(Minghui.org) On the occasion of Chinese New Year, Falun Dafa practitioners from the Indian fashion and film industry would like to wish Mr. Li Hongzhi, the founder of Falun Dafa, a happy Chinese New Year and express their heartfelt gratitude for his compassionate guidance and for teaching the world the spiritual practice of Falun Dafa.

Many practitioners say that Falun Dafa’s core moral values of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance give meaning to their lives through teaching people to find joy in being selfless and putting others first before themselves. Practitioners firmly believe every Falun Dafa disciple has the ability to uphold the dignity of Falun Dafa and stop the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) attacks on their faith. 

Fashion Photographer: “Truth is always victorious”

Photographer and model Adhiraj Chakrabarti started practicing Falun Dafa in 2014. The 41-year-old from India who currently lives in New York, said that he is grateful to Master Li for his compassionate guidance and the exercises that have kept him healthy and energetic, enabling him to be a productive member of society.

“Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance are the founding pillars of the great universe. No matter which industry we belong to or what our line of work is, as long as our hearts and character can align with these universal principles of higher value, we are walking in the right direction. A practice that can really change the hearts of people eventually brings a positive shift in society,” he said.

Adhiraj said the recent attacks by some Western media outlets trying to tarnish the reputation of Master Li and Falun Dafa are orchestrated by the CCP. What these media have done constitutes a “heinous crime,” he said.

“From the very beginning, the CCP’s objective has been to tarnish the reputation of Falun Dafa. But even after years of trying, the reason they fail is because evil stands no chance in the light of goodness—truth is always victorious when faced with vicious lies and slander. The job of the media is to bring to light the truth. But here we find that media outlets, in spite of being in positions of power and influence, are instead falsely accusing and publishing [propaganda] reports repeatedly without any investigative evidence.”

Adhiraj Chakrabarti meditating (photo taken by Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

Adhiraj previously went to China for work assignments. Recalling his first modeling visit to Shanghai in 2012, he said that one of his modeling friends happened to mention Falun Dafa over a dinner. A staff person there was frightened when she heard the words “Falun Dafa,” and she said she didn’t want to hear about it anymore. Adhiraj didn’t practice Falun Dafa at the time and was surprised by the woman’s reaction.

He recalled, “We were inside an apartment and her fright was just too much. Many years later when I started practicing Dafa, I recalled this incident and understood that her fear came from the CCP’s brainwashing and the persecution of Falun Dafa. I met a lot of nice people in China during my travels. The Chinese regime is really doing an atrocity by not letting the citizens freely practice something they believe in.” 

He says that every Falun Dafa practitioner, whether veteran or new, has experienced a lot of benefits and life-changing miracles on their spiritual journeys. If everyone comes forward and shares their testimonies, the world will undergo a great change. The truth of Falun Dafa will awaken people to the true nature of the Chinese regime.

Adhiraj said that the world needs to remember that Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance are good. He said that young people are under pressure from life and he believes that the book Zhuan Falun, comprising Falun Dafa’s main teachings, can play a strong role in guiding them. “Once someone reads this book and develops a strong foundation, I feel that it’s smooth sailing even in the most perilous of seas. If we can improve our morality and character by understanding the meaning behind the words, everyone is bound to feel a significant difference,” he said.

Expressing his gratitude to Master Li, Adhiraj mentioned that Master has never asked practitioners for anything in return for his boundless compassion and mercy, but Master has always given everything of himself for the best of humanity. “Revered Master, you have cleansed my soul. I am eternally grateful and thankful. I sincerely wish you a happy New Year 2025,” Adhiraj said.

Celebrity Hairstylist: “Truth, Compassion, Forbearance shine like gold”

Gabriel Georgiou, 54—a renowned celebrity hairstylist with experience in both Hollywood and Bollywood— has always been searching for a higher, spiritual purpose in life. He began practicing Falun Dafa in 2002. He said that the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance “shine like gold” and are full of life-transforming energy and, “I think it's the only thing that will make humanity better.” 

Falun Dafa helped him remain grounded while working in the glamour industry. His spiritual practice has empowered him to cultivate a respectful, kind, and professional demeanor. In his work, he is punctual, avoids being influenced by gossip or negativity, stays calm, takes things lightly, and strives to find solutions to challenges. 

Gabriel Georgiou meditates—photo taken by Adhiraj Chakrabarti

“[It’s about] just being a good person. I feel very positive. Falun Dafa has given me a lot of energy to not only stay positive, but also to be able to work long hours,” said Gabriel.

“When I do the Falun Dafa exercises, I feel very peaceful and very, very pure and positive in my mind, and also very energized at the same time—it is a very unique feeling. It’s like a calm energy, and it’s very long-lasting. So I find that I get a lot done during the day,” he added.

He said that the mind-body practice has also increased his level of endurance, willpower, and physical fitness. He quit smoking after he did the Falun Dafa exercises five times and hasn’t touched cigarettes since. He suffered from scoliosis and it used to take around half an hour for the pain to subside before he could go to sleep. When he began doing the fifth exercise of Falun Dafa and sat with both legs crossed in the full lotus position, he realized that the abnormal curvature of his spine was naturally corrected.

“I had a really hard time with my body. When I stood up after I meditated, I could hear bones cracking…like my spine was aligning. And it did align on its own—because I haven’t had pain since then. It was amazing. Certain allergies that I had, including bronchial problems, everything is gone. Everything’s vanished,” he said.

Being a busy hairstylist who travels worldwide for film shoots, Gabriel finds that the calm energy of Falun Dafa keeps his heart full with an unspoken joy and tranquility, giving him the room to buffer and navigate any unforeseen hardships.

He says he endeavors to share the beauty of Falun Dafa with people in the film industry and to inform them about the atrocities occurring in China under the CCP.

On the occasion of the Lunar New Year, Gabriel expressed his gratitude to Master Li and thanked him sincerely for “the Truth and immense compassion.”

Cinematographer: “Falun Dafa is the hope of society”

Rasool Ellore, 60, a well-known Indian cinematographer, screenwriter, and director who practices Falun Dafa, participated in the Telugu translation of Zhuan Falun.

He said that there are positives and negatives in almost every aspect of our current society, and like any other work environment, the film industry isn’t immune to the ills. However, the moral teachings of Falun Dafa have definitely helped him in maintaining a clean, dignified life.

“Master Li’s guidance truly helped me overcome the many challenges I face every day and it continues to do so each and every day,” Rasool said.

“Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance are the only principles that can guide the present morally depraved and degenerate society. If people ignore or do not pay heed, it is an opportunity lost for self-salvation,” he added. 

Falun Dafa’s principles have guided him in his professional journey over all these years, he said. The spiritual practice helped him handle almost every kind of challenge in his profession, be it managing the people he works with, or situations he faces on film sets every day, including the challenges related to the creative aspect of the job.

“For sure, Falun Dafa helps deal with the immense pressure that comes from the job, and helps me handle the very high expectations that come along with the job and the constant scrutiny from the whole world in terms of quality and success,” he said.

Rasool says Falun Dafa practitioners practice their faith peacefully and truthfully, and in a manner that is beneficial to society. The Chinese regime’s persecution of Falun Dafa is “absolutely wicked, unfair, horrifying, and illegal, and it has to stop.”