Hamer and Co. Mussoorie

In mussoorie Shri Nathji made most of his purchases at Hamer and Co., where his credit was very good.

 Shri Hari, the owner of Hamer’s, had always had a great reverence for Shri Nathji and had always offered him the use of his cinema hall, Rialto Theatre, for his lectures in the 1930’s.

Hamer & Co is an iconic, historic store located on Mall Road in Mussoorie that originated as a chemist and now sells a variety of goods. It is commonly called Hamers. The store's offerings include toiletries, eatables, souvenirs, novelties, and items like umbrellas, socks, and thermal wear. It is a popular spot for both tourists and locals and is known for its friendly owner and heritage atmosphere.

Cherry Boot Polish

Shrinaji always wore shining black leather shoes. The secret of his immaculately polished black shoes was the use of Cherry Boot Polish. People were so impressed by his impeccably polished shoes that they would turn and stare at them even after he had walked past them on the Mall. The black shoes shone out even more beautifully when combined with the white woollen chooridars he wore above them.

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 Cherry Blossom was the first shoe polish produced in the United Kingdom over 115 years ago, and is the only one still produced in the UK today. Cherry Blossom boot polish was created in Chiswick, UK, by brothers Charles and Dan Mason in 1906, launching the first UK-manufactured shoe polish to address issues with transfer onto clothing. The brand became globally popular, especially in India during the British Raj, as a symbol of respectability and duty. It has remained a significant and reliable brand, continually evolving while maintaining its British heritage. The polish was designed to last through the day without transferring onto clothing so it become very popular. In India, Cherry Blossom became an almost ubiquitous brand, a favored choice among the working class and a part of the national culture and its still the favorite brand.

Vincent Hill School

In 1954 Shri Nathji decided to shift His sons to Pran Nathji and Priya Nathji as the atmosphere at Allen Memorial was unduly strict and harsh.  Shri Nathji had earlier found out about Vincent Hill School which was a Seventh Day Adventist Christian school. He had been told that the Seventh Day Adventists were vegetarians and that the school had teachers and students who were exceptionally soft-spoken and polite, in contrast to the harshness and bullying prevalent at Allen Memorial.

Over a period of time, Manley began to develop greater and greater respect for Shri Nathji and the boys. The Hindi teacher at the school, a certain Mr. Thomas, would always say:
 “Look how politely Priya’s father meets people. He is so full of love that he embraces people when he greets them. He gives such great happiness to everyone!”
 Whenever Manley and other Seventh Day Adventist pastors would come to Shri Nathji for donations for the school, Shri Nathji would speak to them with a divine glow on his face and they would say to him:
 “Swamiji, your house is built on a rock!”
 Meaning thereby that he was one amongst those who were “saved” in the Christian sense of the word. They would look at his 1938 portrait in the drawing room of Savitri Nivas and say to the boys:
 “Your father is a very handsome man!”

Pran Nathji and Priya Nathji both liked Vincent Hill School and completed their studies there before moving to collage.

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Vincent Hill School which was made by Seventh Day Adventist Christian. The laying of the foundation stone on October 13, 1920, was attended by prominent Mussoorie citizens like Colonel J. H. Beer, chairman of the Mussoorie Municipal Board and leading Seventh-day Adventists. W. W. Fletcher, president of the Southern Asia Division. In March 1922 the main building at Vincent Hill School was ready for occupancy. Mr.  A. J. Olsen, from Kingsway College, Canada, was the first principal in 1922

When Pran Nathji and Priya Nathji  joined the school, M. O. Manley was principal  Mr.  H. H. Mattison was acting principal.  

M. O. Manley served as principal from 1952 to 1961.1956. During his time the dining room was refurbished, and the kitchen was moved to the domestic science classroom. A new parlor was added to the boy’s hostel. Both the boys’ and girls’ parlors received record players. The laundry was completed with washing machines and electric irons. In 1955 principal Manley was directed to inform the inspector of Anglo-Indian Schools “that because of circumstances we are not at present offering instruction preparing for the Senior Cambridge Certificate, and that we will not be following the government recognized program.  From then on till its closure in 1969 Vincent Hill School followed the American unit system.

The school closed its operations in 1969 mainly because it was getting difficult for foreign nationals to get work visa in India and no more visas were granted for overseas teachers at Vincent Hill. So, the school was officially closed on June 30, 1969.79 In September 1969, 36 students transferred to the Far Eastern Academy and the new Sikh owner S. Mehtab Singh acquired it. He founded G.N.F.C school in honour of Guru Nanak's 500th birthday anniversary, which was in November 1969. The Fifth Centenary School Society was formed to manage the affairs of the institution. It was registered under the Indian Societies Registration Act, in June 1970. It is now among the most prominent boarding schools of Mussoorie

 

The Majestic Cinema

 

For many years when Shri Nathji was in Mussorrie he used to give lecture on His birthday on June 23,  at Majestic Cinema Hall like the years 1951, 1952, 1953 etc. . The function on the 22nd of June 1953 at Majestic Cinema Theatre was an unusual one. There were the bhaktas of Akola, W.A. Sohni being amongst them; there was Shri Vaid Raj Sudhanwa and his family, there were the old devotees of Lahore, Sohan Lal Khosla being amongst them; there was Justice Raghubar Dayal and other members of the bar and judiciary intermingled with the gentry and common folk of Mussoorie.
Shri Nathji gave a brilliant lecture at the Majestic Theatre. His theme was: “A relationship with God”. As his voice resounded in the hall, its echoes entered deep down into the souls of his listeners:
"Have we established any relationship with God, or are we living in this world without even giving a thought to Him?"
Shri Nathji gave the example of a man who entered into a house and began enjoying the things of the house without knowing who the owner of the house was, and compared the situation to the existence of man on earth.

After his speech, several members of the elated audience, amongst which were lawyers and intellectuals like Shri W.A. Sohni, rushed forward with a rickshaw for him.
Despite Shri Nathji's protests, they began pulling the rickshaw to Shri Nathji’s residence, Savitri Nivas, on top of the hill.
Shri Nathji laughed:
"My position in the rickshaw is that of a child in a perambulator!"
Shri Nathji's neighbour, Maharaja Sarila, saw the interesting sight and said to the people pulling the rickshaw:

"Do allow Shri Nathji to walk as well! It will be good for his health! Swamiji ko paidal bhee to chalne do!”
After having reached Shri Nathji to his destination, the devotees said:
"Sir, we want our wages, our mazdoori, for the work we did. We have brought you to your house, and we pray you to carry us to our real destination!"
And Shri Nathji said: “Your faith will carry you there!”
The situation was similar to the one in the Ramayana, in which Kewat, the boatman, ferried Rama across the waters of a river, and, in return, asked that Rama carry him across the waters of the Bhavsaagar–the ocean of life and death.

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The Majestic Cinema was a historic cinema in Mussoorie that was formerly known as the Vasu Theatre or Vasu Cinema, located on the Mall Road. It is now the site of the Ritz Cinema. It is now the only functional cinema hall in Mussoorie.

Doon Studio which Shri Nathji frequented in the same building. and its still been run by the same family.
 

Hakman’s Hotel

 The Hakman’s Hotel on Mall road in Mussorrie was right opposite the short climb leading to Shri Nathji house - Savitri Niwas. So it was very near to heir residence and Shri Nathji visited this hotel and often. When ever there were important guests to tea, then Shri Nathji would lay out the dining table in the dining room very carefully on these occasions, calling for tea and pastries from Hakman’s Hotel for his guests and engaging a waiter from the hotel to serve the tea.

 

Hakman's Hotel on the Mall Road in Mussoorie is a heritage property dating back to 1885. Built by Mr. Hakman with English-style colonial architecture, it is one of the many historic structures that contribute to the old-world charm of the area.  .Hakman’s  Hotel was an institution in Mussoorie and its ballroom was most famouswhich had springs under its huge dance floor.  It also hosted Flower Shows, run by the Mussoorie Gardening Association. Currently the hotel has been thoughtfully restored to blend world-class amenities.

Raja Karan Prasad

 

This is photograph of Raja Karan Prasad of Hyderabad who had great faith in Shri Nathji. As he was himself an accomplished urdu poet, He loved the urdu gazals and sermons of Shri Nathji. As Shri Nathji's birthday came close in June 1953 he received a letter from Raja Karan Prasad. The Raja wrote to him telling him of a complex legal case that was going on:
 He wrote: “I had filed an appeal which has been accepted. My success depends upon your Aashirvad–Blessings. Sorry we cannot come to Mussoorie for your birthday but we have your photograph with us which we shall see on that day!”

Shri Nathji's fame had travelled to all corners of India. From the richest to the poorest, from the greatest intellectuals to the most illiterate of folk, all had found absolute and complete faith in him. They relied on his blessings to see them through some of the most difficult situations in their lives.

Raja Karan Prasad Karan was a famous Urdu Shayar of all times from Hyderabad, India. Most of the time, Urdu poets use a Takhalus (pen name) and Raja Karan Prasad used pen Name - 'karan'. He was born in 1895 in Hydrebad Tenegana. He was from Hyderabadi aristocracy. He was descendent of Maharaja Chandu Lal, who was prime minister of Hyderabad state from 1833 to 1844.  He composed many poems in Urdu and write booksin Urdu like - books – Kiran in 1954 and  Jam-e-Kiran  in 1963.