Shri Nathhi's Picture in the Hitavada

 

Shri Narsikar and Shri Tanksale of Nagpur top all devotees in bringing out a fantastic picture of Shri Nathji in the Hitawada, a leading daily of Nagpur. The picture is printed on the first page of its Sunday edition. The picture has been beautifully coloured in green, yellow and pink by Shri Narsikar’s photographer friend. Shri Nathji is shown in a green achkan, wearing a yellow turban, and a countenance that is pink in colour. It is the same picture that Priya Nath had given to the Indian Express for the Sapru House function, except that it has been beautifully coloured. Both Shri Nathji and Priya Nath are in raptures about the magnificent work done by Shri Narsikar and Shri Tanksale, and Shri Nathji’s blessings go out towards the Hitavada newspaper.

On Januery 2th, 1984, HH Shri Pyiya Nathji also sends a personal typed letter to Shri Tanksale, congratulation him for publishing the photo in Hitawada. Shri Tanksale ji has always preserved that letter very carefully with him and photo of that same letter can be seen bellow - 

Hitavada Flies from Nagpur

Shri Nathji’s devotee Rekha Dodeja narrates a miracle in Delhi where the newspaper Hitvada does not come at all.

She says: “I was standing outside my home thinking intensely of Shri Nathji, when a piece of paper came blowing in the wind and fell beside me.

“It was one page of the Nagpur newspaper, Hitavada, which carried Shri Nathji's coloured portrait!

“Nagpur is about fifteen hundred miles away–how could the paper have been blown over by the winds over such a large distance?

“I came running to Shri Nathji's place–only to find that he had received the same picture by post from Nagpur!”

The Hitavada is an English daily newspaper circulating mainly in Central parts of India.  It was founded in 1911 by freedom fighter Gopal Krishna Gokhale in Nagpur. in 1978 the newspaper was taken over by Purohit and Company, owned by Banwarilal Purohit, the former Bharatiya Janata Party MP from Nagpur and present governor of Tamil Nadu. It was the English daily of Nagpur  In 2011, it completed its 100 years and celebrated its centenary festival which was inaugurated by Pratibha Patil, then President of India. The Hitavada, today, is the largest selling English broadsheet daily of Central India with Nagpur and Raipur. It has a daily circulation of over 200000 copies across the Central India with maximum 130000 in Nagpur city alone.

Sahu Jagdish Prasad - The previous owner of Savitri Niwas

 

Savitri Niwas – The house of Shri Nathji in Mussoorie was purchased By Shri Nathji from Sahu Jagdish Prasad who was member of the erstwhile royal family of Pilibhit.  Mahamateshwariji and Shri Nathji were keen on purchasing a house in Mussoorie as this hill station was very close to their heart and they had already stayed here for many years in different rented accommodations.  That time India had just gained independence and the British were leaving India and some Muslims were migrating to Pakistan. So many properties were available for sale. A property dealer offered to negotiate a deal for sale of this property called St. Andrews which belonged to Sahu Jagdish Prasad and said that this is the best house in Mussoorie. Mahamatehwariji and Shri  Nathji both had an immediate liking for this house and they purchased it.

Sahu Jagdish Prasad had purchased this property from the original British owners and named it Hari Kunj Estate. He had then gone abroad and when he later returned from USA  he offered to sell his House which Shri Nathji Purchased. But he did not came to Mussoorie personally to do the sale deed but instructed that all this be done by his agent in Mussoorie.  Although the original name St. Andrews was pleasing to Shri Nathji yet it was a foreign name and people could not relate to the name or understand why the house was named thus. So Shri Nathji named it – Savitri Nivas. This was purchased from the Istri  Dhan (Jewellery and money which a bride gets from her parents when she is married)of  Mahamateshwariji. Sahu Jagdish Prasad offered this house as it is with all the original  furniture and furnishings.   From the name plate at the entrance of the main house we can make out that  Shri Nathji occupied this house and named it Savitri Niwas on 15th August 1947. This was the birthday of Mahamatshwariji and also the day India gained Independence.

   Sahu Jagdish Prasad was a man of great stature and held considerable Zamindari property in the districts of Pilibhit, Bareilly and Bijnore in utter Pradesh. He had  three sons. He is also remembered as a philanthropist. In 1955 he donated Rs. 10000 as deposit for the Sahityakar Sanasad Award which was thus named after him as - Sahu Sahab Puraskar. A road in his home town of Pilibhit – (Sahukara Jagdish Prasad Road) is named him.

There is a very old photograph belonging to the previous owners of  this house which shows horse riding outings during the British Raj . This photograph still hangs in the Study room at Savitri Niwas.