctoral research, Shastri said he hopes to remove superstition and negativity from people’s minds.
