21, Pusa Road

  In 1949 the birthday day of Babaji Bhagwan was celebrated at  the Bir Rai Bahadur Narain Das who lived at 21, Pusa Road had acquired great faith and devotion in Shri Nathji during the days that Shri Nathji had spent with Shri Bhutt at 2, Pusa Road. He now offered the use of his house at 21 Pusa Road for the celebration of the Birthday of Shri Babaji Maharaj.
 And it was there, in the open lawn of his house that the devotees gathered together to celebrate the birthday in the biting cold of Delhi. It was to be a very special occasion for Shri Nathji.

 

 This is the current photo of of the plot 21, Pusa Road, New Delhi. Since 1999, an IAS institute by name of Drishti is operating from here. It seems the decedents of Rai Bahadur Pandit Narain Das had sold the property long back. I was able to find online that in 1955 Rai Bahadur Narain Das of Delhi" was a founding member for the Delhi branch of the League of Devotees. The League was a religious organization co-founded by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who wrote to Narain Das about the immediate need to secure office and residential space for the group's workers. At the time, Rai Bahadur Narain Das still resided at 21 Pusha Road in New Delhi.

Shri Hans Raj Gupta

 

This is the photo of Lala Hansraj Guta who along with his father were devoted to Shri Nathji. 

The father of Shri Hans Raj Gupta, the mayor of Delhi had become an ardent admirer of Shri Nathji.
 He and a Chief Engineer frequented Shri Nathji's sermons in Mussoorie. The effect on him was so profound that he came to Shri Nathji and said to him: "My house in Delhi is always waiting for you. Whenever you come there, please stay with us."
 Many years later, Shri Nathji visited the residence of Shri Hans Raj Gupta. His father was no longer alive by that time. A lecture was arranged in the garden of the house, and Shri Nathji blessed Hans Raj Gupta like he had blessed his father..

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Lala Hansraj Gupta was an Indian educationist, social worker and philanthropist. He was awarded Padma Vibhushan by Government of India for his services to society.

He served as seventh Mayor of Delhi. Hansraj Gupta was a founding member of the Child Education Society in 1944. Bal Bharati Public School is one of the private institutions owned by the Child Education Society. He died on 3 July 1985

G. D. Birla

 This is the photograph of Shri Ghan Shyam Das Birla, who was the foremost businessman of India when he met Shri NAthji in Mussoorie in 1949.

When Shri Nathji had visited Nagpur, Poornima, the daughter-in-law of the Governor, Shri Mangal Das Pakvasa, had come for Shri Nathji's darshan. At the time her husband was not at Nagpur. She had this intense desire to bring her husband for Shri Nathji's darshan, but Shri Nathji had left Nagpur after a very short stay.

In June 1949 she was in Mussoorie with her husband and she came straight for Shri Nathji's darshan. Along with her husband was a friend of his, Shri Ghan Shyam Das Birla, who was the foremost businessman of India at the time.

As Poornima came to the verandah of Shri Nathji's residence, St. Andrews, the first person she met there was Mateshwari. She did not know who Mateshwari was, and so addressed her rather perfunctorily, saying: “Do we have to remove our shoes as we come in here?”

“Kyaa yahaan joote utaar kar aanaa parrtaa hai?

And Mateshwari replied: “There is no such rule here, but if you ask me, one must remove one’s ego before coming here, – and, if that cannot be removed, one can at least remove one’s shoes!

“Yahaan to ahankaar utaar kar aanaa parrtaa hai, magar agar ahankaar naheen utartaa to joote to utaar hee dene chaahiyen!”

As Poornima and her husband and Birla sat before Shri Nathji, and Birla was introduced to him, Shri Nathji said:
"I have a great respect in my heart for businessmen, not because they earn money, but because they understand the meaning of profit and loss. They will never undertake any venture, which will result in a loss to them, and they will never allow an opportunity for profit to escape them. Surely God should be a desirable target for them!"
Shri Nathji continued:

" Birlaji, jo vyapaar aap kar rahe hain uss vyaapaar kaa sambandh kiss cheeze se hai?

Tell me, what is your vocation in life associated with?”

“Mere shareer se,” said the businessman, “it is associated with my body.”

“Iss shareer kaa antt hai?”  said Shri Nathji, “is there an end to this body?”

“Shareer kaa antt to hai,” said the businessman, “yes, there is an end to the body.”

“To phir iss vyaapaar kaa kyaa huaa? What then will become of the business?” Shri Nathji asked him.

“Uskaa bhee antt ho gayaa!” said the businessman, “that too shall come to an end.”

And Shri Nathji continued: “Main aise vyaapaar ko kyaa kaaroon ke jisko chhorr denaa hai!
In other words, we are busy earning that which we must leave behind!”

The businessman was touched to the heart and said to Shri Nathji:
"This is something we knew all the time. Yet, today, when it comes from your mouth, it assumes a great degree of significance. Should we, then not carry on with our business? To kyaa ham iss vyaapaar ko naa karen?”

“Zaroor Karen!” said Shri Nathji, “main to chaaohoongaa ke Bharat kaa har aadmi Birla ban jaaye, Bharat ki har eenth sone ki ho jaaye, – magar Ravana ki Lanka naa bane!

“By all means do your work. It is my wish that every man in the country become another Birla, that every brick in the country turn to gold, – but it must not become like the golden Lanka of Ravana!”
Said Shri Nathji, “I would also advise you to look to your real profit and loss. Whatever one earns is for this world, which one must leave behind. And one earns nothing for the world, which is to come! I would urge you to engage also in that business which shall last forever!

“Iss vyaapaar ko to karen, magar isske saathh saathh uss doosre vyaapaar ko bhee karen jisne hameshaan raihnaa hai.”"

And then he gave an example:
"You are in darkness. You light a match stick to dispel the darkness. But the flame flickers. It can go out at any moment. Even if it were to last, its life would not be very long. What does wisdom suggest? Before this tiny flame of the match stick dies out, you should transfer it to a candle, which will burn the whole night long until the sun comes out. The smaller light is converted to a greater light. It is no longer afraid of dying. In a like manner, before this short physical life of man comes to an end, it must convert itself into eternal life.

“Athaa-tho-Brahma jigyaasaa

“O man! Having come into this world, seek to know God. And the time shall surely come when everlasting life shall appear before you by itself.”
Shri Nathji recited one of his favourite verses:

“Nidaaye raihbare kaamil mere kaanon men yoon pahunchi
Ke saudaaye jahaan ke hee abhi soodo ziyaan tak hai

The voice of the Perfect Master reached my ears!
Art thou still lost only in the gains and losses of this world?”

The visitors went away greatly satisfied. They carried away with them Shri Nathji's blessings which were going to be with them in this world and the next, and which were the real earnings of life.

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Ghanshyam Das Birla was born on 10 April 1894 at Palani town in Jhunjhunu district. His father was Raja Baldev Das Birla. G. D. Birla inherited the family business and moved to further diversify them into other areas. He came to Calcutta, the world's largest jute producing region. There, he began "independently as a jute broker".  and in 1918, he established Birla Jute Mills. When World War 1 resulted in supply constraints throughout the British Empire, Birla's business skyrocketed.Later He set up a mill in Gwalior. In the 1940s, he ventured into the territory of cars and established Hindustan Motors. After independence, Birla invested in tea and textiles through a series of acquisitions of erstwhile European companies. He also expanded and diversified into cement, chemicals, rayon and steel tubes.He was also the founding member of UCO Bank. He also did many act of philanthropy and in 1957, he was awarded India's second-highest civilian honour, the  Padma Vibhushn by the the Government. He died in London on 11 June 1983 at the age of 89.

 

 

Sir Sita Ram

Sir Sita Ram was among the many admirers of Bhola Nathi Bhagwan. He was, a great intellectual and political figure of the time, who had been greatly drawn towards Shri Nathji. He had met Shri Nathji but once in his lifetime and had developed an abiding faith in him, which the passage of years did not dim. When ever he received Shri Nathji's invitation cards for functions, he voiced the sentiments of all devotees in conveying his respectful pranaams.
 

Sir Sita Ram was Born in 12th January 1985 Meerut. His was born to  Lala Jiggal Kishore and Champa Devi.

He did MA, LLB and started his political career in 1920, when he was first elected as member of Legislature from South Meerut in 1920. He latter become the President of the Legislative Coucil of United Provences. The first meeting of the Legislative Council was held on 29 July 1937 in which Sir Sita Ram and Begum Aijaz Rasul were elected the President and the Vice-President of the Legislative Council respectively. Sir Sita Ram was in office until 9 March 1949 after him Chandra Bhal became the next Chairman on 10 March 1949.  He Died at midnight of 5/6 May 1972.

Inder Restaurant

 

Shri Nath used You to offen go with His family to Inder Restaurant which was Inder Restaurant which was a very small and cosy eating place near the end of the slope leading down from Kulri Bazaar. They would have tea and samosas, dal mot and moong ki daal, and alloo ki tikkees -potato cutlets-which were the favourite dishes of the small restaurant, and these would be followed by hot gulaab jaamuns, which Shri Nathji especially enjoyed. The restaurant was full of printed pictures depicting the Second World War, showing armies attacking, and aeroplanes bombing. The children particularly enjoyed seeing these pictures of battle.
 Shri Nathji would talk very lovingly to the owner of the restaurant who would invariably rush forward to touch his feet. Shri Nathji always made it a point to meticulously pay the bill of every restaurant or shop that he ever visited. He would never use his spiritual status to secure a reduced or concessional rate on anything that he purchased.

Now Inder Restaurant is known as - Inder's Bengali Sweets. This historic sweet shop on the Mall Road in Mussoorie was established in 1930 and known for its authentic Bengali sweets like Sandesh and Rasgollas, along with the local Uttarakhandi sweats like Bal and Singori. 

The radio license

 Shri Nathji had a Radio made by the famous foreign company PYE and he listened to the news and whatever music came on it, frequently. Now surprisingly in those day, a radio license had to be renewed every year which Shri nathji used to do. Radio broadcast was started in India in 1928. You had to buy a BRL(Broadcast Receiver's License) to listen to your radio- Rs. 10 per annum which was a big amount in 1928.
This licence was required to own a radio to fund public broadcasting, which was a source of colonial administration and communication but also an expensive venture given limited funds. The annual fee for the BRL helped the government manage and finance the radio system, as well as maintain control over the medium which could be used for nationalist movements.  The license fees helped to fund the limited and often underfunded radio broadcasting system that served the public. In addition to funding the broadcast service, license fees also served as a source of revenue for the Government.
 The system continued after India's independence and was only abolished in the mid-1980s. Latter  an radio sets become cheaper and there was the increasing affordability of televisions and other consumer electronics resulting in decline of the BRL system and it was abolished.

15 Barakhamba Road , New Delhi

In Janiery 1943 when winters become too bitter in Mussoorrie Shri Nathji decided to go with His family to the plains and choose to come to Delhi. Shri Nathji had written to a certain Krishnadutta family and they had warmly welcomed him to come and stay with them at their palatial house at 15 Barakhamba Road, New Delhi.
 This was Shri Nathji’s first major tryst with New Delhi, which was the capitol of India. It was a city that was to be blessed by his presence so that in later days it would become the citadel of freedom as India became a republic.
 It was at the house of Krishnadutta at New Delhi that Shri Nathji celebrated the birthday of Shri Babaji Maharaj, on January 21, 1944, as printed cards of that time show. Latter Shri Nathji’s bother Prem Nath came to Delhi and instated Shri NAthji to come to their house at Dehradon. Were they stated till end of March before going back to Mussoorie.

Now when we visit  15 Barakhamba Road we can not see that Spacious house were Shri Nathji stayed but a high rise building named Hansalaya building. The Hansalaya building is of the the first landmark high-rise structure in Delhi. It is in the heart of Connaught Place, New Delhi, offering premium commercial and office spaces. It was built in 1971 and stands approximately 88 meters tall with 21 floors, providing a key commercial presence in one of the city's most prestigious locations. It is also home to the  70-room Hotel Hans Plaza which opened in December in 1984.