INDULAL SHAH - He `organises' the Sai mission

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Om Sri Sai Ram

INDULAL SHAH

He `organises' the Sai mission

Sometimes friends can help change life permanently. Indulal C. Shah met Bhagawan

`by chance' while visiting long-time friend Mr. Java in Bangalore in 1965. He

stayed on to become a cornerstone personality in the mission of Sri Sathya Sai.

Moving up the Organisation ladder, he is today the International Chairman of the

Sri Sathya Sai Service Organisation. He and his wife Sarla have literally

nurtured the Sai Organisation and made it the most important part of their

lives.

Sri Indulal Shah has been a Chartered Accountant since 1942. He participated in

the `Quit India' Movement and was an ardent follower of Mahatma Gandhi. He had

been Secretary to the Indian National Congress from 1951 to 1960 for the Bombay

Region. He had been associated with the Khadi Movement for a decade from 1954.

The President of India and the Prime Minister have decorated Sri Shah with a

gold medal and a shield for rural work and contribution to the building of

rural economy.

Sri Indulal Shah has since long been spiritually inclined. His baptism into

spirituality took place when he stayed in the Ramakrishna Mission Hostel in

Bombay (Mumbai) from 1937 to 1942. From 1949 to 1964, he had been the joint

secretary of the Mumbai branch of Sri Ramakrishna Mission.

In 1951, Sri Indulal Shah visited Shirdi for the first time. He has been making

pilgrimages to the shrine of Sai Baba ever since.

With this blessed background, Sri Indulal Shah had Bhagawan Baba's Darshan in

Malleswaram in 1965. Bhagawan was to address a public meeting and rain clouds

had filled the sky. But Bhagawan willed the filled clouds away. The clouds of

doubt and reservation too disappeared from Sri Indulal Shah's mind. Along with

wife Sarla and daughter Darshan, he went to have Baba's Darshan in Whitefield.

Bhagawan saw him only after five days. The five days wait gifted Sri Indulal

Shah his first personal interview.

Sri Indulal Shah's long association with spiritual institutions has created in

him the zest to present spiritual messages through words and pictures to the

masses. Trained in the direction, he was able to prepare an exhibition on

Bhagawan in the 60's that ran for four months. Earlier he had prepared a `Sant

Darshan' exhibition in Mumbai and in 1969, the Gandhi Centenary Committee of

the Government of India nominated him member secretary to oversee the

preparation of a mobile exhibition on the Mahatma. In years to come, Sri

Indulal Shah was to co-ordinate Prajnan Pradarsan (exhibition on spirituality

once housed in Bangalore), Sanathana Samskruthi - Eternal Heritage Museum in

Prashanthi Nilayam and finally his

crown offering to Bhagawan - Chaitanya Jyothi, also at Prashanthi Nilayam.

In 1976, Bhagawan visited the residence of Sri Indulal Shah in Mumbai for the

first time. Ever since, on some occasion or the other, Bhagawan would visit his

home to shower His love on the man who officially `looked after' His

Organisation. Even recently in June 2001, Bhagawan flew down to Mumbai to call

on his ailing wife.

Sri Indulal Shah's association with the Organisation is ever since its

inception. In August 1965, when the registration of the Organisation was in

progress, Sri Indulal Shah was actively involved in the process. In March 1967,

Bhagawan stayed at his Mumbai residence and finalised the site for the

Dharmakshetra ashram of the Organisation. Dharmakshetra was ready by May 1968

to host the First World Conference of Sri Sathya Sai Organisations.

In 1967, during the first All India Conference of office bearers of the

Organisation, Sri Indulal Shah prayed Bhagawan to enlarge the scope of the

Organisation and include education in its scope. After a gestation of twelve

years, Bhagawan announced the Education in Human Values Movement in 1979. The

EHV Movement has since flourished into a landmark step in the evolution of

education in India and abroad.

For many years, Sri Indulal Shah held the position of All India President of Sri

Sathya Sai Seva Organisations. After 1985, Bhagawan gradually drew him to the

international scene. Today Sri Indulal Shah is the International Chairman of

Sri Sathya Sai Service Organisations.

Yet, Sri Indulal Shah is a humble sevak of Bhagawan. It was his humility and

tremendous concern for others that made him the recipient of tremendous grace

from Bhagawan. In 1967, at Madras, during the All India Conference of Sri

Sathya Sai Organisations, Bhagawan was speaking to a private audience in

Telugu. Sri B. Ramakrishna Rao, once Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh and

Governor of Uttar Pradesh, remarked that Sri Indulal Shah did not understand

Telugu and that a translation was necessary. Bhagawan then said, "No, there is

no time, he understands Telugu" and patted Sri Indulal Shah on his head with

His fingers. To his surprise, Sri Indulal Shah was able to understand every

word in Telugu that followed during the

discussion!

Many such remarkable incidents are cherished with sweetness in this soft-spoken

gentleman's life. However, he cherished the teachings of Bhagawan the most. He

has made a particular saying of Bhagawan central to his life: "It is not enough

that you love Me, but you must see whether I love you." Sri Indulal Shah leaves

no stone unturned to deserve the love of

Bhagawan.

 

Sri Indulal Shah has authored four books on Bhagawan, all of them reflecting on

the Divine teachings: Sixteen Spiritual Summers (1980), We Devotees (1983),

Spiritual Blueprints of My Journey (1993) and I, We and He (1997). He had also

produced the popular film in Hindi on Sai Baba of Shirdi, Shirdi Ke Sai Baba.

Sai devotees have been privileged to work directly under his inspiring

personality and guidance. His love and concern for his co-Sai workers is

immense. When the serial blasts took place in Mumbai in 1993, he called up the

residences of his brother Sai devotees to enquire if they were safe. A man of

principle, Sri Indulal Shah has been a role model for many youngsters on how to

lead and run an Organisation. After all, he `organises' Bhagawan's mission.

Source:http://saitowers.com/spi/magazine/novdec2001/faces_in_focus.htm 

 

 

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