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Brahma Baba Remembered

Jan 20, 2009, 5:33 AM

People of different walks of life on Sunday gathered at the Brahma Kumaris Meditation Centre in Fajara to mark the 40th anniversary of the demise of Brahma Baba, the founder of the WorldSpiritualUniversity.

The occasion took the form of a discussion, reflection and a biographical film of Brahma Baba.

Brother Patric Kulabusia the co-ordinator of Brahma Kumaris Raja Yoga Meditation Centre in Fajara, gave a brief account of Brahma Baba's life. He described Brahma's life as a life full of integrity and humility. He said many of his friends called him Dada (elder brother) as a sign of endearment and also earned the name Prajapita Brahma (the Father of Humanity).

Born in 1876, into a humble home, the son of a village schoolmaster, Brahma Baba was brought up with the disciplines of the Hindu tradition. However, he did not follow in his father's footsteps and instead entered the jewelry business earning a considerable fortune as a diamond trader. As a businessman, he maintained a highly respectable position within the local community and was known for his philanthropy.

He had an inherent ability to cope with change. At the age of 60, when most of his colleagues were planning retirement, he entered into the most active and fascinating phase of his life.

Brahma Baba had tremendous spiritual wisdom, which he used to try and cultivate the hearts of the people in the world.

To him, brotherhood meant understanding that a cry of pain means the same in all languages and so does a smile.

He said the first step towards conquering stress is to accept that it is not created by external events so much as by how we deal with them and having good wishes for others, no matter what they are like, is sure to produce a positive outcome from even the most negative situation.

He established the world SpiritualUniversity in Karachi, Sindi (now part of Pakistan) by devoting his considerable wealth to it.

In 1951, the community moved to Mt.Abu, Rajasthan, India, now the location of the University's World Headquarters followed by the invitation to establish centres in the main cities of Delhi and Bombay.

Brahma Baba passed away in 1969 at the age of 93. In Madhuban, the Tower of Peace stands as a tribute to the invincible spirit of an ordinary human being who achieved greatness by rising to the challenge of the truths of life.

The first centres outside India were established in Hong Kong and London in 1971.

The Brahma Kumaris started their activities in The Gambia in September 2005.