Shri Gopi Nath Kunzru

Advocate Shri Gopi Nath Kunzru from Allahabad had a long association with Shri Nathji, He used to attend His lectures.  On 23rd June 1977 whien Shri Nathji’s birthday was celebrated at the Savoy Hotel in Mussoorie, Shri Gopi Nath Kunzru comes and recites the Urdu verse:

Muddat se muntazar thhee nigaah jiske noor ki,
Ab aa gayi hai shubh gharri uske zahoor ki

He, whose Glory the eyes had awaited since long,
Has been revealed in a moment of Glory sublime

Shri Gopi Nath Kunzru was a Kashmiri Pandit and a prominent advocate in Allahabad, India. The Shri Gopi Nath Kunzru served as the Vice-President of the High Court Bar Association and had a long history with the Allahabad High Court, having been enrolled as a lawyer in the same year the High Court building was opened in 1916. He delivered a memorable speech at the High Court's Golden Jubilee celebrations in 1966. He is remembered for his long-standing association with the legal community in Allahabad.

Lawrence and Mayo at Janpath

 Lawrence and Mayo at Janpath, had been Shri Nathji's favorite optician’s shop. He had also purchased the German made sunglasses in 1947, which he had worn over the years. The Christian manager there was overjoyed to see him and gave him affectionate advice about the care of his eyes after the operation.

, Lawrence & Mayo is located at Shop No. 76, Ground Floor, Main Road, Janpath, Delhi-110001
The Lawrence & Mayo store at Janpath in Delhi is an iconic heritage location with a history spanning nearly a century, serving customers since the pre-independence era. 

The company was Established in the year 1877.  In 1938, the company was incorporated under the Indian Companies Act, and in 1959, I. C. Mendonca took charge as Managing Director, laying the foundation for the company's expansion across India.

Dr. Kataria, Opticians

There was Dr. Kataria, proprietor of Gem Opticians, who in 1976 came over to Shri Nathji's house at Sarvodaya Enclave with the eye-testing chart and made a pair of spectacles for him. He also sold him special “gun metal” sunglasses made in Germany, which Shri Nathji liked tremendously.
When Shri Nathji made a sudden visit to his shop at South Extension Part II he was so touched to the heart that he said: “Aahaa! Aaj to meri dukaan men Bhagwan aa gaye! Aahaa! God has come into my shop today!”
Shri R.K. Kataria was the founder of GEM Opticians, who established the first store in South Extension-1 in 1969 with a focus on the luxury eyewear market.
The business is currently managed by the second and third generations of the Kataria family, including his son, Rajiv Kataria, who is a director and partner, and grandsons Ishaan and Trivin Kataria.

I am given an old photo of the shop, so that one can see how it looked when Shri Nathji visited it in 1970's. 

Pershadi Lal Chemist’s shop in Landaur

 In 1975 ,  Shri Nathji had remembered his favourite tonic, Sanatogen, made by German Remedies which he used to take in his youth and middle ago. Surprisingly, Sanatogen was found in the small city of Mussoorie at Pershadi Lal Chemist’s shop in Landaur. Shri Nathji remained ever thankful to the chemist for getting a large number of bottles of Sanatogen for him.  

When Shri Nathji left Mussoorie for Delhi in November 1975 he carried many bottles of Santogen to use in Delhi 

The shop is still in Landour Bazar. its address is - Prashadi Lal Kishan Lal Chemist at  161, 65, landour bazar, mussoorie, uttarakhand, 248179

Complan Powder

Dr. Jwala Prasad, who had great love for Shri Nathji, asked him to take Complan, which he said was “a complete food in itself”. Thereafter Priya Nath gave Complan powder dissolved in water to Shri Nathji in various flavours. Though much of it was unpalatable, Shri Nathji took it without complaint to save Priya Nath the trouble of cooking.
 Shri Nathji, with his flair for humour, would often childishly mimic how Dr. Jwala Prasad had emphasised the importance of Complan, with the words punctuated as: “It-is-a complete-food in-itself!” 

Complan Foods is a British company that makes powdered milk energy drinks. It was acquired by Danone in 2011. In India the Complan brand is owned by the Zydus Wellness. Complan was launched by Glaxo in 1954. As part of Glaxo's Farley Health Products subsidiary, the Complan UK brand was sold to Boots in 1988. In India, Complan remained with Glaxo until 1994, when it was acquired by Heinz, who also acquired the UK brand in the same year. Its USP was that it was the complete planned food. It is still quite popular in India

Raja Mahindra Pratap

Raja Mahindra Pratap had experienced the Divine Love of Shri Nathji to a very great extent. He used to attend His lectures in Mussoorie. After many years in 1974 he again met Shri Nathji in Delhi. At that time, when Shri Nathji embraced the aging freedom fighter, he said:
 "Swamiji! This is the way you used to embrace me whenever and wherever we met in the years gone by, on the Mall in Mussoorie!"
 He would refer to Shri Nathji as a “veteran spiritual leader” and would sometimes suggest that Shri Nathji call together all the religious leaders in India and organise a religious fraternity.
 Shri Nathji, however, was above organisations. He was spirituality personified. When he told Raja Mahindra Pratap Singh that he was not interested in politics, the Raja was a trifle taken aback and suggested that holy men participate in the affairs of the State.
 Shri Nathji was, however, running the affairs of the states of the whole world. He was not doing it visibly though, so as to appear impartial.
 Whenever Shri Nathji sent prasaad to Raja Mahindra Pratap in Mussoorie, the latter distributed it to members of his group. On Shri Nathji’s birthday, he wrote: "The desire seized me to come flying to you across the mountains and felicitate you on your birthday!”
 Shri Nathji delivered a beautiful sermon on Divine Love to members of Raja Mahindra Pratap’s group in Delhi. His words made many a person weep on the occasion.
 He had said: “People tell me that I have become weak. And I am happy to hear that. A candle, that must die out, is fortunate if even the last rays of its light can show the way to others. A pencil, that has worn itself out, writing the prose it was meant to write, has truly completed its work in life.”

Raja Mahendra Pratap (1 December 1886 – 29 April 1979), a freedom fighter, journalist, and social reformer was born into the royal family of the Mursan estate in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh. He studied at Aligarh Muslim University and was influenced by nationalist and secular ideas. He renounced his privileges to join the independence movement.and dedicated his life to India's independence. His most notable actions include establishing the Provisional Government of India in exile in Kabul with himself as President. This was a bold attempt to gain international support for India's freedom.,

He promoted technical education by founding the Prem Mahavidyalaya in Vrindavan in 1909, and being nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1932. After returning from exile, he served as a Member of Parliament, elected to the Lok Sabha from Mathura from 1957 to 1962. He continued to work on social reforms, including promoting the idea of Panchayati Raj, until his death in 1979.

Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed

Dr. Kapoor Singh took Shri Nathji's book: "The First Rays of Dawn," which contained 365 thoughts for peace of mind, a thought for each day of the year, to Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, the President of India and said to him: "This book has been written by a Great Spiritual Soul!"

Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed (13 May 1905 – 11 February 1977) was an Indian lawyer and politician who served as the President of India from 1974 to 1977.

Born in Delhi, Ahmed studied in Delhi and Cambridge and was called to the bar from the Inner Temple, London in 1928. Returning to India, he practiced law in Lahore and then in Guwahati. Beginning a long association with the Indian National Congress in the 1930s, Ahmed was finance minister of Assam in the Gopinath Bordoloi ministry in 1939. He became the Advocate General of Assam in 1946, and was finance minister again from 1957 to 1966 under Bimala Prasad Chaliha. He was made a national Cabinet Minister by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1966 and was in charge of various central ministries including Power, Irrigation, Industries and Agriculture. He was elected President of India in 1974, securing a greater confidence than his contestant Tridib Chaudhuri.

As President, Ahmed imposed The Emergency in August 1975 and gave his assent to numerous ordinances and constitutional amendments drafted by Indira Gandhi to rule by decree. Lampooned in an iconic cartoon by Abu Abraham, Ahmed's reputation was tarnished by his support for the Emergency. His Presidency had been described as a rubber stamp.

Ahmed died in February 1977 of a heart attack. He was accorded a state funeral and is buried in a mosque near Parliament House in New Delhi. Ahmed, who was the second Muslim to become the president of India, was also the second president to die in office. Ahmed was succeeded by B. D. Jatti as acting president and by Neelam Sanjiva Reddy as the sixth president of India in 1977.

 

Dr. Saroj Aggarwal

In 1973, Shri Nathji cataract developed rapidly in His eyes and the vision in his right eye almost gone. It was common knowledge that one eye of Dr. Radhakrishnan, the President of India, had been operated upon in India, at the AIIMS, and had been spoiled. Priya Nath could not afford to take such a risk with Shri Nathji. The right eye of Shri Nathji posed a problem for the surgeons because of the orange sign in it. They would either have to remove it during the operation or else have to cut around it. None of the eye surgeons appeared to have performed such an operation before.  Priya Nath then contacted Dr. Saroj Aggarwal to take her opinion. She was in America and was passing through New Delhi. Her words sounded cryptic to Priya Nath: “There are no guarantees in surgery.”

Dr. Aggarwal graduated from Nagpur University / Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College in 1958.  She then migrated to USA. She practiced as an ophthalmologist in Cleveland, OH. Her office is located at office located at 12000 McCracken Rd Ste 215, Cleveland, OH 44125.

Dr. Hruby of Vienna

In 1973, Shri Nathji cataract developed rapidly in His eyes and the vision in his right eye almost gone. Then Pran Nath in London contacted a certain Dr. Hruby in Vienna who said he would be willing to operate on Shri Nathji at Vienna. In 1975 Priya Nath had been thinking of taking Shri Nathji to Vienna and had even asked a devotee Laj Pat Rai Khanna to get his passport ready to accompany them. Just then the powers of evil struck with deadly suddenness. There was trouble in Shri Nathji’s unattended house, Savitri Nivas, in Mussoorie, So Shri Nathji did not go to Vienna for the operation.
 

Though Shri Nathji never went to Austria for the surgery.

The Austrian ophthalmologist Dr. Karl B. Hruby is known for his invention of the Hruby lens and for being a pioneer in the use of microsurgical techniques and scleral buckling for retinal detachments. His work significantly advanced the field of vitreous and fundus examination. He had a challenging period during World War II, where he served as both a prisoner and a physician. After the war, he had a distinguished career as an outstanding clinician and teacher, eventually becoming a  professor at University of Graz  in 1964 till his retirement in 1981.He was member of several scientific societies and won several awards. 

Trevillion & Clark

 Shri Nathji would always be seen wearing a new achkan, which had been especially tailored for the occasion. Mateshwari, despite the financial constraints, would ensure that all of Shri Nathji’s clothes were made by the best of tailors. Trevillion and Clark of Mussooriee was on of the favorites along with British firm of Ranken and Company and  Lilaram of Lahore.

Trevillion and Clark was founded in 1881 by a British couple, Mr. and Mrs. Clark, in Mussoorie. (The old  photo on the right is the original shop in Mussoorie.) The business was celebrated for its high standards, which included using fine fabrics, imported threads, and fashionable buttons, and for its meticulous attention to detail in the latest cuts. Latter the company was acquired by Lala Mohanlal ji. of Puranchand Agarwal family, originally based in Meerut, This acquisition allowed the family to leverage the established branding and loyal customer base of the existing entity.  Mohanlal Sons still maintains the Trevillion and Clark brand. The business is currently managed by the Agarwal family, with Mayank Mohan serving as a Partner and CEO. The brand has a physical presence in several Indian cities, including New Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida, Chandigarh, and Jammu. It has successfully blended its age-old heritage and craftsmanship with contemporary fashion needs, emphasizing quality and personalized service.

Lilaram Tailors of Lahore

 

Shri Nathji would always be seen wearing a new achkan, which had been especially tailored for the occasion. Mateshwari, despite the financial constraints, would ensure that all of Shri Nathji’s clothes were made by the best of tailors. Lilaram of Lahore was on of the favorites along with British firm of Ranken and Company and Trevillion and Clark of Mussoorie besides others. 

  Lilaram tailors were cloth merchant with a tailoring department. There company was called B Lilaram & sons and was located in Lahore which was their head office and they also had a branch  in Delhi, Lucknow, Mussorie and Nainital.B ellow I am posting the photo of the shop of B Lilaram & sons which I was able to source from the old Hindi movie namedLahore staring Starring Karan Dewan and Nargis. Though the movie was released in 1949 but its shooting was done some time before. 

 

Dr. Kelkar

Dr. Kelkar had acquired great faith in Shri Nathji after he had read his book Atma Vijay part II, and then come into contact with Shri Nathji. In 1972 when Shri Nathji got engrossed in publishing of His books, He listened to rate quotations of printing and binding charges, taking acute interest in the minutes of details of the trade, examining the stitching and sewing of books, and the face of various kinds of type, driving out to crowded areas like Chawri Bazaar in Delhi to purchase paper and, indeed, doing everything else a man of the world would be called upon to do. Few could understand him then.
 "Leave him alone in his godliness," said Dr. Kelkar, a member of the Sahitya Akademi at Delhi, to Priya Nath,  "why must he be dragged down to the haggling level of worldly men!"
 Little did he know that it was to come down to the "haggling level!" with men that Shri Nathji had taken an avatar upon the earth.
 Dr. Kelkar would always advise Priya Nath to not to get entangled with the hardened world of business in the printing industry. At the same time he would add: “You are a Harvard scholar. Why should you allow anyone to cheat you?”
 

Oncewhen  Dr.Kelkar was travell­ing in a train in the middle of June, he had a heatstroke and collapsed. He was taken to a hospital and medical tests performed on him. His blood urea had shot up to an abnormal level of 300.
 When he was being carried on the hospital stretcher, his daughter was by his side and was asking him: “Will Shri Nathji come to visit you here? Everyone else has.”
 "Beti!" said the man, "can’t you see him? He is walking here by my side!" The man had a vision. Shri Nathji appeared before him, bare-footed, and the man held on to his feet and wept for a long time. Shri Nathji gave him a tablet to eat. Just then the vision was over. And he found himself in the hospital, his crisis over.

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Dr. R.S. Kelkar was the Secretary of the Sahitya Akademi, - an autonomous organization established by the Government of India to promote Indian literature. at Delhi from September 1975 to February 1984. He was the third person to hold this position. From 1 to 14 March 1980,  

In this administrative role as overseer of India's National Academy of Letters, he oversaw the publication and printing of the journal (specifically volumes around the late 1970s and early 1980s) through Bharti Printers, located at K-16 Naveen Shahdara, Delhi-32. .  Bharti Printers is now permanently closed.

Also Dr. R.S. Kelkar addressed the parliamentary committee in his capacity as secretary of Sahitya Akademi,  along with President and Vice President  Suniti Kumar Chatterjee an Srinivasa Iyengar

Dr. R.S. Kelkar had the legal/administrative responsibilities for the content and production of the publication at that specific time. Dr. Kelkar is also the author of other books, such as Bharatiya Kahaniyan, which is available on Amazon.in

Dr. R. S. Kelkar, then Secretary of the Sahitya Akademi, undertook a tour sponsored by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations The purpose of this visit was to visit universities and cultural organizations, and establish contacts with Ramayana scholars in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia. The tour was in furtherance of a project by the Union Académique International and the Sahitya Akademi to compile a critical inventory of Ramayana studies worldwide. He visited Hindu and Buddhist temples and museums in cities like Bangkok, Jakarta, Bali, Singapore, and Kuala Lumpur. During his trip, Dr. Kelkar engaged in various activities.  He held discussions with local Ramayana scholars and gathered information for the regional inventories of Ramayana material. He witnessed performances with a mythological slant and studied local history, as well as the interaction of Indian with Thai, Malaysian, and Indonesian cultures.  This tour also served as preparation for the Second International Ramayana Seminar, which was held in New Delhi in January 1981.

Alfred Hicky

In 1972  Shri Nathji and Priya Nath met Alfred Hicky, an Australian who had an Indian wife and lived in Delhi. The man had designed the postage stamps of Afghanistan and was an expert at designing the covers of books.
 He designed the covers of the two book printed by Shri Nathji. -  First was “The first Rays of Dawn” which was English translation of Shri Nathji’s “Daivi Kirne”. It was a book in which Shri Nathji was present with the reader each and every day of the year. It was translated by Priya Nathji himself.  And second was  “Rigmarole” which was a comic Novel written by Priya Nanthji.. His wife also took up the work of proof reading for a while.
 He was a minister in his church and often quoted from Shri Nathji's:  “The First Rays of Dawn”, in his sermons in church. He was particularly fond of Shri Nathji's parable on Alexander the Great, in which Alexander had said at the last moment of His life:
 “When you take out my funeral procession, let my hands hang by the side of my body so that the world may see, that the hands of Alexander the Great, which sought to possess the whole world, are today going away empty!”
 If Hicky had thought he was an expert on cover designing, he was mistaken. Priya Nath discovered that the nose of the figure drawn on the cover was mis-shapen and he rushed to Hicky’s House at midnight to have it corrected before it could be printed the next morning.
 Shri Nathji would ever afterwards recall this incident to show the exactness that Priya Nath followed in any discipline that he took up. Shri Nathji would say:
 “A Harvard scholar is noted not only for his ability in his own subject, but also for his capability to handle any subject in the world like an expert! No matter which work Priya Nathji engages in, he always does it with exactness. Ye har kaam ki baareekiyon men jaate hain!”

  Alfred Hicky latter also took Shri Nathji's book on the subject of death for priting. It was named: “Mrityu Kaa Rahasya” or “The Secret of Death”.It was then that Priya Nath discovered quite suddenly that Alfred Hicky had been over charging them and was not allowing the books to be delivered to them from the press, saying that the press would destroy the books. Priya Nath decided to go down to the press and make the payment to the press there and then, and bring home the books himself, rather than wait for Alfred Hicky to do so. Priya Nanthji went down to the press, paid the bill, and brought the books home. There had always been the danger of a confrontation in case Hicky showed up there and sought to prevent the books from being taken. But Priya Nath’s swift action saved the situation.
 It was the one and only time that Shri Nathji was seen in such a touch and go situation– a strange kind of game, running home with one’s own goods, after making full payment for them! Priya Nath sent a telegram to Hicky to come and settle the matter, but the man realised he had been caught, and disappeared, never to be seen again.

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Reverend  Alfred Hickey was an Australian minister who served at the Cathedral Church of the Redemption in New Delhi, which is the headquarters of the Church of North India (CNI) Delhi Diocese. The Cathedral Church of the Redemption of New Delhi is also called the Viceroy Church.  One of the most beautiful churches in India, it can be found towards the east of the Parliament House and Rashtrapati Bhavan.  It came into existence when Rev T. R. Dixon was appointed as the chaplain to visit India and look into the requirements of the Britishers in India. It was built by Henry Medd (1892-1977) between 1927 and 1935, with considerable encouragement from the Viceroy, Lord Irwin

Reverend Hickey was known for his significant contributions to the local Christian community and his role in fostering Anglo-Indian relations through his ministry. He was married to an Indian woman named Mabel Hickey, who was actively involved in the church and community activities.

Mrs. Shanta Chaudhari

 Mrs. Shanta Chaudhari was wife of Shri Sadhu Ram Chaudhari was a high ranking IPS Officer. He was born in the village of Rallana in the Hoshiarpur district of Punjab on July 14, 1900 to Chaudhari Gurdit Singh Saini and Shanti Devi. He was the first Inspector General of Police (IGP) for the joint police forces of Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, and Ajmer in 1948. This joint command was given to him because Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, and Ajmer were all Union Territories in 1948. Before that worked as an Assistant Superintendent and Superintendent of Police in various districts of Punjab until 1946. The Delhi Police was reorganized in 1946, and the role of the first IGP of Delhi was established on February 16, 1948. In 1945 Chaudhari received the decoration of Officer of the Order of the British Empire .

He had a house in Den and also at Delhi. After his death His wife Shanta Chaudhari become greated devoted to Shri Nathji when she happened to meet Him in 1971. Shri Nathji suggested going to Dalhousie for the summer months. He had  known a certain Rai Bahadur Sohan Lal in 1928, in Dalhousie, and the man had remained devoted to Shri Nathji for years afterwards.
 Priya Nath wrote to him, but received a letter soon thereafter that Rai Bahadur Sohan Lal was no longer in the world. The man who wrote the letter was a certain Shri Mahajan who was a property dealer in Dalhousie.
 He gave the address of a certain lady, Mrs. Sadhu Ram Chaudhri in Delhi, who lived in Friend’s Colony, and who had a house in Dalhousie which was for rent. Shri Mahajan wrote to Mrs. Chaudhri also asking her to get in touch with Priya Nath Mehta.
 Priya Nath spoke to Mrs. Chaudhri on the phone and agreed to take her house in Dalhousie on rent.
 Mrs. Chaudhri came to Shri Nathji’s residence at Sarvodya Enclave in Delhi to collect the cheque from Priya Nath. She had no idea who Shri Nathji was. She saw him for a brief moment in the house, and that was all. But some hidden chord in her soul was touched. She had been a genuine seeker after truth. After the passing away of her husband she had frequented almost all the saints India had to offer but her soul remained ever thirsty, ever unsatiated.
 While Priya Nath was making out a cheque to Mrs. Chaudhri for one thousand rupees she sat on an arm chair in the room and looked at Shri Nathji.
 The beauty and glory on his face were astonishing. She assumed he was a very big Maharaja, but did not ask any questions. She took the cheque and left the house. When she reached home, her son, who was an army officer, asked her whether she had give the key to the new tenant. Mrs. Chaudhri had forgotten.
 She wondered what kind of persons she had met. They had been so good and innocent. They had paid the rent, they had not asked for any receipt and they had not even demanded the key of the house in Dalhousie! No, she must not be unfair with such good people. And with this thought in her mind she rushed back to Shri Nathji's house.
 This time when she entered the drawing room she found a man lying in prostration before Shri Nathji. She was surprised. No one prostrated before Rajas and Maharajas. Perhaps Shri Nathji was something else. She appeared to understand that from within her heart, and instantly sat down upon the ground. She gave the key to Priya Nath.
 "Who is your father?" she asked Priya Nath, and, upon discovering who he was, she immediately fell at Shri Nathji feet.

Latter many miracle happened in her life when Shri Anthji saved herfrom ma problems in her life and also saved the life of his son who was in the miltery in the Indo Pak war. One can dear all all this in the forst part of Shri NAthji’s Biography – Advent of the Avatar.